Green Computing 3 Department of IT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I express my profound gratitude to Mrs. Neeta Rastogi (Professor & HOD), Dept. of Information Technology for the valuable help and guidance in the preparation of this paper ―GREEN COMPUTING‖. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my guide, Mr. Shivendu Mishra (Senior Lecturer) for his guidance and whole hearted support and very valued constructive criticism that has driven to complete the seminar successfully. Finally I would also wish to record my gratefulness to all my friends and classmates for their help. JAYA SHARMA
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Green Computing
3 Department of IT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my profound gratitude to Mrs. Neeta Rastogi (Professor & HOD), Dept. of
Information Technology for the valuable help and guidance in the preparation of this paper
―GREEN COMPUTING‖.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my guide, Mr. Shivendu Mishra (Senior Lecturer)
for his guidance and whole hearted support and very valued constructive criticism that has driven
to complete the seminar successfully.
Finally I would also wish to record my gratefulness to all my friends and classmates for their
help.
JAYA SHARMA
Green Computing
4 Department of IT
Abstract
Thrust of computing was intially on faster analysis and speedier calculations and
solving of mare complex problems but in the recent past another focus has got immense
importance and that is achievement of energy efficiency , minimization consumption of
e-equipments. It has aslo given utmost attention to minimization of e-waste and use of
non-toxic materials in preparation of e-epuipments . World leaders have also taken
move towards this by following some principles. Now it is the time for the end users
community to follow some rules of thumb to achieve partly benefit of ―Green
Computing ‖. In India, the implement-ablilty of principle of
―Green Computing‖ is facing a dilemma due to many socio-economic matters and
those are linked to be soughed out to pull India in the mainstream movement o f ―Green
Computing‖.
Green Computing is a recent trend towards designing, building, and operating
computer systemsto be energy efficient. While programs such as Energy Star have been
around since the early1990s, recent concerns regarding global climate change and the
energy crisis have led torenewed interest in Green Computing. Data centers are a
significant consumers of energy – both to power the computers as well as to provide the
necessary cooling. This paper proposes a newapproach to reduce energy utilization in
data centers. In particular, our approach relies onconsolidating services dynamically
onto a subset of the available servers and temporarilyshutting down servers in order to
conserve energy. We present initial work on a probabilisticservice dispatch algorithm
that aims at minimizing the number of running servers such that theysuffice for meeting
the quality of service required by service-level agreements. Given theestimated energy
consumption and projected growth in data centers, the proposed effort has the potential
to positively impact energy consumption.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover or Title Page 1
Candidate declaration Certificate 2
Acknowledgement 3
Abstract 4
Table of contents 5-6
List of symbols & abbreviations 6
CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION 8-9
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Why Go Green?
