Key Documents
Directive
batteries and accumulators
Directive
ecodesign requirements for energy-using products
Background
IT, Energy Consumption and Climate Change
Information technology is a highly dematerialising technology. In a way, we can "have more" with less resource consumption. And we have tools for monitoring and managing environmental change we never had before. But the technology itself is consuming energy and this consumption has to be reduced significantly.
US Government to reduce its data center footprint
June 18, 2010: Last week president Obama signed a memo requiring government agencies to present plans on how to stop expanding and in the future consolidate their data centers. Currently the US government runs more than a thousand data centers which are responsible for a significant share of its infrastructure related energy consumption.
For the full story please follow the external link.
Startup launches low-power server solution
June 17, 2010: SeaMicro, a relatively young startup company which notably received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy on top of venture capital, recently introduced a new server product that aims to significantly reduce the power consumption compared to most current designs. Apart from relying on Intel’s low-power Atom processors, which are widely used in netbooks, SeaMicro also developed power-efficient technologies for interconnecting the various sub-components of the server.
For further information please follow the external link.
EPA introduces Energy Star rating for data centers
June 8, 2010: Earlier this week the U.S. Environmental Production Agency (EPA) extended its well known Energy Star rating system to include data centers. The rating is mainly built around the widely used power usage effectiveness (PUE) metric which measures the amount of power used for actual computation compared to a facility's total power consumption.
For further information please follow the external link.
Intel achieves reductions in carbon footprint and energy consumption
May 26, 2010: According to Intel's 2009 Corporate Sustainability Report the company managed to reduce its carbon footprint by more than 20% compared to 2008. During the same time the energy consumption was reduced by almost 10% which also saved the chip maker an estimated $4 million in terms of electrity costs. Other areas that Intel is actively working on are water conservation and the reduction of chemical waste generated during chip production.
For the full article please follow the external link.
New York offers incentives for data center efficiency
May 20, 2010: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is currently offering a program where improvements in the energy efficiency of data centers is supported with up to $5,000,000. An in-depth audit process will evaluate the effectiveness of the improvements which can include a broad range of measures from facility upgrades to virtualization. NYSERDA's program can be considered one of the most comprehensive efforts in this area at the moment.
For the full article please follow the external link.
Liquid-cooled supercomputer heats ETH Zurich building
May 19, 2010: Last week Aquasar, a new liquid-cooled supercomputer based on IBM technology, was installed at ETH Zurich. What sets Aquasar apart from most other supercomputers is that it employs processor-level liquid cooling which is said to use up to 40% less energy than a comparable solution relying on air cooling. Additionally the heat removed from the system will be used to heat buildings at ETH Zurich.
For the full article please follow the external link.
Free e-book: The Shortcut Guide to Data Center Energy Efficiency
May 14, 2010: A new book that is available as a free download (registration required) provides a solid overview on how to improve the energy efficiency of data centers. "The Shortcut Guide to Data Center Energy Efficiency" by David Chernicoff consists of 4 chapters covering topics such as virtualization, best practices and how to update existing data centers.
For further information and the download options please follow the external link.
Joulemeter measures software's power consumption
April 28, 2010: Earlier this year Microsoft Research announced the development of Joulemeter which allows for the measurement of energy usage of laptops, desktops, servers, virtual machines and applications. In an interview Microsoft Research's Jie Liu explains the project's development, its potential impact and future and lessons that his team learned from using the software in their own offices.
For the full article please follow the external link.
Google critical of data center efficiency standards
April 26, 2010: In a recent comment on one of the company's blogs Google's Urs Hoelzle critized the way the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has adopted data center efficiency standards. Hoelzle argues that instead of prescribing specific measures - which ASHRAE does by for example requiring the use of economizers - standards should focus on the reduction of the energy wasted on a data center's overhead similar to what The Green Grid is proposing with its PUE standard.
For the full story please follow the external link.
Power usage effectiveness (PUE) standard to go global
April 14, 2010: Last week The Green Grid, a consortium of leading IT companies, announced that it was cooperating with the U.S. EPA, the EU Joint Research Center and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to make the widely used PUE ratio a global standard for data center power efficiency. Additionally The Green Grid will be closely working with the EPA's Energy Star program when it comes to its development of an official rating system for data centers.
