February 2008 Archives

As I was watching my measly investments spiral ever downward when this Yahoo! Finance Tech Ticker video caught my eye. Talk of a bubble, or moreso the feared pop at the end, always seems to creep into the conversation.

Yet after pondering whether VC's have gone insane, hosts Sarah Lacey and Henry Blodget come to the determination that bubble or not, clean tech is another opportunity to create a vibrant global market like the internet before it, making it worth the rewards that may follow.

View the video after the click...

No lab? No problem.

That's the message from the US Department of Energy to cleantech startups. Under the new Entrepreneur in Residence program, the agency will give some choice renewable energy firms the chance test their technology at its labs -- one at each of three locations -- to accelerate time to market.

This Reuters report explains...

The venture capital firms that will sponsor and choose participants in the program are Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Foundation Capital, both based in Menlo Park, California, as well as Chicago-based ARCH Venture Partners.

Kleiner Perkins will work with the department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, ARCH will work with the Sandia National Laboratory, and Foundation Capital will work with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The DOE will even throw in $100,000 to sweeten an already sweet deal. Here’s the DOE’s official line.

So nice of our government, wouldn't you say?

HardGeek has some pics and details on Nikola Knezevic's design for a laptop with built-in solar panels. The form factor is a bit lunch-boxy (it's more evident in the "closed" image). Still, pretty neat.

[via Digg]

This week D-Link started shipping yet more network hardware from its Green Ethernet line. The new 1U switches, the 16-port DGS-1016D and 24-port DGS-1024D, move that data at GbE speeds.

Thanks to technology that accounts for cable length and the ability to sense inactive ports and power them down, D-Link says most businesses stand to gain a fair amount of power savings. Well, at least when it comes to their networking infrastructure.

D-Link's Green Ethernet switching solutions provide the opportunity for significant energy savings. For example, when connected and then powered down, the DGS-2208 multi-port desktop switch can realize up to 80 percent savings in power usage, and the other D-Link 'Green Ethernet' switches save up to 45 percent. The same devices, when used for 10 hours and then powered down for 14 hours over a 24-hour period, when connected via Ethernet cables, provide up to 40 percent and 27 percent energy savings, respectively.

To maximize those savings, you'll need to shut those hosts off at night, which you should be doing anyway.

Remember that HP UMPC 2133 ultraportable?

Apparently, HP is really bullish about the device's chances in the marketplace. According to a report, the company has contracted Wistron to build 2 million of the tiny computers this year. That's a huge commitment, especially in this niche segment.

We'll see if the $600+ mini-notebook is met with enough enthusiasm to merit such a move. Personally, I'm waiting to preorder mine. If the final specs grab me, that is.

No-Cost and Low-Cost Ways to Green Your Data Center Right Now - GreenerComputing

Being smarter about your use of storage can save electricity as well. Archiving less-important data onto drives with slower-speed spindles can save surprising amounts of energy. Marriott International did just that. Wendell Fox, senior vice president of Marriott's information resources shared-services group, estimates that a disk drive spinning at 7,200 rpm uses eight times more power than a disk that spins at 3,700 rpm, so the savings by doing this can be surprisingly large.

Clean tech movement goes global - SFGate

Known both as green tech and clean tech, the industry develops alternative fuels, better ways to use existing resources and other eco-friendly products. Most of the companies are young, and many call Silicon Valley home. California clean-tech companies won $1.79 billion in venture capital funding last year, 45 percent of the nationwide total of $3.95 billion.

And yet, green-tech companies also are springing up in Europe, China and elsewhere. As the world grows more concerned about high oil prices and global warming, governments are looking for ways to nurture this industry, hoping to make it their own.

Wal-Mart telegraphs its clean-tech needs - News.com

On Tuesday Wal-Mart and the Cleantech Group launched a Web-based tool that provides a sort of shopping list for Wal-Mart's sustainability strategy. The Cleantech Group is hosting its Cleantech Venture Forum in San Francisco, which starts on Tuesday.

Which "innovative ideas" Wal-Mart is seeking is instructive because it points to large corporate demand for clean-tech products.

Fujitsu packs 500GB into 2.5in drive - vnunet.com

The unit requires only 1.8W of power for read and write operations, ranking it among the most power-efficient in its class, the company claims.

The drive is part of Fujitsu's Green Policy Innovation Program to promote energy-efficient products and services as a way of helping customers lower their ecological footprint.

VMware Signs Deal to Embed Software in HP Servers - Enterprise IT Planet / Reuters

Plus today I put my own non-fax advice to good use with some interoffice paperwork! Unfortunately, someone else had to remind me. Goes to show, nobody's perfect.

That's a "green" mainframe? To quote my IM compadres, ROFLMAO!