1.3 Objective
1.4 Summary
CHAPTER-2 ABOUT GREEN COMPUTING 10-17
2.1 History
2.2 What is GREEN COMPUTING?
2.2.1 Origin
2.2.2 At Present
2.2.3 Roads To GREEN COMPUTING
2.3 Regulations And Industry Initiatives
2.3.1 From The Government
2.3.2 From The Industry
2.4. Demons Behind GREEN COMPUTING
2.5. Recent Implementations Of GREEN COMPUTING
2.6. Advantages of GREEN COMPUTING
2.7. Facts About GREEN COMPUTING
2.8 Summary
CHAPTER-3 ANALYSIS AND APPROACHES 18-25
3.1 Why GREEN COMPUTING?
3.2 Approaches To GREEN COMPUTING
3.2.1 Virtualization
3.2.2 Algorithm Efficiency
3.2.3 Power Management
3.2.4 Power Supply
3.2.5 Storage
3.2.6 Display
3.2.7 Materials Recycling
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3.2.8 Telecommunicating
3.3 Role Of IT Vendors
3.3.1 APPLE
3.3.2 WIPRO
3.3.3 GOOGLE
3.4 Summary
CHAPTER-4 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE 26-28
4.1 Conclusion
4.2 Future scope
4.3 Steps To GREEN COMPUTING
4.4 Summary
REFERENCES 29
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LIST OF SYMBOLS &ABBREVIATIONS
RoHS: Restriction of Hazardous Substances
WEEE: Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment Directive
PBBs: Polybrominated Biphenyl
PBDEs: Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
PSUs: Power Supplies
LED: Light Emitting Diode
DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory
OLEDs: Organic Light Emitting Diode
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Green computing is the practice of using computing resources efficiently. The goals are to reduce
the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, and
promote recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste. Such practices
include the implementation of energy-efficient central processing units (CPUs), servers and
peripherals as well as reduced resource consumption and proper disposal of electronic waste (e-
waste). In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched Energy Star, a voluntary
labeling program which is designed to promote and recognize energy-efficiency in monitors,
climate control equipment, and other technologies. This resulted in the widespread adoption of
sleep mode among consumer electronics. The term "green computing" was probably coined
shortly after the Energy Star program began; there are several USENET posts dating back
to 1992 which use the term in this manner.
Figure 1:Green Computing[8]
1.2 Why Go Green?
Green computing is a very hot topic these days, not only because of rising energy costs and potential
savings, but also due to the impact on the environment. Energy to manufacture, store, operate, and cool
computing systems has grown significantly in the recent years, primarily due to the volume of
systems and computing that companies now heavily rely upon.Computing power consumption of
companies has reached a critical point. For example, an E-commerce business with 100,000 servers
can easily spend up to $20 million a year on server power. Add another $10 million for a/c cooling and
it tops $30 million a year in power alone. Clearly there is a huge potential for savings in their
infrastructure.
Despite the huge surge in computing power demands, there are many existing technologies and
methods by which significant savings can be made. This series is dedicated to the ways a typical
organization can reduce their energy footprint while maintaining required levels of computing
performance.
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1.3 Objectives
Climate Change: First and foremost, conclusive research shows that CO2 and other emissions
are causing global climate and environmental damage. Preserving the planet is a valid goal
because it aims to preserve life. Planets like ours, that supports life, are very rare. None of the
planets in our solar system, or in nearby star systems have m-class planets as we know them.
Savings: Green computing can lead to serious cost savings over time. Reductions in energy
costs from servers, cooling, and lighting are generating serious savings for many corporations.
Reliability of Power: As energy demands in the world go up, energy supply is declining
or flat. Energy efficient systems helps ensure healthy power systems. Also, more
companies are generating more of their own electricity, which further motivates them to
keep power consumption low.
Computing Computing Power Consumption has Reached a Critical Point: Data centers
have run out of usable power and cooling due to high densities.
1.4 Summary
Chapter 1 Deals with the introduction part of the report. It provides the background information
necessary for understanding GREEN COMPUTING. Provides a brief introduction of
importance Green Computing & its objectives.
Basically the goals of green computing is similar to green chemistry:reduce the use of harzardous
materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, and promote recyclability or
biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste.
Green computing researchers look at key issues and topics related to energy efficiency in
computing and promoting environmentally friendly computer technologies and systems include
energy efficient use of computers, design of algorithms and systems for environmentally-friendly
computer technologies, and wide range of related topics.
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CHAPTER 2
ABOUT GREEN COMPUTING
2.1 History of GREEN COMPUTING
In 1 9 9 2 , t h e U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched Energy Star , a
v o l un ta r y labeling program which is designed to promote and recognize
energy-efficiency in monitors, climate control equipment, and other
technologies. This resulted in the widespread adoption of sleep mode among
consumer electronics. The term "green computing" was probably coined shortly
after the Energy Star program began; there are several USENET posts dating
back to1 9 9 2 w h i c h u s e t h e t e r m i n t h i s m a n n e r . C o n c u r r e n t l y , t h e
S w e d i s h o r g a n i z a t i o n T C O Development launched the Certification program
to promote low magnetic and electrical emissions from CRT-based computer
displays; t h i s p r o g r a m w a s l a t e r e x p a n d e d t o i n c l u d e criteria on energy
consumption, ergonomics, and the use of hazardous materials in construction.