For the full story please follow the external link.
Open letter to President Obama calling for his support on smart-grids
April 6, 2010: Earlier this week Google, General Electric, Intel, Nokia, The Climate Group and more than 40 other companies and organizations wrote a public letter to U.S. President Obama calling for his support when it comes to supplying end-user with information about their energy usage. The signatories hope that this information based on smart-grid technologies will help reduce both consumers' power consumption and their energy related expenses.
For the full story please follow the external link.
New chip design by Intel promises lower power consumption
March 23, 2010: Intel recently demonstrated a prototype of a new chip design that promises a significantly reduced power consumption. The design relies on reduced voltage being utilized in the chip which can sometimes lead to errors occuring during the execution of calculations. Intel's design however includes circuits that can detect these errors and temporarily switch to a higher voltage to reprocess the calculation. This approach can reduce power consumption by up to 37% without negatively impacting the performance.
For the full story please follow the external link.
Cisco's EnergyWise Orchestrator platform helps reduce energy use
March 22, 2010: Last week Cisco released its new EnergyWise Orchestrator platform that facilitates managing and improving the power consumption of devices ranging from servers and PCs to networking equipment such as routers. Cisco claims that such a broad approach can yield up to a 50% reduction in energy use of large companies and organizations.
For the full story please follow the external link.
Researchers working on improving the energy efficiency of PSUs
March 17, 2010:
Researchers at HTWG Konstanz and Moscow Power Engineering Institute have jointly developed a computer power supply unit (PSU) that they claim to be significantly more efficient than the majority of PSUs currently being used. 90% of the electricty being pulled from a power outlet is said to be available to the computer whereas many other PSUs only reach 70% or 80% efficiency.
For the full story (in German) please follow the external link.
Nokia files patent for self-charging mobile phone
March 8, 2010:
Nokia recently filed a patent in the United States which includes the detailed description of a design that would allow for a mobile phone's battery to be charged as the phone is moved. This movement is subsequently transformed into electrical energy with the help of piezoelectric elements.
For the full article please follow the external link.
FCC outlines plans for the smart grid
January 25, 2010:
In a speech at the Clean-Tech Investor Summit the FCC's Energy and Environment Director Nick Sinai described some of the organization's plans regarding how access to energy information will enable smarter energy usage. One key component which was mentioned is the development of standards for data formats and communication so different entities such as energy providers, service developers and end-users can easily access the aggregated information. The greater goal is to enable innovative solutions that make it easier for end-users to reduce their consumption which in many cases can be achieved by merely displaying their energy consumption.
For the full article please follow the external link.
Green Touch hopes to make networks more energy efficient
January 12, 2010:
Earlier this week the formation of Green Touch, a consortium consisting of IT companies, telecommunication providers and research institutions, was announced. The initiative is focused on finding ways to improve the energy efficiency of both fixed-line and wireless networks. The main goal is to develop standards and architectures that enable power consumption reductions by a factor of 1,000 by 2015.
For the full article please follow the external link.
German Addendum to the SMART 2020 report
December 10, 2009:
The German Addendum to the famous SMART 2020 report was published earlier this week and focuses on the indentification and evaluation of ICT-enabled practices and business models that enable GHG emission reductions in various industries. It also aims to provide a better understanding of areas for potential collaboration between the government and private sector when it comes to implementing these practices and business models.
For the full report please follow the external link.
Mobile communication industry publishes "Green Manifesto"
December 1, 2009:
The GSM Association, an interest group for the mobile communication industry, recently published a "Green Manifesto" that describes how the industry aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. Among other things it outlines plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% per connection, achieve carbon neutral growth and reduce mobile phone energy use by 40%, all by 2020. Additionally the manifesto contains information about various energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission trends within the industry over the past few years.
For the full manifesto please follow the external link.
