The Linux power NTP pool organization has 4,400 nodes globally. The group are needing more nodes all the time, to match an ever increasing demand. I’m suggesting we take things the other direction, and disable time syncing for non-critical setups, VMs and test systems.
This can be done by booting without an active network connection and running
sudo timedatectl ntp false
Clocks drift, but if it’s drifting backwards, you can let it be off for multiple hours and still have a functional device.
Using a pc to browse the web, there is usually no requirement for minute-accurate clock data, as long as it’s not significantly set forward. You may test this immediately.
I think we could save a subatantial amount of energy, just by occasional manual clock adjustment, based on clocks in our homes. It doesn’t have to be perfect.