Green Technology

H-P's newest data center in Wynyard England is cooled ENTIRELY by wind blowing off the nearby North Sea.  The North Sea is cold and so are its winds. It is H-P's greenest data center yet ...

The " ... new 360,00 sq. ft. Wynyard center is 40 percent more energy-efficient than conventional data centers ..."

" ... Traditional data centers use thousands of megawatt hours per year ... if they were classed as a separate industry, they would be the sixth-largest user of electricity ... "

 Other energy saving / carbon saving features of the Wynyard data center are: " ... harvesting rainwater ... to maintain proper humidity levels in the air that’s brought in from outside ... light-colored server racks because they reflect light, allowing for 40 percent less lighting to be installed compared to using black cabinets."

"HP had previously announced that it plans to reduce the combined energy consumption of operations and products by 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2010."

Via:  SmartPlanet LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

" ... data center developer Verne Global ... announced it is constructing the first international data center in Iceland ... converting a former NATO command center into a data center."

" ... designed to take full advantage of Iceland's infrastructure and environment ... the data center, whose total footprint is about 430,600 square feet, will be designed around LEED Gold standards ... will deploy innovative practices of HVAC and adaptive reuse of the world-class facilities already in place."

" ... will benefit from the large amount of free cooling available in Iceland, as well as its renewable energy sources and constant power rates."

" ... Verne Global is breaking new ground in using Iceland's natural green resources to mitigate both increasing emissions and rising energy costs."

Via:  Web Host Industry Review  LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Google has been at the forefront of energy efficiency quite some time.  Read on to learn more about Google current initiatives.

They also have lots of data and metrics to compare their energy use per Google search to other activities.

" ... Data centers ... account for most of Google’s energy needs ... take our energy use seriously and, from the very beginning, Google has focused on designing systems that use as little energy as possible ... operating what we believe to be the world's most efficient data centers."

" ... Google-designed data centers use about half the energy of a typical data center ... energy used per Google search is very small ... currently use about 1kJ (0.0003 kWh) of energy to answer the average query ... roughly .2g of CO2 ... often take the place of more carbon- and time-intensive activities, such as driving a car to a library or spending hours navigating shopping malls."

" ... commitment to sustainability goes beyond just electricity and carbon ... two Google facilities currently run on 100% recycled water, and by 2010 we expect recycled water to provide 80% of our total data center water consumption ... share our own data center best practices and are encouraging our industry peers to do the same ..."

" ... if all data centers operated at the same efficiency as ours, the U.S. alone would save enough electricity to power every household within the city limits of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C."

Via:  Google  LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Data centers are BIG energy hogs ... withe energy to run them, generating hot CPUs that then need A/C to be kept cool.

"... IBM, which continues to develop technology that could, one day, lead to zero-emission data centers. ... key ... lies in a new cooling technology that IBM is currently toying around with."

"High-performance liquid cooling allows data centers to operate with coolant temperatures above the free cooling limit in all climates, eliminating the need for chillers and allowing the thermal energy to be reused in cold climates. ..."

" ... thanks to this ... cooling technology, IBM has to use less energy than it otherwise would have ... system reuses about 75 percent of the energy initially put into it. It’s that loss of only around 25 percent that makes the whole thing so efficient."

Via: CrunchGear LINK

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Data centers use lots of energy ... from electricity to power the servers to electricity to power the AC units to keep things cool ...

Some are looking allowing the temperature to be set a little higher ... a recent 5 year pilot with Toyota and IBM was able to reduce consumption by 10% by looking at inefficiencies in the system. 

Read on for more ...

" ... by visualizing where hot spots and cooling inefficiencies existed and moving to address them, Toyota Motor Sales USA has been able to reduce the electricity demand ..."

"During a five-year pilot program ... Toyota was actually able to switch off two computer room air-conditioners even while maintaining a cooler ambient air temperature and reducing hot spots throughout its facility, ... relied on software from IBM Research called IMB Measurement and Management Technologies ... uses thermal readings from floor to ceiling ... and creates a three-dimensional chart that can be used to find power and cooling inefficiencies ..."