Facebook's efforts to improve energy efficiency
November 30, 2009:
Facebook is following in Google's footsteps in its efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the facilities running its social networking platform. Similarly to what Google revealed in early 2009 Facebook is also looking to replace traditional UPS setups by adding batteries to each individual server system. This step is said to reduce energy losses during power distribution in data centers from 35% to 15%. Additionally the company is working with server vendors and power supply providers to improve the energy efficiency of their products.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
Tool facilitates energy efficient programming for mobile phones
November 24, 2009:
At tool developed at University of Michigan allows users and software developers to measure the power consumption of their Android-based mobile phones. On the one hand this enables users to find the most energy efficient application for a specific task which has the added benefit of increasing battery lifetime for their device. On the other hand it also allows software developers to evaluate the energy efficiency of design decisions during the development of a program and subsequently improve their software accordingly.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
Paper on energy-aware database computing
November 20, 2009:
A lot of efforts to improve the energy efficiency of data centers focuses on hardware and other equipment such as power distribution and cooling facilities. However a paper published in early 2009 indicates that software, and in particular data management systems, also play an important role in overall efficiency improvements. In particular it establishes that software solutions shouldn't be soley performance-focused but also equally take energy efficiency into account.
For the full paper please follow the external link.
Data center energy consumption can be easily reduced by 20%
November 3, 2009:
To demonstrate how the implementation of simple best practices can lead to a significant reduction of a data center's energy consumption and associated cost The Green Grid collaborated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve one of EPA's data centers. The 20% improvement in energy efficiency was enabled by closely working together with the various stakeholders involved in the data center's original design and current operation.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
Google data center's power usage effectiveness: 1.22
October 28, 2009:
According to the latest figures released by Google its extensive data centers have a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.22. That means that the overhead by cooling and power equipment for each watt used by the actual server equipment is 0.22W. Considering that most data centers have a PUE of approximately 2, representing 1W of facility overhead for each watt of computation, this shows that Google's data centers are state-of-the-art facilities.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
Universal phone chargers get a standard
October 27, 2009:
One often overlooked source of resource and energy consumption in ICT are mobile phone chargers. First of all because many phones require seperate chargers which become useless when buying a new phone. Secondly they tend to waste energy by drawing power even when no mobile phone is plugged-in to be charged. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has now approved a standard for a universal phone charger whose introduction is estimated to cut total standby power consumption in half and reduce yearly GHG emissions by 13.6 million tonnes.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
Lenovo introduces "green" displays
October 21, 2009:
The L2251x, one of Lenovo's recently introduced new ThinkVision line displays, is the first product to receive the TCO Certified Edge seal. The display consist of 65 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, only uses up to 21 watts and includes a proximity sensor to put it into standby mode when nobody is sitting in front of it. Additionally the display was designed to contain fewer toxic materials than in a normal monitor.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
Energy efficiency still at the core of Green IT
October 15, 2009:
A new IDC survey shows that energy efficiency is still the main driver behind the implementation of Green IT policies. Subsequently a lot of efforts in the short term are focused on integrating energy measurement and management systems into corporate IT environments. Additionally the survey respondents mentioned a move away from paper towards online consumption, modular data centers and thin client adoption as areas of interest with regard to Green IT efforts.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
Standard for measuring ICT related CO² emissions
October 8, 2009:
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is close to finalizing a standard on how to measure the CO² emissions of the ICT industry. Currently different companies use varying methodologies which makes it hard to compare figures and has undermined their credibility.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
The Green Grid releases tool to support free-air cooling efforts
October 6, 2009:
In early October The Green Grid, a consortium of leading IT companies, unveiled a new online tool and materials to help IT managers determine the potential of using outside air to cool data centers located in Europe. The online calculator uses data about a location's weather patterns combined with input about a facility's energy consumption, electric cost, power usage effectiveness and other relevant variables to determine potential savings by using free-air cooling. The calculator also supports data center locations in North America and Japan.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
More IT managers need to measure data center energy usage
October 5, 2009:
A recent study by Gartner reveals that only approximately half of the surveyed IT managers are actively monitoring the energy use of their data centers. This is particularly interesting since almost three quarters of IT managers regard data center management as their top priority. Also only a very small number of survey participants collaborates with supplier companies to integrate more energy efficient technologies into their operation. Rather the focus of current activities seems to be on internal projects such as consolidation and virtualization.
For more information on the study please follow the external link.