Actually, gargantuan mainframes can be very green, if you take into account the massive amount of server consolidation each of these nifty, though pricey, machines can make happen. According to IBM's estimates, one of the company's new System z10 (so long z9, we hardly knew you...) can offer the performance of "1,500 PC-style servers" yet occupy just 15 percent of the floor space and consume 85 percent less electricity.

You can just hear the electrical grid sigh in relief.

InternetNews was there in NYC today (me too, but I was mostly there for moral support) when IBM officially (and literally) unveiled the z10, the latest mainframe in a long line of big boxes for big corporations. If you've been following the company's Big Green initiatives, you know that no product line is being spared, least of all this one.

Rod Atkins, Vice President, IBM Systems and Technology took the stage and described how z10 fits into what he calls a looming "IT energy crisis." He reminded the crowd that "most data centers have been actually built over seven years ago." Consider then, that since 2000, IT energy requirements have roughly doubled. When those then-new data centers first swallowed those servers, the energy required to keep them humming sat at 35 to 70 watts per square foot. Currently, that figure sits at 150 - 200 watts. By 2011, projections point to 300 watts per square foot.

"We are about to hit a wall, in terms of companies, and their abilities, to deploy and deliver IT based capabilities," added Atkins.

That's where IBM's quad-core (a first!) z10 comes in. Performance-wise, four 4.4 GHz processors offer the equivalent of those aforementioned 1,500 x86 boxes, minus the huge electric bill, and in many cases, budget-busting software licensing costs. In light of these savings, plus those derived from streamlined administration, springing for a million-dollar-plus mainframe becomes easier to swallow.

Or so I'm told, because the last time that I made or authorized such an expenditure was, well, NEVER. Though one look at that swank monolith (catch a glimpse here) makes me want to run around peeling off couch cushions in hopes of finding a billionaire's billfold.

Head over to InternetNews for full coverage.

This fascinating article from Popular Mechanics ventures inside MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center and takes a look at it's fusion reactor, the C-MOD. Some big science is going on there in pursuit of the "Holy Grail" of clean power.

MIT is making strides, as geniuses are wont to do. But without a breakthrough or two, it may be a while before we bask in clean, nearly limitless energy.

Fusion is, to some extent, the exact opposite of fission: Instead of splitting atoms, fusion combines them, creating larger atoms and releasing a massive amount of energy in the process. Despite the high temperatures often associated with plasma, fusion is a relatively stable reaction, generating little to no radioactive waste. Even in a worst-case scenario, there's no chance of a fusion reactor turning into a catastrophe on the scale of Three-Mile Island or Chernobyl. “Fission can run away,” says Miklos Porkolab, director of the PSFC. “Fusion can only fizzle.” Since there's no chain reaction at work, the biggest danger associated with fusion is a temperature collapse. And even if the materials lining the chamber were to suddenly give way due to sabotage or terrorism, the introduction of debris into the plasma cloud would actually smother the process at an even faster rate. Fusion is fragile, difficult to maintain, and ultimately its own worst enemy. But it is not dangerous.

Hopefully a breakthrough may come when ITER, a reactor 10 times the size of Alcator C-MOD, is completed. It's goal: a self-sustaining reaction.

For now an efficient (more power out than goes in) is still decades away.

[via Digg]

Today, I had the pleasure of posting this neat Reuters item on the eITplanet homepage. Beside the fact (yes, fact) that teleconferencing rocks, the article goes to show that there's plenty of opportunity in the space.

HP, which is coming off a stellar quarter, is now singing the praises of its Halo business.

Hewlett-Packard Co, the world's largest personal computer maker, said on Thursday its installations of new Halo video conferencing rooms have more than doubled annually since the product's launch in 2005.

The rooms, equipped with state-of-the-art telecommunications that enable high-definition video conferences over three large-screen displays, sell for $249,000 per installation, plus a monthly payment.

The best $250K they spent, undoubtedly. Airport delays, grabby U.S. Customs agents, jet lag... Why deal with that?

Sure, some meetings definitely require face time. But let's be honest, there's a nice chunk of business travel falls into the "Why did I even bother?" category.

Here's a little videoconferencing primer we published last year with some more modestly priced options.

HP? Nope.
Dell? Don't even...

Computerworld awarded this year's top green IT vendor spot to IBM. I tried to feign shock, but it's no surprise considering how the enterprise computing giant has been weaving a green thread through just about every one of its divisions and product lines -- and not letting us forget it.

BT Group and Qualcomm round out the top three. Others on the list include Fujitsu America, Microsoft, HP (placed 7th) and Sun. Dell was notably absent; draw your own conclusions.

Fujitsu America is proud of the distinction despite landing at 5th place. How do I know? They issued a press release, of course.

They attribute the honor, in part, to the data center fuel cell they installed at their Silicon Valley site.