" ... assessment by Southern California Edison verified that these actions have helped reduce energy demand in the data center by more than 10 percent. ..."

Via:  ZDNet LINK

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 Prairie Bunkers LLC is repurposing WWII ammunition depots into secure energy efficient data centers.  These structures are built to withstand force 5 tornadoes.

In addition to the green aspect of repurposing an existing building ... there are others green features.

"Saves approximately 5000 cubic tons of carbon emission which would be produced by construction of a similar structure ... electrical provider .... has a high percentage of renewable energy, including hydro, wind and nuclear ... On-site solar and wind energy systems in planning stages ... Air Economizers to use “free cooling” from average annual temperature of 54 degrees ... Optional active geothermal ... heat pump system ... Passive Geothermal, provided by the bermed earth covering on three sides and top of bunkers ..."

" .... Native vegetation landscaping minimizes irrigation ... Fire suppression agent has zero carbon foot print ... UPS Options including flywheel technology ... Recycled building products including flooring tiles and cable trays ..."

Via:  Prairie Bunkers, LLC LINK

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 The constant temperature of fluids deep (say 200 - 400 feet deep) can be used for heating and cooling.  Check out this geothermally cooled ACT data center in Iowa.

" ... new data center for American College Testing in Iowa City, Iowa ... becomes the first data center in the U.S. to complete LEED Platinum certification. ...  data center opened in February 2008 ... 4,000 square feet of raised-floor ... within an 8,000 square foot building ... geothermal “bore field” - a system of vertical holes drilled into the earth’s surface which house a closed-loop piping system filled with water and/or coolant. ..."

" ... other environmentally-friendly attributes include a high performance HVAC system, 30% recycled content during construction, and numerous renewable materials used in the interior design. ..."

Posted by Green Dude at 06:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not long ago data centers were concerned with maximum density and processing power.  But as electricity cost have risen and supply becoming a gating factor - the data center is changing .. 

" ... companies have become increasingly concerned over the state of the environment.... new generation of servers: machines that deliver more performance per watt and, perhaps to a lesser degree, are built in a more environmentally responsible manner. Hardware makers are stepping up to meet the challenge, "

" ... HP, ... a new line of ProLiant G6 servers that, claims the company, deliver twice the performance of the previous generation of ProLiant servers -- while using half the energy. ...  replacing servers purchased prior to 2006 with new HP ProLiant G6 servers, customers can slash their energy bills in half."

" ...HP is certainly not the only vendor touting the green credentials of its server hardware. ...  AMD and Intel are working furiously to make CPUs that are high on performance and low on energy consumption."

Via: Infoworld.com  Link

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Posted by Green Tech at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The project will feature an on-site electrical tri-generation system that will use an array of natural gas-fueled microturbines to generate all the necessary electricity for the center and provide cooling for the computer servers. The data center will be able to operate completely off-grid. IBM and SU will create a liquid cooling system that will use double-effect absorption chillers to convert the exhaust heat from the microturbines into chilled water to cool the data center's servers, with sufficient excess cooling to handle the needs of an adjacent building. Server racks will incorporate IBM's Rear Door Heat eXchanger cooling doors that use chilled water to remove heat from each rack far more efficiently than conventional room-chilling methods. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "But the chip’s lower speed and other architecture tweaks help it keep power consumption and costs low. For example, the new Dell servers cost less than $400 a pop ... " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Building a Hyper-Green virtualization server system is focused on taking the extra steps necessary to further reduce energy consumption. Your approach can start small; it can be comparable to switching from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs at home." ...

Posted by Green Tech at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "it is estimated that a typical server farm of 5,000 32GB DRAM servers could be reduced to 1,250 128GB non-volatile memory-based servers resulting in a 75 percent reduction in energy over four years, a 75 percent reduction in the cost of physical space and a 45 percent reduction in overall capital expenditures, making servers built with the Virident GreenGateway architecture the answer to the call for green data centers without hampering demands for growth. " ...