IBM collaborates on green data center degree
October 5, 2009:
The demand for people knowledgeable about the broad variety of topics relevant in green data centers is now resulting in the first degree programs in the area. The Metropolitan Community College in Omaha and IBM have recently started offering a two year associate's degree that covers topics ranging from cabling to virtualization. The training center is based around IBM technologies and is also said to include a strong online course component which will enable remote students to participate as well.
For more information please follow the external link.
Apple updates information on its environmental footprint
October 5, 2009:
Apple recently released new information regarding its overall environmental footprint based on a life cycle analysis of its operations, product manufacturing and product usage. Not surprisingly product use accounts for the biggest share (53%) of greenhouse gas emissions with manufacturing contributing 38% of the 10.2 million metric tons. The overview also includes information on the reduction in the use of toxic materials and product packaging.
For more information please follow the external link.
Internet energy footprint is growing by more than 10% annually
June 29, 2009:
A recent article highlights different challenges and initiaves related to estimating and reducing the power consumption of the Internet. One of the biggest challenges is that figures related to the energy consumption of online services are often considered company secrets and therefore not released to the public. Overall however it seems clear that improved energy efficiency is generally overcompensated by signficant increases in Internet use. As a result of this trend it is estimated that the energy footprint associated to the Internet is growing by 10% annually.
For more information please follow the external link.
Microsoft's Energy Monitoring and Management Tool
June 26, 2009:
This week Microsoft revealed an energy monitoring and management tool called Hohm. Initially the Web based solution will enable users to get an estimate of their energy consumption by entering their zip code and optionally answering up to 180 questions related to their energy use. Additionally Microsoft is partnering with various utility companies to be able to offer a wide range of information and data. In the future Microsoft plans to enhance Hohm by supporting smart meters and allowing for extensive management options such as scheduling of electric car charging and appliance management.
For more information please follow the external link.
Could smart grids be the next bubble?
June 23, 2009:
At a conference last week IT heavy-weights such as Cisco, Google, IBM and Intel were presenting their work related to smart grids. With the introduction of sensors into electrical appliances and the power grid itself massive amounts of data will need to be processed requiring sofisticated IT systems which these companies and several start-ups hope to provide. Interestingly at the same time one venture capitalist mentioned that she sees the risk of smart grids potentially creating a new technology bubble.
For more information please follow the external link.
Data Center to Use 4.5MW of Solar Power
June 18, 2009:
i/o Data Centers recently announced plans to use an extensive array of photovoltaic panels on one of its flagship data centers in Arizona. The first 5,000 solar panels will be used from January 2010 onwards with further panels being installed over the course of 2010. When the installation is completed the solar panels are expected to provide roughly 4.5MW of peak-power, considerably more than other solar power solutions used at data centers.
For more information please follow the external link.
Power management solution enhanced by sustainability dashboard
June 9, 2009:
Earlier this week Verdiem, a provider of enterprise power management solutions, announced a so-called "sustainability dashboard". The dashboard is a reporting component that quantifies and visualizes energy consumption levels and related information across networked computers but especially focuses on the energy and CO² emission savings achieved by using Verdiem's Surveyor PC power management software tool.
For more information please follow the external link.
HP introduces additions to its Eco Solutions program
June 8, 2009:
Last week HP introduced a wide array of additions to its Eco Solutions Green IT program which includes energy efficient servers, efficient printers and a low-cost telepresence solution. More specifically the company introduced new servers, two of which are certified under the previously mentioned EPA's new Energy Star specifications for servers. Additionally HP will also update its printer management software Web Jetadmin and launch a new telepresence solution called SkyRoom later this year.
For more information please follow the external link.
IBM and Syracuse University collaborate on efficient data center
June 2, 2009:
IBM and Syracuse University recently announced a joint effort to build a data center that consumes 50% less energy than what comparable facililties use today. The effort will take a broad approach which among other things includes an on-site electrical generation system, using excess heat from the data center for heating other campus buildings and extensive monitoring. The project will also be accompanied by research into various aspects of energy efficient data center design.
For more information please follow the external link.
