Green Technology

may eliminate battery usage for some devices.  IBM emerging technology innovations are poised to revolutionize the power requirements of electronic devices in the next five years.  …

…   “By rethinking the basic building block of electronic devices, the transistor, IBM is aiming to reduce the amount of energy per transistor to less than 0.5 volts.

With energy demands this low, we might be able to lose the battery altogether in some devices like mobile phones or e-readers. 

The result would be battery-free electronic devices that can be charged using a technique called energy scavenging. 

Some wrist watches use this today – they require no winding and charge based on the movement of your arm. 

The same concept could be used to charge mobile phones. for example – just shake and dial.”   …

Via IBM: Transistor Innovation.

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IBM collaborates with Singapore to deploy emerging technology solutions to address society’s challenges.  Smart analytics can be used to optimize energy consumption and delivery on the smart grid.  …

…   “Analytics and optimization-based techniques for managing the supply and demand of energy on a SmartGrid;”   …

Via IBM: Singapore Smart Initiatives.

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developed by IBM and McKesson to optimize efficiency and climate impact.  …

…   “Now, McKesson is breaking new ground by using IBM's new Web-based analytics offering called the Supply Chain Sustainability Management Solution (SCSM) to simultaneously minimize both its carbon dioxide emissions and its distribution costs.”   …

Via IBM: Greenhouse Gas Reduction.

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IBM achieves its first LEED Gold certification for the company’s green data center in North Carolina, on the Research Triangle Park campus.  The facility is modular in design and capable of scaling addition capacity quickly without impact to the existing datacenter operations.  The sustainable design incorporates features, such as:

• Existing building reuse;
• Construction material recycling;
• Water management;
• Energy conservation;

This design surpasses energy efficiency performance across the global footprint of IBM data centers.  …

…   “The new facility, which is the company's most technologically advanced green data center, officially opened in February 2010 and is IBM's first LEED Gold certified data center.  IBM was awarded the LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which certifies which facilities meet the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

A key factor in IBM's LEED recognition was the company's re-use of an existing building on its RTP campus.  The construction reused 95 percent of the original building's shell and in the process IBM recycled 90 percent of the materials from the original building and ensured 25 percent of newly purchased material came from recycled products. 

These factors helped reduce the carbon footprint associated with 100,000 square feet building by nearly 50 percent.  One of the unique features of the IBM facility is a rainwater collection system which generates non-potable water to be used in the facility. “   …

Via IBM: North Carolina Green Data Center (Link to Release).

LEED Gold certification.

IBM Research Triangle Park campus.

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IBM has developed a water cooled supercomputer that uses the extracted heat to heat a building.  Normally A/C is needed to remove the excess heat to prevent damage to computer systems. 

The A/C to remove heat can use almost as much or more energy than that used to power the computers ... resulting in lots of wasted energy and extra carbon footprint  What a waste !!

" ... Aquasar, consumes up to 40 percent less energy than a comparable air-cooled machine. ... carbon footprint is reduced by up to 85 percent."

" ... micro-channel liquid coolers which are attached directly to the processors, where most heat is generated. ..."

"

Via:  IBM  LINK

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• IBM scientists collaborate to find sustainable plastics: "this chemistry breakthrough around sustainable plastics represents another example of how we are expanding beyond our traditional boundaries" http://bit.ly/b48ogb
• Organocatalysis for Polymer Synthesis via ACS: "highlight the opportunities and challenges in the use of organic molecules as catalysts or initiators for polymerization reactions." http://bit.ly/cjhbvu
• IBM Green Chemistry practitioner: "Jim Hedrick, a researcher at IBM’s Research facility in San Jose, CA, works on new formulas that could make it easier to recycle the 13 billion plastic bottles disposed of each year globally." http://bit.ly/cuKpbg

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... "new efficiency is 9.6 percent, up from the previous record of 6.7 percent for this type of solar cell, and near the level needed for commercial solar panels. " ...

Continue reading "Ink Solar Cells" »

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... "Membrane filtration is currently one of the most energy efficient techniques for removing salt and improving water quality. But, conventional membranes used today are easily damaged by chlorine, which is commonly added to water to prevent bacterial growth that can cause health problems. Now, the collaborative research team has designed a new concept in membrane materials that combines resistance to chlorine damage and high performance separation behavior in mildly basic conditions, making it suitable for arsenic removal in addition to water desalination. " ...

Continue reading "Energy Efficiency Meets Water Purification" »

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IBM has the perfect Green Gift ... bringing together both GREEN and Six Sigma. 

" ... author, Eric Olson, is an IT strategist ... wields degrees from the likes of Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ... approach...  emphasizes practical steps for setting a specific “environmental stewardship” plan in motion ... draws heavily on IBM’s Green Sigma approach for running a green business ... might be just the ticket for someone who is sick of hearing ideas OR someone who might need proofpoints to get their own managers to buy into green."

Download a sample chapter - LINK.