Continue reading "Non-Volatile Memory Servers Reduce Energy Consumption and Space Requirements" »

Posted by Green Tech at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Arch Rock's Energy Optimizer addresses the key economic concerns associated with power usage in such facilities as data centers, office buildings and industrial facilities: finding ways to cut energy costs and get accurate data on 'green' and sustainability policies; measuring and verifying energy spending to avoid demand-ratchet rates and penalty-incurring peak-time usage; and demonstrating usage reduction to comply with regulatory mandates ... " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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... "Across the board, IT departments are slowly becoming more sustainable, but this trend may be more a positive side effect than a principal policy driver. The main motivator for many companies seeking to reduce their IT energy consumption is to reduce costs. The added benefit is that the company ends up reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

" ... Putting idle servers to sleep when they're not in use is part of University of Michigan researchers' plan to save up to 75 percent of the energy that power-hungry computer data centers consume.... Thomas Wenisch, ... and students David Meisner and Brian Gold will present ... on March 10 at the International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems in Washington, D.C."

" ... PowerNap, the plan to put idle servers to sleep, and RAILS, a more efficient power supplying technique. (RAILS stands for Redundant Array for Inexpensive Load Sharing.)"

"Data centers waste most of the energy they draw. The facilities are inefficient because they must be ready for peak processing demands ... typical industrial data center, the average utilization is 20 to 30 percent."

"While PowerNap would require a new operating system to coordinate the instantaneous sleeping and waking, most of the other technologies that would make this possible already exist, Wenisch says."

Via:  University of Michigan Link

Continue reading "PowerNap for Data Centers Can Save Energy" »

Posted by Green Dude at 06:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Keeping data centers colder than needed is not just expensive - it is wasteful of energy and contributes to global warming - and just might cause equipment to not last as long as possible ...  

" ... Albert Esser, vice president of datacentre infrastructure at ... Dell, ... datacentres could cut their energy bills by up to five per cent with no adverse impact on their servers' reliability by simply increasing the temperature of their server farms by five degrees."

"According to Dell, air being pumped into a datacentre can typically be as cold as 19 degrees centigrade, despite the fact that systems will remain reliable as long as the temperature is lower than 25 degrees centigrade."

Esser pointed to a recent datacentre rollout that Dell contributed to, where the temperature was kept at 19 degrees, resulting in a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratio for the datacentre of 1.8. This means that for every watt used to power the servers, 1.8 entered the datacentres. However, when the temperature was raised to 23 degrees the energy efficiency of the facility improved significantly, resulting in a PUE of 1.3.

" ... Google has recently presented papers that shows that disk drives do not fail more often at temperatures of 75 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while BT is on record as saying "all modern systems will operate effectively and reliably between five and 40 degrees Celsius"."

One caveat ... "... if you have a cooling system failure and the datacentre is already pretty warm, you end up with a critical issue far more quickly, ... "

Via: computing.co.uk Link

Posted by Green Dude at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Closed-Loop Control Systems for the Datacenter, a project aimed at improving the energy efficiency of datacenters by selectively putting idle servers into a low-power state while maintaining service response times ... " ...

Continue reading "Microsoft Closed-Loop Data Center Control" »

Posted by Green Tech at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Below are some ways to become a GREENER IT organization ...

" ... (*) ...telecommute. ... big green benefit is fewer people commuting, which means fewer cars on the road emitting CO2. (*) Virtualize your servers. ... (*) ... Begin using thin-clients. They use less power and require fewer materials to make. ...(*) greener hosting provider. Ask if they have solar or wind power, virtualized servers, carbon offsets, adaptive power (PDF), etc. I...(*) ... projectors in conference rooms. ... instead of printing handouts.