Study reveals the increasing importance of Green IT for companies
May 28, 2009:
A newly published study by Symantec contains some interesting information about the increasing importance of Green IT for large companies. Among other things the survey of more than 400 companies around the globe found that virtually all companies are at least discussing plans related to Green IT. Maybe even more interestingly over two thirds of the respondents expect their companies' Green IT budgets to increase over the next year. Overall Green IT is considered a core component of corporate efforts towards improved environmental responsibility.
For more information please follow the external link.
EPA releases Energy Star specifications for servers
May 20, 2009:
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released the Energy Star specifications for server computers after working on them for several years. According to EPA servers that are awarded with the Energy Star label "will be 30 percent more energy efficient than standard servers".
For more information please follow the external link.
Estimates on Google's data center power consumption
May 7, 2009:
Relatively little is known about Google's data centers in general and their power consumption in particular. However a recent report suggests that one of the company's crown jewel data centers located in northern Oregon might soon consume as much power as all the homes in Newcastle (UK), a city of 250,000. The statement is based on estimates which put the amount of energy the facility could require in 2011 at 103 Megawatt, which is approximately 5% of the Hoover Dam's capacity.
For more information please follow the external link.
Turning off servers when they're not being used
May 5, 2009:
Even with server consolidation enabled by virtualization gaining popularity and power-saving modes of hardware sub-systems becoming more efficient the most effective way of saving energy is still to turn a computer system off. While this concept has been widely accepted with desktops and notebooks it is a relatively novel approach when it comes to servers. This article contains some interesting case studies of what different companies are doing in this field.
For more information please follow the external link.
Somniloquy architecture allows PCs to "talk" in their sleep
May 4, 2009:
The newly developed Somniloquy architecture is an enhanced network interface that allows a computer system to go into a low-power sleep mode while still maintaining basic communication functionality (e.g. instant messaging availability or downloads). The architecture was introduced in a paper by researchers at University of California, San Diego and Microsoft Research.
For more information please follow the external link.
Monitor is turned off when the user isn't sitting in front of it
April 27, 2009:
Eizo recently introduced two new LCD monitors which integrate a motion sensor to detect whether a user is currently present. If no person is detected for 40 seconds then the monitor will automatically switch to an energy saving mode therefore signficantly reducing its power consumption.
For more information please follow the external link.
Behind the scenes at Google's data centers
April 7, 2009:
For the first time Google has shown the public some of the technologies and methods the company utilizes in its massive data centers. Among other things each server comes with its own backup battery (instead of relying on traditional UPS solutions), the systems' power supplies only provide 12V with conversions for other voltages taking place directly on the motherboards and the data centers are composed of independent shipping containers.
For more information please follow the external link.
Researchers Develop Super-Fast, Energy Efficient Microchip
February 11, 2009:
A new technology developed at Rice University and tested this week at a conference in San Francisco is capable of operating seven times faster than currently existing microchips while using 30 times less power.
For more information please follow the external link.
Software To Cut Energy Wastage Could Save Organizations Thousands Each Month
February 9, 2009:
Software designed by the University of Liverpool which automatically shuts down computer systems after usage, is saving large organisations up to £13,000 in electricity costs each month.
For more information please follow the external link.
Sentilla Unveils Data Center Energy Management Tool, Joins Green Grid
February 5, 2009:
Sentilla, a data center energy management company based in Redwood City, announced this week that it had joined the Green Grid, a nonprofit group of tech-industry organizations aimed at making the IT industry more environmentally friendly.
For more information please follow the external link.
IBM to Green Datacenters for REL of India
February 5, 2009:
IBM is working with Religare Enterprises Limited of India to build three energy efficient data centers for the financial services firm and help it reduce power costs by more than a third each year.
For more information please follow the external link.
Dell promises more energy efficient servers
February 5, 2009:
Dell outlined the steps it is taking to improve energy efficiency in servers, and has also detailed a server-refresh cycle that could help customers cut their long-term energy costs.
For more information please follow the external link.
Data centre builders offered 'green' design guide
February 5, 2009:
The Green Grid consortium has announced plans to create a "top-to-bottom" design guide for building energy-efficient data centres, as well as new metrics for estimating data centre productivity.
For more information please follow the external link.