When it comes to PC disposal, it is necessary to know everything there is to know in order to
be involved in green computing. Basically, the whole green aspect came about
quite a few years back when the news that the environment was not a renewable
resource really hit home and people started realizing that they had to do their part to
protect the environment. Basically, the efficient use of computers and computing is
what green computing is all about. The triple bottom line is what is important
when it comes to anything green and the same goes for green computing. This
considers social responsibility, economic viability and the impact on t h e en v i ro nm ent .
M an y b u s in es s es s im pl y f o cus o n a b o t tom l i n e , r a th e r t han a g r e e n
T r ip l e bottom line, of economic viability when it comes to computers. The idea
is to make the whole process surrounding computers friendlier to the environment,
economy, and society. This means manufacturers create computers in a way that
reflects the triple bottom line positively. Once computers are sold businesses or
people use them in a green way by reducing power usage and disposing of them
properly or recycling them. The idea is to make computers from beginning trend a green
product.
2.2 What is GREEN COMPUTING?
Green computing is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently. The primary
objective of such a program is to account an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for
measuring organizational (and societal) success. The goals are similar to green chemistry; reduce
the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product‘s lifetime, and
promote recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste.
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Figure 2.2:Green Earth[11]
Modern IT systems rely upon a complicated mix of people, networks and hardware; as such, a
green computing initiative must be systemic in nature, and address increasingly sophisticated
problems. Elements of such a solution may comprise items such as end user satisfaction,
management restructuring, regulatory compliance, disposal of electronic waste, telecommuting.
2.2.1 Origin
In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched Energy Star, a voluntary
labelingprogram that is designed to promote and recognize energy-efficiency in monitors,
climate controlequipment, and other technologies. This resulted in the widespread adoption of
sleep mode among consumer electronics. Concurrently, the Swedish organization TCO
Development launched the TCO Certification program to promote low magnetic and electrical
emissions from CRT-based computer displays; this program was later expanded to include
criteria on energy consumption, ergonomics, and the use of hazardous materials in construction.
2.2.2. At Present
Currently the ICT industry is responsible for 3% of the world‘s energy consumption. With the
rate of consumption increasing by 20% a year, 2030 will be the year when the world‘s energy
consumption will double because of the ICT industry.
Organizations use the Green Computing Lifecycle when designing and implementing green
computing technologies. The stages in the Lifecycle include Strategy, Design, Implementation,
Operations and Continual Improvements.
Many governmental agencies have continued to implement standards and regulations that
encourage green computing. The Energy Star program was revised in October 2006 to include
stricter efficiency requirements for computer equipment, along with a tiered ranking system for
approved products.
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The 5 core green computing technologies advocated by GCI are Green Data Centre,
Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Power Optimization and Grid Computing.
Figure 2.2.2:Present Scenario[12][1]
There are currently many nations that have established state-wide recycling programs for
obsolete computers and consumer electronics equipment The statutes either impose a fee for
each unit sold at retail (Advance Recovery Fee model), or require the manufacturers to reclaim
the equipment at disposal (Producer Responsibility model).
2.2.3. Roads to Green Computing
Figure 2.4: Reduce, Reuse&Recycle[12][2]
Green use:
— reducing the energy consumption of computers and other information systems as well as
using them in an environmentally sound manner
Green disposal:
— refurbishing and reusing old computers and properly recycling unwanted computers and other
electronic equipment
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Green design:
—designing energy-efficient and environmentally sound components, computers, servers,
cooling equipment, and data centres.
Green manufacturing:
— manufacturing electronic components, computers, another associated subsystems with
minimal impact on the environment
2.3. Regulation And Industry Initiative
2.3.1. From The Government: Many governmental agencies have continued to implement
standards and regulations that encourage green computing. The Energy Star program
was revised in October 2006 to include s t r i c t e r e f f i c i en cy r eq u i r em en t s f o r
co mp ut e r equ i pm en t T h e Eu r op ean Unio n ‘s d i r ec t i v es 2002/95/EC (RoHS),
on the reduction of hazardous substances, and 2002/96/EC (WEEE) on waste
electrical and electronic equipment required the substitution of heavy metals and
flame retardants like PBBs and PBDEs in all electronic equipment put on the market
starting on July 1,2006. The directives placed responsibility on manufacturers for the
gathering and recycling of old equipment (the Producer Responsibility model).