Via:  TechSoup stock  LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 06:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Information technology professionals interested in learning about adding earth-friendly efficiency into their IT solutions. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "IT managers can pinpoint hotspots and areas of energy inefficiency by looking at every rack, rather than at data centers or server rooms as a whole. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The DCiE metric helps data center operators clearly determine how much energy is consumed by IT equipment and how much is consumed by the facility itself. DCiE, the reciprocal of the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metric, provides a way to determine opportunities to improve a data center’s operational efficiency, to compare efficiencies with competitive data centers and to determine opportunities to repurpose energy for additional IT equipment. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The new Broomfield datacenter follows similar Sun projects completed in Blackwater, UK, Santa Clara, Calif. and Bangalore, India in August 2007. It builds on designs used in Sun's Santa Clara datacenter and features water savings, chemical reduction, free air cooling and flywheel uninterruptible power supply (UPS). As in Santa Clara, the Broomfield datacenter is based on Sun's Pod Architecture, which delivers dramatic footprint compression while still providing capacity for future growth. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "A smaller hardware footprint draws less power, occupies less space and requires less material to manufacture. This also reduces the need for peripherals such as tape and other off-line storage devices by reducing storage requirements. " ...

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... "The company envisions a set of prefabricated containers the size of a semi-trailer filled with as many as 2,000 preconfigured servers. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "To do that you must become acutely aware of how resource consumption within the data center affects things like electricity usage and carbon emissions. Then you must transform the way you operate to make your data center more environmentally friendly. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Dynamic Power Capping allows you to reclaim trapped power and cooling capacity by safely limiting server power consumption. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Microsoft is deploying tiny sensors throughout its datacenters to capture data that will allow it to better regulate energy consumption and reduce their carbon footprint. Sensors can also be deployed in the wild to help scientists monitor and track environmental changes. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Energy efficient solutions that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases were decisive in selecting Skanska for implementing the project. Skanska has developed a total solution that reduces energy costs for operation and cooling of the facility by up to 60 percent compared with traditional technology. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

" ... world's first and only 100 percent solar-powered Web hosting company, has completed a massive data center consolidation initiative using IBM technology, resulting in a 60 percent reduction in overall power and cooling costs associated with the company's IT operations.

" ... AISO.Net worked ... to overhaul its data center and implement ... IBM's Cool Blue ... to increase their energy efficiency in the data center."

"For the past decade, AISO.Net has used solar power to power our data center and network, ... As a result of the tremendous growth in Web hosting  ... were faced with the dilemma of how to remain true to our commitment to the environment and continue to see rapid, top-line growth. ... Data center consolidation through virtualization eased the strain on AISO.Net's solar panel system and helped ensure the company's 100 percent commitment to solar power. ... "

Via:  IBM  Link

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Waste heat recovery is the process of taking the heat from a heat emitting piece of equipment, like a computer, and using it for heating something else - rather than just dissipating it to the environment ... and potentially saving the cost of air conditioning.

"... waste heat recovery, an energy efficiency technique that languishes in obscurity despite its potentially huge environmental benefits. ... in a move that will save money and cut carbon emissions, the University of Notre Dame in Indiana has begun housing some of its computer servers in the nearby “Arizona Desert Dome,” a conservatory for cacti and other desert plants.

"Computer servers create a lot of waste heat ... keeping them cool is a major cost ... for data centers. ... Housing servers in the desert dome, where air currents can carry away their waste heat, is expected to save the university about $100,000 in cooling costs. Meanwhile, the city will save some of the $70,000 it spends each year to keep the conservatory warm. ..."

Via:  TerraPass Link

Posted by Green Dude at 05:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "We believe that reuse is an important part of the solution, and we're proud to say that 68% of our retired server material is re-purposed. Redeploying existing machines saves raw materials, energy, and carbon dioxide emissions by avoiding the manufacture and distribution of new equipment. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Joined by officials of the European Commission focused on environment and information society policy, Mr. Dell discussed the power of Green IT in mitigating environmental and climate change problems across the economy. He said Green IT tools can drive efficiency and productivity in all sectors of the economy, enabling improvements in the use of energy resources. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "These technologies and the overall design of the facility will help Emerson use 17.5 percent less energy per year than the traditional data center, according to Fox Architects, the lead designers in the project. In addition, Emerson anticipates receiving LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The energy-saving features include a solar array on the building’s roof that will be used as a source of power, daylighting features, and a reduced building footprint. As IT equipment is installed, Emerson will implement strategies recommended in Emerson Network Power’s Energy Logic plan to yield additional energy savings, putting into practice what Emerson advises its customers to do every day. " ...