Via:  ZDNet.com  LINK

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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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... "solutions developed within the company for recognition under its new Corporate Environmental Innovation Program, which highlights innovations that significantly improve energy efficiency or reduce environmental impact. Measurement and Management Technology -- a solution that provides real-time measurement and analysis of temperatures and humidity within data centers to optimize cooling and reduce energy consumption, improving energy efficiency by 10 percent or more. The technology is now being used in more than 60 data centers; " ...

Continue reading "Corporate Environmental Innovation Program" »

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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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... "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)

... "The electric grid is the largest and most complex machine in the world and in places it is now critically overburdened. Impacts of climate change, available technology, and the current economic crisis represent the final tipping point for a much needed overhaul. The Smart Grid Maturity Model will serve as a strategic framework for utilities, vendors, regulators, and consumers that have a role in smart grid transformation -- from technological to regulatory to organizational. " ...

Continue reading "Smart Grid Maturity Model Governance" »

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... "Green Supply Chain: Players evaluate a traditional supply chain model and are tasked with reducing a fictional company's carbon footprint. " ...

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... "By implementing the strategic recommendations, clients could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 50 percent – ranging from 15-20 percent for travel to up to 90 percent for datacenters – with corresponding reductions in cost. " ...

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

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... "Using IBM’s SNOW consulting offering to provide a detailed analysis of its operations allowed Chinese shipping and logistics giant COSCO to reduce the number of distribution centers it uses from 100 to 40, lowering logistics costs by 23 percent and reducing CO2 emissions by 15 percent. This allowed COSCO to avoid 100,000 tons per year of CO2 emissions, while maintaining service levels for clients and incurring no additional costs. " ...

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... "In particular, IBM's products and services are addressing not only IT's own direct impact upon energy consumption and CO2 emissions, but also the ways in which IT can help solve the world's energy and climate challenges. " ...

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... "Current silicon based solar cells are only about 20 per cent efficient and cost about $3 per watt of electricity generated. A newer form of solar powered cells being developed is plastic not silicon based. It holds great promise because it is flexible, lightweight and most significant is much less costly to produce. " ...

Continue reading "IBM Harvard Collaborate to Create Higher Efficiency Solar Photovoltaic Cells" »

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... "In the next five years, solar energy will be an affordable option for you and your neighbors. Until now, the materials and the process of producing solar cells to convert into solar energy have been too costly for widespread adoption. But now this is changing with the creation of thin-film solar cells, a new type of cost-efficient solar cell that can be 100 times thinner than silicon-wafer cells and produced at a lower cost. These new thin-film solar cells can be printed and arranged on a flexible backing, suitable for not only the tops, but also the sides of buildings, tinted windows, cell phones, notebook computers, cars, and even clothing. " ...

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" ... 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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... "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)

... "The trick lies in IBM's ability to cool the tiny solar cell. Concentrating the equivalent of 2000 suns on such a small area generates enough heat to melt stainless steel, something the researchers experienced first hand in their experiments. But by borrowing innovations from its own R&D in cooling computer chips, the team was able to cool the solar cell from greater than 1600 degrees Celsius to just 85 degrees Celsius. " ...

Continue reading "Liquid Metal Solar Photovoltaic Concentrator" »

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... "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)

... "This program enables clients to measure their energy usage while earning energy efficiency certificates for reducing the energy used to run their data centers. The certificates earned -- based on energy use reduction verified by a certified third-party -- 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. " ...

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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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... "An Intelligent Utility Network is a digital, open standards-based network of sensors, metering, communications, computer processors, and analytics which connects an entire utility company - from power plant to plug. These connected systems provide a utility with near real-time data and information to better manage the grid infrastructure, enabling fewer and shorter power outages, improved customer service, and the ability to source and deliver power more efficiently, including renewable energy. Country Energy is pursuing the Intelligent Network concept to improve reliability, support the growth of renewables like solar and wind, and make energy efficiency simpler for customers. " ...

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... "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. " ...

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... "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. " ...

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... "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. " ...

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... "Availability of these patents will encourage researchers, entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes in any industry to create, apply, and further develop their consumer or industrial products, processes, and services in a way that will help to protect and respect the environment. " ...

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... "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" »

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... "Through this new reclamation process IBM is now able to more efficiently remove the intellectual property from the wafer surface, making these wafers available either for reuse in internal manufacturing calibration as monitor wafers or for sale to the solar cell industry, which must meet a growing demand for the same silicon material to produce photovoltaic cells for solar panels. When monitors wafers reach end of life they are sold to the solar industry. Depending on how a specific solar cell manufacturer chooses to process a batch of reclaimed wafers - they could save between 30 - 90% of the energy that they would have needed if they'd used a new silicon material source. These estimated energy savings translate into an overall reduction of the carbon footprint for both the Semiconductor and Solar industries. " ...

Continue reading "Solar Silicon Supply Boosted by Wafer Recycling at IBM" »

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... "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" »

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