Report: The State of Green Business 2009: Information Technology Plugs Into Green
February 4, 2009:
Information technology has been both a hindrance and help to the environment -- on the one hand, dematerializing commerce and increasing efficiencies; on the other, becoming a voracious consumer of energy. Indeed, today's biggest energy gluttons aren't necessarily steel mills and auto factories, but rather the Googles, Amazons,and eBays of the world.
For more information please follow the external link.
SAP and Oracle battle for smart energy market
February 4, 2009:
The spat between SAP and Oracle has moved to a different turf - this time, it's smart energy metering.
For more information please follow the external link.
Energy Star Server Spec: Not Ready for Prime Time
February 3, 2009:
The EPA Energy Star program will soon release an energy specification for servers, in the same way it has one for PCs, monitors, and other kinds of equipment.
For more information please follow the external link.
Google: Our Green Data Centers Got a Lot Greener
January 29, 2009:
Google prides itself on the power efficiency of its data centers, and now it has a lot more to crow about. The company recently released figures that show its already efficient data centers just got a lot greener.
For more information please follow the external link.
Sun Microsystems Opens a New Green Datacenter
January 29, 2009:
Sun Microsystems cut the ribbon this week on its largest green IT project, a revamped and consolidated datacenter that is expected to slash electricity costs by $1 million a year, reduce CO2 emissions by 11,000 metric tons annually, shrink the company's carbon footprint by 6 percent and save 675,000 gallons of water each year.
For more information please follow the external link.
New AMD Processors Cut Server Energy Costs
January 29, 2009:
The new generation of AMD Shanghai quad-core processors include unique energy-savings features that can cut energy costs, while increasing server power.
For more information please follow the external link.
Can Oceans Power the Data Center of the Future?
January 28, 2009:
Innovative plans for what promises to be the world's first tidal-powered data center moved a step closer to reality today with the news that the company behind the tidal turbine technology, Atlantis Resources Corporation, has signed a development partnership with data center developer Internet Villages International (IVI).
For more information please follow the external link.
Cisco to add energy management to Catalysts
January 27, 2009:
Cisco Systems is looking to reduce the energy consumption of network attached devices such as IP phones, laptops and access points using a new architecture called EnergyWise.
For more information please follow the external link.
It's Time To Know Green IT's Best Metric: PUE
January 21, 2009:
A metric proposed by the Green Grid, PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), is on its way to becoming a standard way to measure data center power efficiency.
For more information please follow the external link.
Fujitsu to Launch Zero-Watt Enterprise PC
January 21, 2009:
Fujitsu Siemens Computers has made a number of announcements ahead of this year's Cebit technology trade show in Hanover in March, including what it describes as a zero-watt PC.
For more information please follow the external link.
European Data Centers to Get Green Makeover
January 19, 2009:
Two IT companies, Bull and Cassatt, are teaming up to combine their skills with the goal of increasing the energy efficiency of data centers across the European Union.
For more information please follow the external link.
Verari to Steer Customers Toward Energy Efficiency Incentives
January 15, 2009:
As part of what is a full-service green IT sales plan, blade computing manufacturer Verari Systems announced yesterday that it not only wants to sell you energy efficient servers and storage units, but it will also make it easy for you to apply for rebates from your utility company after the sale.
For more information please follow the external link.
Microsoft: Windows 7 Means Greener PCs
January 14, 2009:
Windows 7 may prove to be a help to enterprises wanting to reduce their electricity bills --- Microsoft claims that power-savings features built directly into the operating system mean that PCs that run it will use less electricity than if they ran older versions of Windows.
For more information please follow the external link.
Energy Efficiency: The New SLA
January 13, 2009:
For years, IT organizations have been charged with ensuring the performance, availability, and security of their environments. Now, as more and more data centers are nearing their power and cooling capacities, a new SLA (service level agreement) has emerged. Today's IT managers must now also manage energy efficiency --- not as a one-time event, but as an ongoing business imperative.
For more information please follow the external link.
Fujitsu, Lenovo Computers Already Meet Future Energy Efficiency Regulations
January 6, 2009: Lenovo and Fujitsu are two forward-thinking computer companies whose products already meet future energy efficiency regulations.
For more information please follow the external link.
