Tony Chan

A new report released by Vodafone and Accenture says that the use of mobile communications can reduce the annual energy bill for Europe by a €43 billion, equivalent to an annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by at least 113 Mt CO2e (metric ton carbon dioxide equivalents) by 2020. The figure equals about 2.4% of the CO2 emissions for the whole of the EU, or eliminating close to one-fifth of the UK's emissions. Obviously, there's a catch. Vodafone says that the only way to achieve those goals is for the industry and governments to collaborate. The report, titled Carbon Connections: quantifying mobile's role in tackling climate change, identified 13 opportunities that could enable carbon abatement across 25 EU countries. But for these opportunities to come to fruition, governments will have to play an important role - like evolving regulation to set an appropria... (more)

NetSuite Claims Cloud Computing Platform Cuts Emissions

Yesterday, I wrote about NetSuite’s claim that cloud computing platforms can save users and indeed the world, carbon emissions, but I also noted some facts that were left out of the press release and the study that it was based on, conducted by environmental consultants, Greenspace. Today, Jason Howard, CEO and Founder of Greenspace, wrote to me and gave me the OTHER half of the story. “I am the author of a recent study that you mention in your article. I would like to provide you with additional information about our methodology so you have all publicly available information for... (more)

IBM and Cisco in Amsterdam Smart Grid Pilot

At least two big IT names, IBM and Cisco, will be headlining a trial by Dutch utility, Nuon, to put in a smart grid for 500 homes in Amsterdam. As part of the trial, 500 households in Amsterdam will get smart meters and home energy management solutions to optimise their energy usage. The pilot is being implemented by a consortium of organisations, including housing corporations Far West and Ymere, Amsterdamse Innovatie Motor, Home Automation Europe, ROC Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam and Grid Operator Liander. The pilot, a part of the Amsterdam Smart City initiative, is ... (more)

Computational Fluid Dynamics For Data Centre Cooling Optimization

It seems a little bit of an overkill to solve data centre cooling issues, but the graphic itself is worth a post. According to CFdesign, a number of companies have deployed its upfront CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software and its Consulting Services Team to analyst air flow and to optimise cooling in their data centres. As the photo indicates, the software models the air flow within the data centre and helps companies eliminate wastage and optimise the effectiveness of their CRAC units. “As companies move to higher density architectures, the heat loads increase significa... (more)

Dell Goes Energy Star 5.0, Unveils Energy Saving Calculator

Dell has unveiled what it calls the broadest line of US EPA Energy Star 5.0-compliant desktops, workstations and portables. According to the company, select configurations of Dell OptiPlex, Dell Precision and Latitude are now Energy Star 5.0 compliant. Almost all of the desktops, workstation and portable products designed by the company today consume less than five watts in a low-power mode, which actually exceeds levels currently set by the EPA for energy efficiency, Dell said. “We are driving energy efficiency across all of our hardware platforms and our compliance with Energ... (more)