2.3.2. From The Industry:
Climate Savers Computing Initiative: C SC I i s an e f f o r t t o r edu ce t h e e l e c t r i c
p o w er consumption of PCs in active and inactive states.The CSCI provides a
catalog of green p r o d u c t s f r o m i t s m e m b e r o r g a n i z a t i o n s , a n d
i n f o r m a t i o n f o r r e d u c i n g P C p o w e r consumption. It was started on
2007-06-12.
Green Computing Impact Organisation Inc: G C IO i s a no n - p ro f i t
o r gan iz a t io n d ed ica t ed t o a s s i s t i n g t h e end - us e r s o f com p u t i n g
p r od u c t s i n b e i n g en v i r onm ent a l l y responsible. This mission is accomplished
through educational events, cooperative programs and subsidized auditing services. The
heart of the group is based on the GCIO Cooperative, a community of environmentally
concerned IT leaders who pool their time, resources, and buying power to
educate, broaden the use, and improve the efficiency of, green
computing products and services
Green Electronics Council: The Green Electronics Council offers the Electronic Products
Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to assist in the purchase of "green"
computing systems. The Council evaluates computing equipment on 28 criteria that
measure a product‘s efficiency and sustainability attributes. On 2007-01-24,
President George W. Bush issued Executive Order 13423, which requires all
United States Federal agencies to use EPEAT when purchasing computer systems.
The Green Grid: It is a global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data
centers and business computing ecosystems. It was founded in February 2007 by several key
3.Energy efficiency:A devices greatest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions comesfrom its
consumptions of energy over time. Apple has made great strides in recent yearsto optimize the
energy efficiency of our hardware and created tools, such as the EnergySaver feature in Mac OS
X, that allow consumers to manage the power consumption of their computers. Since 2001,
Apple desktop computers, portable computers, and displayshave earned the ENERGY STAR
rating.
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5.Recycling :Apple‘s holistic, lifecycle approach to recycling includes using highly recyclable
materials in products in addition to providing extensive take-back programs that enable
consumers and businesses to safely dispose of used Apple equipment. Since our first take-back
initiative began in Germany in 1994, we have instituted recycling programs in 95 percent of the
countries where our products are sold - diverting over 53million pounds of electronic equipment
from landfills worldwide. Apple is on track to eliminate toxic chemicals from our products. In
the2008 Environmental Update Steve Jobs provides an overview on Apple‘s progress to
eliminate mercury and arsenic from displays and Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR‘s) and
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) from internal components. Steve Jobs also talks about Apple‘s policy
on climate change, steps taken to improve product energy-efficiency as well as overall recycling
performance during 2007.
3.3.2 WIPRO
Wipro Limited, a leading player in Global IT and R&D services, is committed
towards environmental sustainability by minimizing the usage of hazardous
substances a n d c h e m i c a l s w h i ch h a v e p o t e n t i a l i m p a c t o n t h e e c o l o g y. I t
h a s j o i n e d h a n d s w i t h WWF India, one of the largest conservation organizations in the
country, to directly deal w i t h i s s u e s o f c l i m a t e c h a n g e , w a t e r a n d
w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t a n d b i o d i v e r s i t y conservation.
Figure 3.2.2:Wipro’s portfolio[23]
Green Lighting Solutions 1.Complete range of Brightness Management Products for Green Buildings. 2.Ability to integrate lighting and lighting management systems for Green Building
performance standards.
R o l e o f L i g h t i n g f o r G R E E N b u i l d i n g s : 1 7 % – 2 0 % o f t h e
o v e r a l l building‘s energy usage.
Optimize Energy Performance
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High efficiency luminaries design.
High efficiency light sources
Compact Fluorescent Lamp, LED,etc..
