Green IT

IBM warms to utilities in energy efficiency drive

IBM's top hardware executive, William Zeitler, will deliver a keynote speech at a large utility industry conference to make the case for bridging the worlds of IT and electricity.

Zeitler, senior vice president of IBM's Systems and Technology Group, will speak at the Edison Electric Institute's annual meeting in Toronto on Monday, where he is expected to announce that New York utility Consolidation Edison intends to participate in a data center energy efficiency incentive program with IBM.

"We want to challenge the (electricity) industry to stop thinking about lighting and motors--the traditional stuff--and look at IT … Read more

Tech companies aim to untangle power supplies

SAN FRANCISCO--Oh, what a tangled web we weave when plugging in and powering personal electronics whose chargers are so varied that they typically end up balled up in rat's nests beneath our desks.

Help, albeit slow, is on the way, according to members of consumer electronics companies, green-tech start-ups, and venture capital firms at the Alliance for Universal Power Supplies conference Friday.

Attendees charging ahead to create power supplies that cause fewer headaches and wasted energy found hope when Westinghouse announced that it will support standards from start-up Green Plug, whose Greentalk protocol enables devices and power sources to &… Read more

LG claims world's greenest LCD

If eco-friendly features replace the endless stream of thinnest, smallest, and lightest "in the world" claims on the technology market, we'll be very happy campers. And for that reason alone it's worth mentioning the latest boast from LG about its new computer monitor.

The Korean company says its "Flatron W2252TE" is "the world's most energy-efficient monitor," according to our cousins across the pond at SmartPlanet. The 22-inch widescreen LCD, which is headed for the U.K. market, supposedly uses 40 fewer watts to operate than do comparable monitors--an energy saving of … Read more

IBM goes modular in 'green' data centers

To wring efficiencies out of data centers, IBM has gone back to a familiar playbook: standard-size building blocks.

The company on Wednesday will launch an expanded line of data centers that use a modular design to cut energy consumption in half, compared with existing data centers.

It's part of Project Big Green, an initiative launched last year to make back-end computing less energy intensive.

Data centers around the world account for about 2 percent of all energy consumption and there is ample room for improvement, according to experts.

For example, virtualization software can consolidate multiple computing jobs onto fewer … Read more

Green news harvest: 500-mile fuel cell car, Linux gets 'green flag'

Here's a sampling of green-tech news and quick commentary:

Linux captures the 'green' flag, beats Windows 2008 power-saving measures - Network WorldTests give Linux the edge on energy efficiency, although your "wattage may vary." Toyota develops improved hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle - ReutersThe fuel cell vehicle, for lease in Japan, can go over 500 miles on a tank in very cold temperatures. Stion leaves photovoltaic patent trail - Gunther PortfolioStealthy solar start-up Stion says it will beat everyone on price but never says how. Gunther Portfolio digs into patent applications for clues into its PV … Read more

HP aims to shrink IT's carbon footprint

Hewlett-Packard announced plans Wednesday to advance technologies to slash power use in data centers, while building software and an open online community to support manufacturers seeking more sustainable consumer products.

The efforts reveal the company's five-year strategy for the sustainability arm of its HP Labs, revamped in March.

HP would not disclose the budget for the efforts, but said in 2007 it invested $3.6 billion in research and development.

New research includes the Sustainable Data Center project, established to reduce the carbon footprint of building, operating, and dismantling data centers by 75 percent.

And HP's Photonic Interconnect … Read more

Green-tech news harvest: Wave power, World Bank clean-tech fund

Here's a sampling of recent green-tech news:

Compression Could Reduce Data Center Energy Use by 95% - EcoGeek The specific company pitch aside, compression could make a difference in data center space and energy usage. Last week, IBM Software general manager Steve Mills told me 75 percent of corporate data is redundant.

Underwater Wind Turbines? - CleanTechnicaAnother wave/tidal power design, called BioWave, that uses biomimcry, or copying nature. Costs to Build Power Plants Pressure Rates - WSJ.comBecause of rising commodity prices, it costs twice what it did in 2000 to build power plants today, says … Read more

Getting greener without falling into the red

CORONADO, Calif.--There's more than one kind of "green" in the eyes of the world's corporations.

More and more companies are starting to realize that they can enjoy the PR benefits of turning "green," by reducing their carbon footprint through energy savings or changes to their products. But every CEO always has another shade of green somewhere in the back of his or her mind. Companies need to reduce their impact on the environment, but that doesn't mean they can afford to implement every single green idea, or that they even know where … Read more

IBM software 'greens' corporate supply chain

IBM is looking to clean up companies' supply chains, part of a larger effort to make money from environmental concerns.

The company on Thursday detailed a software and service offering called Carbon Tradeoff Modeler that is designed to give businesses an idea how to lower the carbon footprint of their network of suppliers.

The need for carbon-modeling supply chain software is driven by regulations to lower greenhouse gas emissions, IBM said. Even in the absence of mandatory measurements and cuts, many companies are already undergoing voluntary efforts.

Large corporations hold significant sway over their supply chain partners in pushing them … Read more