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Western Digital, a maker of disk drives for computers, has designed new products that are more environmental friendly.

Read on for more >>>

" ... offer products that consume less electricity. ...  WD has designed eco-friendly hard drives with GreenPower™ Technology...Green drives from WD yield average drive power savings of 4-5 watts over competitors' drives ..."

" ... savings equates to reducing CO₂ emission by up to 60 kilograms per drive per year - the equivalent of taking your car off the road for 14 days each year. ..."

Via:  Western Digital  Link 

Posted by Green Dude at 05:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The new data center features numerous leading-edge technologies and services, including high density computing systems utilizing virtualization technology, along with energy efficient power and cooling technologies. These, in conjunction with the center's energy efficient design and construction, will allow IBM to reduce its overall carbon footprint compared to standard data centers. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wyoming's first wind powered data center uses 100% renewable energy and was built built with efficiency in mind a

Green Datas House' data center " ...  is 60% more energy efficient than the average."

"100% Renewable Energy ...  powered by wind ... will own several wind turbines to the north of its facility and purchase the excess energy needs from the local power company's wind farm or through grid tied green-e tags"

" ... the largest wind powered public data center in the nation with over 10,000 square feet of high-density computing facilities. "

"Energy Efficiency Built In ...Water-Side Economizers: Free cooling from Cheyenne's average annual temperatures of 45.6 degrees. ...Ground Source Heat Pumps - provide up to 25% more energy efficient cooling than traditional HVAC cooling equipment.(Phase 2)."

Via:  Green House Data Link

Posted by Green Dude at 04:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "IBM is combining the new energy management software with partner solutions to provide customers with a comprehensive view of energy consumption across the enterprise -- not just in data centers but also in non-IT assets such as air conditioning equipment, power distribution units, lighting, and security systems. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "As an additional benefit to the community, the highly reliable IBM BladeCenter Servers offer a proven open, easy and green technology that demands less energy and is easier and less costly to cool than other alternatives. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the initatives of IBM's Project Big Green is to look for ways to resuce its' own energy needs and those of its clients.

"GIB-Services today announced a new energy efficient "green" data center ... will offer a first-of-its-kind energy model where a direct heat exchange will take place between the data center and a public swimming pool in the town."

"Located in Uitikon, Switzerland, ... is expected to create 2,800 MWh of wasted heat per year ... at full capacity -- the same amount of energy needed to supply up to 80 houses with heating and warm water for one year...."

"... Through reclaiming the heat, approximately 130 tons of carbon emissions can be saved. This corresponds to the carbon dioxide discharge of mid-size cars driving 500,000 miles."

Via:  IBM  Link

Continue reading "Excess Data Center Heat Heats Pool" »

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Posted by Green Tech at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "As kika/Leiner expands throughout central Europe and the Middle East, their need for information technology (IT) services has increased considerably. To meet this demand, the market-leading furniture retailer in Austria turned to IBM to design an energy efficient data center using new green technologies that are part of IBM's Project Big Green. The new data center is planned to begin operation in May. As kika/Leiner expands throughout central Europe and the Middle East, their need for information technology (IT) services has increased considerably. To meet this demand, the market-leading furniture retailer in Austria turned to IBM to design an energy efficient data center using new 'green' technologies that are part of IBM's Project Big Green. The new data center is planned to begin operation in May. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 05:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Cue a major storage consolidation and virtualization effort that started back in 2006. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Green House Data is " ... one of the only 100% Wind powered GREEN data centers in the nation. ... our green data center design is 60% more energy efficient than the average data center in the U.S."

"... perfect combination -- an environmentally responsible data center, lower than average prices, and above average professional service ... first facility will be located in Cheyenne, Wyoming .. Wyoming's first enterprise class computing center."