Lighting controls.
High efficiency control gear .
P e r s o n a l i z e d c o n t r o l s t h r o u g h t a s k l i g h t i n g In t e l l i g e n t
l i g h t i n g systems.
Green IT Solutions Applications e-Freight – An innovative application for the Air Cargo industry t h a t e n a b l e s
e f f i c i e n t , m u l t i - f o r m a t & p a p e r l e s s i n t e r a c t i o n between Airlines, Freight
Forwarder and Customs. 1. Emission Compliance Management SysteM.
2. Energy Efficiency Solution.
3. Products.
4. Services
e-Waste Disposal Services.
Green Data Center Energy consumption & Cost are the drivers.
3.3.3. GOOGLE
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and
useful. Hundreds of millions of users access our services through the web, and
supporting this traffic requires lots of computers. We strive to offer great internet services
while taking our energy use very seriously. That's why, almost a decade ago; we
started our efforts to make our computing infrastructure as sustainable as possible. Today
we are operating what we believe to be the world's most efficient data centers.The graph
below shows that our Google-designed data centres use considerably less energy -
both for the servers and the facility itself - than a typical data centre. As a result, the energy
used p e r G o o g l e s e a r c h i s m i n i m a l . In f a c t , i n t h e t i m e i t t a k e s t o d o a
G o o g l e s e a r c h , yo u r o w n p e r s o n a l c o m p u t e r w i l l u s e m o r e
e n e r g y t h a n w e w i l l u s e t o a n s w e r y o u r q u e r y .
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Figure 3.3.3:google electricity usage[24]
But sustainability is about more than electricity, so we've gone beyond just reducing our energy
consumption. Before the end of 2008 two of our facilities will run on 100%
recycled water, and by 2010 we expect recycled water to provide 80% of our total water
consumption. We also carefully manage the retirement of our servers to ensure that 100% of this
material is either r e u s e d o r r e c yc l e d . F i n a l l y , w e a r e e n g a g i n g o u r u s e r s a n d
p e e r s t o h e l p b u i l d a c l e a n a n d efficient energy future. This broader impact
could be significant; if all data centers operated at t h e s a m e e f f i c i e n c y a s
o u r s , t h e U . S . a l o n e w o u l d s a v e e n o u g h e l e c t r i c i t y t o p o w e r e v e r y
household within the city limits of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington,
D.C.Sustainability is good for the environment, but it makes good business sense
too. Most of our work is focused on saving resources such as electricity and water
and, more often than not, we find that these actions lead to reduced operating costs. Being
"green" is essential to keeping our business competitive. It is this economic advantage that
makes our efforts truly sustainable.
3.4 Perspective with respect to Indian Scenario
For a long time there was no considerable improvement in the growth of indigenous authentic
hardware equipment manufacturer in the country and almost every companies and the household
customers were dependant on foreign companies who were either importing the equipments or
producing part of them in Indian subsidiaries.
Lack of basic research initiative and congenial infrastructure has resulted in absence of good
patents and commercial production of indigenously built equipments. Due to tax relief given by
the Government in the last few years for importing computer hardware accelerated the import and
resulted in the minimization of the machines, equipments and peripherals. In this situation many
small and medium scale industries were induced to start procuring the hardware at low prices and
venture into the building of IT infrastructure for the company. But during the activities price
was the most important criterion. At that point of time the basic objective was to build basic
infrastructure without considering the principle of green computing. In the later stage when at the
recent time the concept is grown enough it is not possible for most of the small and medium scale
companies to redo the task of IT infrastructure development over and above bearing the cost of
maintenance and procurement of software.