Fujitsu Siemens Unveils Its Own Green IT Label
December 4, 2008: In addition to EPEAT, Energy Star, Blue Angel, Nordic Swan and others, Fujitsu Siemens has launched its own "Green IT" label.
For more information please follow the external link.
ASUS Computers Receive World's First EU Flower Eco Award
November 25, 2008: The computer company ASUS, has received the world's first EU Flower Eco Award for its N50, N80, N20, and N10 notebooks.
For more information please follow the external link.
Green Grid Announces Support of European Code of Conduct for Data Centers
November 19, 2008: The Green Grid, a global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems, today announced its support of the recently-released European Commission's Code of Conduct on Data Center Energy Efficiency. The Code of Conduct is a voluntarycommitment of European companies, aiming to reduce data center energy consumption through the adoption of best practices leading to agreed energy saving targets.
For more information please follow the external link.
Telekom Austria Involved in Worldwide Cooperation for Energy Efficiency in the ICT Sector
July 15, 2008: 15 Telecommunications Operators from Four Continents Establish "Energy Efficiency Inter-Operator Collaboration Group" (EE IOCG) - Higher Energy Efficiency and Improvement in Environmental Conditions are Declared First Goals of Forum - As Founding Member Telekom Austria Evaluates Possibilities for Improving Technology in Terms of Energy and Climate in its Own Technology Platforms According to Internationally-Agreed Standards.
For more information please follow the external link.
European Union to Promote Energy Efficiency Through ICT
May 14, 2008: The European Commission has made a commitment to support the use of energy-efficient Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to improve buildings, lighting and power distribution.
For more information please follow the external link.
Vendors argue over green networking crown
May 2008: 3Com has claimed it leads the market in making its networking gear more energy efficient. The company based its claim on a report by US analyst firm In-Stat; however, a rival has charged that 3Com only counted its role in enterprise-class large switches and may actually lag behind in greening the key market for small and mid-sized Ethernet switches.
For more information please follow the external link.
Datacentre used to heat swimming pool
April 10, 2008: Here's one way to use that excess heat from a datacentre - just send it to your local swimming pool. A datacentre in Zurich is doing just that, when heat from a datacentre built in a bunker is being collected and transferred to the nearby pool as part of an innovative energy efficiency project undertaken by GIB-Services, a Swiss IT co-location company.
For more information please follow the external link.
Datacentres heading for cash crunch
March 2008: Datacentre cooling and power consumption costs, boosted by higher-than-expected rates of server rollout, are leading datacentres into an economic crisis, according to a survey of 311 enterprise datacentre managers by the Uptime Institute.
For more information please follow the external link.
Companies put off green IT by cost
March 2008: More than 80 percent of organisations have moved green IT further up their list of priorities, although it still lags well behind issues such as security, legacy software, data quality and server consolidation.
For more information please follow the external link.
Linux tool aims to cut systems' power use
August 2007: Until recently, Linux-kernel developers have focused mostly on correctness and performance, leaving the hardware's power-saving features largely unused.
Now, the trend is finally turning around.
For more information please follow the external link.
Bad Source Code fastens Climate Change
July 2007: Strato AG, one of the biggest Web-Hosters in Germany, is planning to run all their servers with renewable energy. They also point out how much energy badly programmed scripts and websites need.
For more information please follow the external link (german).
Motorola and the GSM Association to Conduct Alternative Power GSM Cell Site Trial with MTC Namibia
Feb. 2007: The trial involves the installation of the Motorola wind and solar solution at an
operational MTC Namibia cell site where the solution will become the electrical power
source for the site. The cell site will remain a part of MTC Namibia's current wireless
network and continue to carry the same levels of traffic.
For more information please download the press release, including further information and contact data.
The Green Grid Calls for Members
Feb. 2007: The Green Grid is an association of information technology professionals
seeking to lower the overall consumption of power in datacenters around the globe.
In February 2007 the formation of the initiative was completed, now there has been a call for members.
For more information please follow the external link.