Via: Green Housde Data Center  Link

Continue reading "Green House Data - Green Data Center" »

Posted by Green Dude at 06:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Computerworld editors developed a checklist-style survey and weighting scheme. Computerworld then reached out to the IT community through a variety of channels, and 86 complete surveys were received. Computerworld then contacted representatives at the participating companies to verify that the information provided on their company's survey was truthful and accurate. Only those companies that filed verification letters were considered. Based on the weighting scheme developed, the top 12 Green-IT Users and top 12 Green-IT Vendors lists were chosen. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "A leading pharmaceutical and health company in Indonesia, Kalbe is teaming with IBM to deploy data center consolidation with an explicit goal of reducing energy consumption as well as reducing information technology (IT) maintenance and space in its own data center facilities across Jakarta. IBM will help Kalbe to consolidate five data centers from its current 13 existing data centers during the initial phase. In addition, IBM will install a green data center on a site of 5,048 square feet. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 07:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "They should aim to develop machines that consume energy in proportion to the amount of work performed. Such energy-proportional machines would ideally consume no power when idle (easy with inactive power modes), nearly no power when very little work is performed (harder), and gradually more power as the activity level increases (also harder). " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The company detailed its vision to help businesses that operate some of the world's largest, most powerful data centers -- with massive banks of computers that fuel special effects, animation and new, rich media entertainment -- significantly reduce the environmental impact of their IT operations and dramatically improve their bottom line by the end of the decade. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The certificates earned -- based on energy use reduction verified by a third-party -- for the first time provide a way for businesses to attain a certified measurement of their energy use reduction, a key, emerging business metric. The certificates can be traded for cash on the growing energy efficiency certificate market or otherwise retained to demonstrate reductions in energy use and associated CO2 emissions. The Efficiency Certificates initiative engages Neuwing Energy Ventures, a leading verifier of energy efficiency projects and marketer of energy efficiency certificates, to document and verify the energy savings a client achieves through implementing energy efficiency projects. " ...

Continue reading "DataCenter Energy Efficiency Certification Program" »

Posted by Green Tech at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Here's how the metering system works: the new IBM solution monitors a mainframe's actual energy and cooling statistics (collected by internal sensors); and presents them in real time on the System Activity Display. With this system, a user can now correlate the energy consumed with work actually performed. When the machine reports its maintenance health on a weekly basis, the power statistics may be used. These statistics can be observed real time or also summarized for project or trend analysis. Energy consumption statistics are used for demonstrating cost savings toward electric rebates and programs to reduce data center energy consumption. A Power Estimator Tool is also available for future planning. It calculates how changes in system configurations and workloads can affect the entire energy envelope - including the power needed to both run and cool the machines. " ...

Continue reading "Green Data Center Considers Energy Envelope for IBM Mainframe" »

Posted by Green Tech at 07:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Green companies want to be "green" throughout their supply chain ... including their ISP.

>>> Read on to lean more and see the profile of one Green ISP ....

"AISO.Net is a ... green web hosting company. We have made a strong commitment to help fight pollution and preserving our natural resources. Solar panels run our data center and office, not energy credits."

"Solar tubes bring in natural light ... during the day. AMD Opteron powered servers use sixty percent less energy and generate fifty percent less heat. These are just some of the ways AISO.Net is becoming the world's most responsible green web hosting company."

"... data center is environmentally friendly in design. It is completely steel framed with no wood at all except for the door frames on the interior of the building. Our walls are over 12 inches thick and filled with insulation that has recycled content. We built our data center, network and servers from the start to use the lowest amount of energy possible using the latest green design techniques, no other hosting company can do what we do without starting from scratch. We use solar tubes to bring in natural sunlight which eliminates the use for conventional lighting during the day. Our cooling systems are water cooled which reduces the amount of electricity because of the unique setup."

" We are in the process of designing a green roof for our data center. The green roof is a layer of dirt 3 to 4 inches thick with drought resistant plants. The new green roof will reduce our cooling and heating requirements by over 50%."

