Green Technology

Data centers use a lot of energy to power servers and in doing so generate a lot of heat.  Additional energy is then needed to keep the servers and other equipment from overheating (air conditioning or chiller systems).  Could the heat from servers be repurposed instead of cooled ?

According to a research paper (link below) “ … “data furnaces” could offer a lower carbon footprint … [in] home offices or office buildings. … servers could … become a primary heating system for these buildings …”

There are obstacle to overcome but in theory it seems to make sense.

What do you think ?  Will there ever be a server farm in your apartment building / complex or office tower?

>>> To read the Microsoft research paper LINK

>>> Fujitsu is using a similar concept for heat reuse – using it to drive data center cooling systems LINK

Via: ZDNet   LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The two companies are teaming up to implement the Microsoft Hohm energy management application for Ford’s electric vehicles. Ford is the first automaker announcing the use of Hohm, starting with the Focus Electric next year. Hohm will help owners determine when and how to most efficiently and affordably recharge battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. It also should help utility companies manage the added demands of electric vehicles on the electric grid. " ...

Posted by Green Tech at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

... "The survey shows that utilities professionals and executives perceive distribution management and smart metering solutions as the most important technologies for successful smart grid implementations. Integration of renewable energy sources into the smart grid and consumer energy management solutions follow closely. However, 63 percent of the respondents in the Americas think the information technologies available today are not sufficient to address future challenges, while only 45 percent and 42 percent of respondents in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific respectively believe they are insufficient. " ...

Continue reading "Smart Meters and Efficient Distribution Key to Utility Transformation" »

Posted by Green Tech at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In an earlier post of this blog (June 25th,m 2009) I wrote about Microsoft hohm, a new beta software application that would help homeowners better understand their energy usage and give suggestions to save money.

Yesterday I got the link inviting me to try it ... here are some of the details ... 

 hohm is a web application that develops a detailed "picture" of your home and its energy use using a very detailed series of questions.  Questions cover ... the direction the front of your home faces ... and includes details about all major systems  and about the number of windows and square footage of widows on each side of the house.  See graphic to the right for pictures of the categories of questions.

After filling out 75% of the questions I was able to get a list of "best ways to spend

50, 100, and 500 dollars".

So far I found hohm easy to use and informative ... and the initial Q & A took about 20 minutes.

More details as the "experiment" continues !

Via:  Microsoft hohm  LINK

Posted by Green Dude at 05:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You can only manage what you can measure .. the old adage about management ... applies to energy usage as well.  A new Microsoft product, Microsoft Hohm, will allow individuals to monitor their energy usage and make changes based on recommendations to SAVE MONEY and ELECTRICITY.

" ... Microsoft Hohm, a new online application that enables consumers to better understand their energy usage, get recommendations and start saving money. ... uses advanced analytics licensed from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy to provide consumers with personalized energy-saving recommendations. ... beta application is available at ...http://www.microsoft-hohm.com."

Posted by Green Dude at 06:27 PM | 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)

... "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)

Microsoft " ... created the new position of chief environmental strategist ... Rob Bernard, to fill it. Here's his mission, as described in an e-mail from a company spokesman:

"... to assess the company's environmental impact and opportunities at all levels, ... to minimize their impact on the environment, assuring responsible business practices that work to reduce the company's direct and indirect environmental impact, and working ... on global environmental issues."

Via:  SeattlePi.com   Link

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