Even with the old non green hardware it was observed that most of the boards (Around 73.78 % as
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found in local survey in and around Kolkata, Siliguri, ADDA) faced a question by the
stakeholders about the justification for the IT expenditure and they also insisted to
calculate the cost benefit ratio of the investment and unfortunately most of the boards failed
to give good answer due to confusion and initial fault in planning which resulted in the
massive underutilization of the equipments and failure of MID which was not very prudent
and robust with respect to the changing business dynamics. So in the backdrop of the above
discussion it can be concluded that most of the SMEs will not be interested right now to change
their IT infrastructure to green infrastructure. Even if they are concerned about the concept they
will wait until the cost is recovered from the old infrastructure. Though when they will
procure any new equipment they will have a choice of green equipment but in that case also price
will play a deterrent role decision-making. Regarding the large companies and MNCs cost of
procurement of new green equipments is not very tough but again disposal of the old equipments
is not a very easy task. Apart from this the problem of homoeostasis of the employee is also a
negative factor.
In India the IT backed business intelligence and operation is now in a growth phage and the
stakeholders are really concerned to maximize the return on investment and as a result of this it
will not be easy to implement the principle of green computing in the IT infrastructure.
3.5 Summary
Chapter 3 Deals Adopting Green Computing Strategies make sense not only from an ethical, or
moral stand-point, but from a commercial stand-point. There are many business benefits
achievable through the implementation of a green computing strategy such as cost savings,
resilience, disaster recovery, business continuity planning and of course public relations. Given
the prolific nature of IT within today's information economy IT leaders have an excellent
opportunity to significantly impact the fight against global warming, whilst enhancing the
business operation and efficiency.
CHAPTER 4
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE
4.1 Conclusion
Whilst the performance and the breadth of application of computers is increasing, so too is our
awareness of the cost and scarcity of the energy required to power them, as well as the materials
needed to make them in the first place. However, because computing developments can enable
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individuals and businesses to adopt greener lifestyles and work styles, in terms of the
environmental debate computing is definitely both part of the problem and part of the solution.
Through more environmentally aware usage (such as more effective power management and
shut-down during periods of inactivity), and by adopting current lower power technologies,
computers can already be made significantly more energy efficient. Indeed, just as we now look
back and wonder why automobiles a decade or two ago used to guzzle so much petrol, in a
decade's time we will no doubt be staggered that a typical desktop PC used to happily sit around
drawing 100-200W of power every hour night and day, and when accomplishing no more than
displaying a screensaver.
The computing industry is more prepared and far more competent than almost any other
industry when it comes to facing and responding to rapid change. Environmentally it is not a
good thing that most PCs -- especially in companies -- have typically entered a landfill after only
a few years in service. However, this reality does at least mean that a widespread mindset already
exists for both adapting to and paying money for new computer hardware on a regular basis.
Hence, whereas it took decades to get more energy efficient cars on the roads, it will hopefully
only take a matter of years to reach a state of affairs where most computers are using far less
power than they needlessly waste today. 4.3 Future Scope
As 21st century belongs to computers, gizmos and electronic items, energy issues will get a
serious ring in the coming days, as the public debate on carbon emissions, global warming and
climate change gets hotter. If we think computers are nonpolluting and consume very little
energy we need to think again. It is estimated that out of $250 billion per year spent on powering
computers worldwide only about 15% of that power is spent computing- the rest is wasted idling.
Thus, energy saved on computer hardware and computing will equate tonnes of carbon emissions
saved per year. Taking into consideration the popular use of information technology industry, it
has to lead a revolution of sorts by turning green in a manner no industry has ever done before.
Opportunities lie in green technology like never before in history and organizations are seeing it
as a way to create new profit centers while trying to help the environmental cause. The plan
towards green IT should include new electronic products and services with optimum efficiency
and all possible options towards energy savings. Faster processors historically use more power.
Inefficient CPU's are a double hit because they both use too much power themselves and their
waste heat increases air conditioning needs, especially in server farms--between the computers
and the HVAC. The waste heat also causes reliability problems, as CPU's crash much more often
at higher temperatures. Many people have been working for years to slice this inefficiency out of
computers. Similarly, power supplies are notoriously bad, generally as little as 47% efficient.
And since everything in a computer runs off the power supply, nothing can be efficient without a
good power supply. Recent inventions of power supply are helping fix this by running at 80%
efficiency or better.
1. ¾ landfills can be controlled by making best use of the device by upgrading and
repairing in time with a need to make such processes (i.e., upgradation and repairing) easier and
cheaper.