 Via:  AISO.com  Link

Posted by Green Dude at 05:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Consolidated 738 storage devices to 225, yet increased storage capacity by 244 percent; Consolidated 2,177 servers to 1,240, yet increased compute power by 456 percent; Decommissioned more than 5,000 servers, storage, and networking devices, and as a result, cut energy costs by over 60 percent and saved over $860,000 in the first nine months; Improved server utilization by as much as 85 percent; Received nearly $1 million in rebates and awards from Silicon Valley Power. " ...

Via Sun Microsystems: Sun Eco Innovation

Posted by Green Tech at 06:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The hydrogen fuel cell installed on the Fujitsu Sunnyvale campus is the UTC Power PureCell Model 200 system, featuring ultra-low emissions. It meets the most stringent air emissions standards as set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB 07). Although it utilizes natural gas, it produces 35 percent less CO2 per megawatt-hour than the average fossil fuel-based power plant, and approximately 4,000 lbs per year less NOx, the equivalent of taking more than 100 average passenger cars off the road. The system has a low sound profile at 60 decibels at 30 feet, and emits no ozone-depleting fluorocarbons. Fujitsu America will also be contributing to water conservation. When compared to conventional power plants, a UTC Power PureCell Model 200 system will save at least 800,000 gallons of water per year. Over the 15-year life of the fuel cell system, Fujitsu will leave 12 million gallons of water untouched. " ...

Via FUJITSU United States: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power

Posted by Green Tech at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Our plan to neutralize Google's carbon footprint includes three basic strategies: reduce energy consumption by maximizing efficiency; invest in and use renewable energy sources; and purchase carbon offsets for the emissions that we can't reduce directly. " ...

Via Official Google Blog: Google Plans Carbon Neutrality by end of 2007

Posted by Green Tech at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The savings are substantial -- for an average 25,000 square foot data center, clients should be able to achieve 42 percent energy savings. Based on the energy mix in the US, this savings equates to 7,439 tons of carbon emissions saved per year. Called Project Big Green, IBM’s initiative targets corporate data centers where energy constraints and costs can limit their ability to grow. The initiative includes a new global green team of more than 850 energy efficiency architects from across IBM. " ...

Via IBM: Green Data Center

Posted by Green Tech at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Green "web hosting" is growing ...

From ThinkHost: "changing the world by providing high quality earth-friendly web hosting services & supporting social change activism".

Their Mission Statement:  " ... I founded the company based on 3 simple principles - Honesty, Integrity and Trust. I'm proud to say that while we have grown substantially over the years, we have not outgrown the original ThinkHost objectives - and never will."

Some of the ways they contribute to a low impact on the earth:  "... All our hosting plans are 100% wind/solar powered.  ... most of our team members "telecommute" - saving thousands of gallons of fuel annually ... use very little in terms of paper and encourage the use of notebook computers by our team to conserve electricity.  We recently also implemented a tree planting initiative - we plant a tree for every new client!"

Via:  Thinkhost.com   Link 

Posted by Green Dude at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "End users and technology suppliers are encouraged to become members of The Green Grid to help drive the creation of platform-neutral specifications and metrics. The Green Grid's membership structure includes Contributing and General Member levels. General members will have access to all technical documentation produced by The Green Grid, access to intellectual property licensing, and opportunities to attend events. Contributing members will have all the above benefits and be eligible to join technology working groups, review technology documentation at each phase of development and directly contribute to shaping future consortium direction. " ...

The Green Grid

Posted by Green Tech at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The study found that in 2005, total data center electricity consumption in the U.S., including servers, cooling and auxiliary equipment, was approximately 45 billion kWh, resulting in total utility bills amounting to $2.7 billion, with total data center power and electricity consumption for the world estimated to cost $7.2 billion annually. The report also examines the growth in electricity demands since the year 2000, concluding that over the last five years server energy use has doubled. " ...