Energy Efficiency in Data Centers: A New Policy Frontier
By Joe Loper and Sara Parr, Alliance to Save Energy Jan. 2007: Data centers in the United States now consume an estimated 20 to 30 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The ASE study states that data center energy use can be reduced significantly. There are many measures to reduce data center energy use, many with quick paybacks. The challenge is to increase awareness and comfort levels among data center owners and operators about the opportunities that exist and motivate them to make the necessary investments in time and equipment.
For more information please follow the external link.
EICTA Joins EC Campaign
Jan. 2007: EICTA is the voice and principal advocate of the digital technology industry in Europe.
EICTA was formed in 1999 as the European Information & Communications Technology Industry Association by the consolidation
of the two former European federations of the information and telecommunications industries. In January 2007 EICTA joined the
European Commission's Sustainable Energy Europe 2005-2008 Campaign.
For more information please follow the external link.
ETNO/WWF Report
Saving the Climate at the Speed of Light
The report outlines the possible contribution of information technology to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
For more information please visit the ETNO Website or download the report via this external link.
2006 Millennium Development Prize for Work on LEDs
Professor Shuji Nakamura received the Millennium Technology Prize which is awarded every second year for a technological innovation that
significantly improves the quality of human life. The intention is to encourage human-centred
technological development by rewarding both innovations and research and development work that
are aimed at improving quality of life and sustainable development. Finnish organisations, industry
and the Finnish State founded and fund the prize (1 million Euro) in partnership.
Domestic light bulbs emit a lot of electromagnetic energy in the infrared section of the spectrum. While this radiation cannot be seen, it can be felt as heat. The essence of the innovation is to eventually replace the world's inefficient incandescent light bulbs with white LEDs to reduce the amount of energy required to produce light.
Domestic light bulbs emit a lot of electromagnetic energy in the infrared section of the spectrum. While this radiation cannot be seen, it can be felt as heat. The essence of the innovation is to eventually replace the world's inefficient incandescent light bulbs with white LEDs to reduce the amount of energy required to produce light.
For more information please follow the external link.
TCO Development
TCO Development promotes better and sustainable work environments for
people working in office environments.
For more information please follow the external link.
European Commission - Eco Label
The aim is to award a Community Eco-label to products and services with reduced environmental impacts.
A process of revising the EU Ecolabel has been started. A revision questionnaire has been issued that all stakeholders were invited to complete.
The deadline for responses was 2nd March 2007.
For more information please follow the external link.
Sept. 29, 2006: Can ICT Beat CO2? Escaping the Climate Trap with Telecommunications
The GeSI (Global e-Sustainability Initiative) Forum was part of the KyotoPlus Conference in Berlin and investigated the increasing
role Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) can play to reduce greenhouse gases emissions.
For more information please follow the external link.
Global Ecolabelling Network
The Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) is a non-profit association
of third-party, environmental performance labelling organizations founded in 1994 to improve,
promote, and develop the "ecolabelling" of products and services.
For more information please follow the external link.
DENA German Energy Agency - Power Managment
A website in German language which provides information on energy use, example the topic of standby consumption
For more information please follow the external link.
European Commission - Energy-using Products (EuP)
The Directive 2005/32/EC on the eco-design of Energy-using Products (EuP), such as electrical
and electronic devices or heating equipment, provides coherent EU-wide rules for eco-design.
For more information please follow the external link.
Energy Star
Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Department of Energy (EPA) helping save money and protect the environment through energy
efficient products and practices.
For more information please follow the external link.
Energy Star in Europe
The European Union signed an Agreement
with EPA to introduce the Energy Star in Europe
as well (only for office equipment), thereby recognizing eachother as Partner in the Energy Star programme.
This allows potential partners in the European Union to sign up through the European Commission, who is responsible
for the EU Energy Star Programme.
For more information please follow the external link.
Fraunhofer ISI - Engergy Consumption of ICT in Germany up to 2010
English Summary of the final report to the German Federal Ministry of Economics
and Labour:
For more information please follow the external link.
80 PLUS Certified Power Supplies
80 PLUS is an incentive program to integrate more energy-efficient
power supplies into desktop computers and servers.
For more information please follow the external link.
IMPRESSUM
The Club of Rome - European Support CentreTuchlauben 8/15, 1010 Vienna
Tel. +43-1-5125770
Content Management of the section Energy/Climate: Christoph Derndorfer, Researcher
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