Tag Archives: Computers

The Carbon footprint of computers

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computersA lot of attention has been paid to the carbon footprint of automobiles, airplanes, and buildings, but one of the activities that takes up most of our time has gotten little attention: computers.  In a recent article in the Economist, they covered a report published by the Climate Group on the climate impacts of computers. Surprisingly, computers have a cumulative impact similar to that of air travel, producing approximately 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution or about 2% of total over carbon emissions. The Climate Group estimates that by 2020, approximately 6% of CO2 emissions will come from computers and 1 out of 3 global citizens are expected to have a computer.

On the bright side, computers can offer a number carbon cutting tools like smart meters.  Savings also can be obtained by businesses using distributive computing, instead of running their own server.  An example of energy saving opportunities, was posted in the E2.0 article, ” Holyoke Green Data Center“, which would serve as a resource for multiple universities involved in biotechnology and climate industries.

As an individual, you can reduce the carbon footprint of your computer and its complementary accessories like, printers, faxes, and cell phones. The following tips can help you trim carbon calories from your energy waist line:

  • Unplug all your computers and complimentary machines. Even in the off or sleep mode they pull energy from the grid, often referred to as vampire loads!
  • Set your computer to sleep mode when you are away from your desk for prolonged periods of time (15 minutes or more)
  • Purchase an energy efficient PC. Laptops actually use a lot less energy than desktops.
  • Turn off your computer when you are done for the day and use a power strip so that you can turn off all computer accessories at once.

Holyoke Green Data Center

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In a formal announcement scheduled for today, Holyoke MA will be named the location for  a proposed green data center, a project affiliated with UMass Amherst, MIT, BU, EMC Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc.  According to a recent Mass High Tech article (MHT), the center is still in the initial phases of design and, if successful, will ultimately be a “world-class green research high-performance computing center,” helping to shape the research agenda in Massachusetts.

While it is not clear how “green” such a project would be, the center’s energy claims to be cost effective due to utilizing clean power sources (MHT).   The center would also be a resource for various universities involved in biotechnology and climate modeling and would marry private sector R&D with academia, a relatively unfamiliar pairing.   Additionally, the project would bring new jobs in research and technology to western Massachusetts, an area of the state that could benefit greatly from new job creation.  Holyoke in particular, a post-industrial paper mill city, could use the economic boost and its location alongside the Connecticut River, as well as its proximity to I-91 and high-speed data lines makes it an ideal location for this project.