Study Commissioned by AMD Reveals Scope of Annual U.S. Data Center Energy Consumption: 45 Billion kWh, at Cost of Nearly 3 Billion Dollars

Posted by Green Tech at 09:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

AISO.Net is a solar powered Web Hosting facility.  Some of the benefits of being green are identified on their web site include: 

"According to BP Solar...

Our 120 solar panel system will eliminate the production of
- 19,890 lbs of Carbon Dioxide (CO2/GHG) per year
- 5.9 lbs of Nitrous Oxide (NOX/smog) per year
- 0.45 lbs of Sulfur Dioxide (SO4/acid rain) per year
This is the equivalent of planting 3.5 acres of trees per year "

"AISO's data center and main office is powered by 120 solar panels which generate our electricity. AISO receives calls from customers asking if AISO really runs entirely on solar power. We have proof, a real-time Web camera trained on our solar panels that flank our 2,000-square-foot data center. "Anybody can buy ecocredits," says Phil Nail, Director of Technology for AISO, referring to companies that buy alternative energy credits in exchange for the amount of electricity they consume. "We're out to make a difference."
 

Via:   AISO.Net    Link

Posted by Green Dude at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "Architecting the Green Data Center Webcast, by Cisco Systems, Inc., When: 16 Jan 2007, 12:00 EST " ...

Via BitPipe: Architecting the Green Data Center

Posted by Green Tech at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There's good news .... its getting easier to be green when buying a PC.

HP's new dx2250 with "Advanced Micro Device's Athlon chip and Cool 'n' Quiet technology" saves energy. 

One beta tester of HPs product - Snohomish County Public Utility District in Everett, Washington - found that these PCs were quieter and generated less heat.  They determined that they "could save about 20 Kilowatts per PC" by using the type of power-savings supply in the dx2250.  They are considering replacing 900 PCs so this equates to significant energy and dollar savings.

 The current focus on energy savings within the IT space has mostly focused on the data center where hardware density has been increasing resulting in increased demand for electricity and cooling capacity (additional electricity).  PCs are now becoming a target for energy savings.
 

Look for manufacturers to highlight their energy savings features in new PCs.  Shop wisely and you may be able to save both money and energy! 

Via:  eweek Dec 4, 2006   Link 

Posted by Green Dude at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

IBM's new Opteron processor-based servers can transform the data center by increasing performance while efficiently using power.  IBM has delivered a portfolio of technologies, called Cool Blue, to dramatically improve power utilization and reduce energy costs through tools for accurate planning and monitoring of power consumption to meet business expectations.  ...

...   "The new servers will deliver energy-smart business performance computing solutions that optimize power consumption at the chip, systems and software levels, and address clients' growing appetite for more powerful yet energy-efficient computing resources.  The portfolio of five new IBM systems and blades introduced is based on the next generation of AMD Opteron processors and is targeted to business performance computing -- a new compute model that leverages high performance computing capability to more effectively meet general business needs, such as business intelligence, enterprise resource planning and more.  The new systems join IBM's current line of AMD Opteron processor-based systems targeted for high-performance computing, first introduced to the market by IBM in April 2003, and can deliver up to 21 percent greater performance within the same power envelope as previous generations.  

IBM's industry-first, breakthrough software technology, IBM PowerExecutive. The software, available across IBM BladeCenter and System x servers at no additional charge, allows clients to meter actual power usage and heat emissions, and cap the amount of power used by a single server or group of servers at any given time.  IBM Director and Virtualization Engine can help provide a reduction in energy usage across systems through server consolidation and systems management virtualization technologies. By pooling, managing and optimizing IT resources across servers, virtualized systems can improve the economics and operations of under-utilized IT assets, effectively decreasing energy needs and usage by up to 40 percent. "   ...

Green Business Computing: Energy Smart IBM Servers: Via IBM: IBM DELIVERS BREAKTHROUGH ENERGY-SMART BUSINESS COMPUTING SYSTEMS WITH AMD OPTERON PROCESSORS TO EXTEND IBM's ADVANTAGE IN THE WORLDWIDE SERVER INDUSTRY

Posted by Green Tech at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)