2. ¾ avoiding the discarding will not only control e-waste out of dumps but also save
energy and materials needed for a whole new computer .
3. ¾ power-sucking displays can be replaced with green light displays made of OLEDs, or
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organic light-emitting diodes .
4. ¾ use of toxic materials like lead can be replaced by silver and copper .
5. ¾ making recycling of computers (which is expensive and time consuming at
present) more effective by recycling computer parts separately with a option of reuse or resale .
6. ¾ future computers could knock 10 percent off their energy use just by replacing hard
drives with solid-state, or flash,
memory, which has no watt-hungry moving parts.
4.3 Steps To GREEN COMPUTING
As of Oct. 20, there are new performance requirements to qualify for the Energy Star rating
for desktop and notebook computers, workstations, integrated computers, desktop-derived
servers and game consoles. These specifications go into effect on July 20.But businesses don‘t
have to wait until then to initiate more environmentally-friendly computing practices. Here are
five first steps you can take toward a green computing strategy.
1.Develop a sustainable green computing plan: Discuss with your business leaders the
elements that should be factored into such a plan, including organizational policies and
checklists. Such a plan should include recycling policies, recommendations for disposal of used
equipment, government guidelines and recommendations for purchasing green computer
equipment.
Green computing best practices and policies should cover power usage, reduction of paper
consumption, as well as recommendations for new equipment and recycling old
machines.Organizational policies should include communication and implementation.
2. Recycle: Discard used or unwanted electronic equipment in a convenient and environmentally
responsible manner.
Computers have toxin metals and pollutants that can emit harmful emissions into the
environment. Never discard computers in a landfill. Recycle them instead through manufacturer
programs such as HP' Planet Partners recycling service or recycling facilities in your community.
Or donate still-working computers to a non-profit agency.
3. Make environmentally sound purchase decisions: Purchase Electronic Product
Environmental Assessment Tool registered products. EPEAT is a procurement tool promoted by
the nonprofit Green Electronics Council to:
•Help institutional purchasers evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and
monitors based on environmental attributes.
•Provide a clear, consistent set of performance criteria for the design of products
•Recognize manufacturer efforts to reduce the environmental impact of products by reducing or
eliminating environmentally sensitive materials, designing for longevity and reducing packaging
materials.
All EPEAT-registered products must meet minimum requirements in eight areas of
environmental impact and be energy efficient to reduce emissions of climate-changing
greenhouse gases. To demonstrate corporate social and environmental performance,
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manufacturers must offer safe end-of-life management and recycling options when products
become unusable.
"Developing environmentally sound products has long been a priority for HP' design and
engineering teams," says Jeri Callaway, vice president and general manager, Americas
Commercial Solutions,
Personal Systems Group, HP. "We' particularly proud that our business-class products already
meet,and in some cases exceed, the basic EPEAT standards without any alteration to their
existing design.‖
4. Reduce Paper Consumption: There are many easy, obvious ways to reduce paper
consumption:e-mail, electronic archiving, use the ―track changes‖ feature in electronic
documents, rather than red-line corrections on paper. When you do print out documents, make
sure to use both sides of the paper,recycle regularly, use smaller fonts and margins, and
selectively print required pages.
5. Conserve energy: Turn off your computer when you know you won‘t use it for an extended
period of time. Turn on power management features during shorter periods of inactivity.
Power management allows monitors and computers to enter low-power states when sitting idle.
By simply hitting the keyboard or moving the mouse, the computer or monitors awakens from its
low-power sleep mode in seconds. Power management tactics can save energy and help protect
the environment.
4.4 Summary
Adopting Green Computing Strategies make sense not only from an ethical, or moral stand-
point, but from a commercial stand-point. There are many business benefits achievable through
the implementation of a green computing strategy such as cost savings, resilience, disaster
recovery, business continuity planning and of course public relations. Given the prolific nature
of IT within today's information economy IT leaders have an excellent opportunity to
significantly impact the fight against global warming, whilst enhancing the business operation