In August of 2007, for example, the Fujitsu campus in Sunnyvale, Calif. installed a hydrogen fuel cell to significantly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, making Fujitsu the first Silicon Valley-based IT company to install its own hydrogen power plant. Since 1996, Fujitsu has published regular reports detailing the programs and results of its environmental protection activities. Fujitsu has made the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index eight years in a row, and the FTSE4Good Index Series five years in a row.

And by the close of the '09 fiscal year, they plan to boost the number of "Super Green" products like the PRIMERGY TX120 by 20 percent across all business units.

Congrats to all! And thanks Dan!

For over a day, gadget fiends have picking apart the internets in hopes of getting the goods on the HP 2133 sub-sub-notebook (me included).

Now comes this juicy rumor from UMPC Portal claiming that VIA, not Intel, has been tapped to supply its chips. If true, this is a major win for maker of power-sipping processors.

Though honestly, even if it's false, and an Intel Penryn beats at the heart of the unit, HP has done a fantastic job of turning the attention away from the Asus Eee and Apple Airbook.

All it took were some sexy product shots and precious few specs.

[via Engadget]

What if you could fill up your car without the slightest bit of guilt?

Of course we should strive for fuel efficiency, but scientists as Los Alamos National Labs have devised a way to pluck gasoline from greenhouse gases. It sounds too good to be true, but The New York Times reports that the lab coats are zeroing in on a “closed cycle” that can generate fuel while reducing CO2 in the atmosphere.

The idea is simple. Air would be blown over a liquid solution of potassium carbonate, which would absorb the carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide would then be extracted and subjected to chemical reactions that would turn it into fuel: methanol, gasoline or jet fuel.

Unfortunately, the process requires a ton of energy and upfront capital. Isn’t that always the way? But they are encouraged by how fast technology is evolving. And if gas prices continue to rise, it won’t be long before everyone starts taking a long hard look at their work.

For a minute it looked like there might be a worthy competitor to Asus' awesome Eee PC.

Alas, no.

The machine simply isn't living up to expectations, at least that's been Laptopmag's impression so far (unboxing pics and video here). Even spending some quality time with the Cloudbook isn't helping matters much.

You guessed it: Asus wins this round.

Long story short, while all the parts are there, they underwent some weird Frankenstein-ization – with flaky software to boot. Time to hand out the pitchforks and cue the angry villagers.

[via Gizmodo]

It seemed for a bit that there was destined to be some bloodletting for cleantech concerns in 2008. And there may very well be. But if First Solar is any indication, things may just turn out OK for solar, even in the face of a down economy.

This CNNMoney report explains why:

The solar-module maker said fourth-quarter earnings soared more than 500% from the year-ago period to 77 cents per share. That smashed the average estimate of 53 cents among analysts polled by Thomson Financial.

Sales nearly quadrupled to $200.8 million, topping views of $179.6 million.

Clearly aiding First Solar financials are its "hot off the presses" manufacturing techniques and CdTe (cadmium and tellurium) thin film technology that doesn't rely on silicon, which is perpetually in tight supply. This, plus plans to ramp up production, has imbued the firm with bullishly sunny optimism.

For 2008, the company raised its sales outlook to $900 million-$950 million; it previously had forecast sales of $760 million-$800 million. The new outlook also topped analysts' average forecast of $820.5 million.

According to the company's site, "First Solar has long term module supply contracts in place with leading solar project developers for more than 3.4 gigawatts of PV [photovoltaic] modules through 2012."

3.4 gigawatts! Obviously, the thin film stigma is wearing off.

Here's another perspective from Earth2Tech's Katie Fehrenbacher.

Are you a sysadmin with nimble fingers and a competitive streak? Cabling may be just the "sport" for you.

The goal is to detangle wads of Ethernet cable faster than your opponents. And as this Boing Boing TV video shows, the action can get pretty intense.

Why should green geeks care? Tidy cables are earth-friendly cables. Organizing them is a good first step toward heavenly network cable runs.

And admit it, I know you're just dying to try that "Fierce Data Cloud" move (pic above) on that pile of CAT5 that seems to grow every time your back is turned. I can't guarantee that it will earn you an audience with Xeni, though.

Need headlines? Just drop an obscenity on unsuspecting ears.

That's what GM's Bob Lutz did when he gave his opinion on global warming using a few choice words. "A total crock of $#!T," to be precise.

Tell us how you really feel, Bob!

He let the expletive fly while lunching with journalists in Virginia where he labeled himself a skeptic, not a denier. The former Marine went on to explain that his passion over the Chevy Volt comes his desire to reduce oil imports rather than curb CO2 emissions.

Despite his motivations, GM's recent moves to green up their autos are good news for environmentalists. So, really, what does it matter what he says?

You can read the account here. GM's FastLane blog has an interesting update on the Volt, if you're interested.

[via Wired]

If you're not already glued to Clemens' testimony before the House committee, why not visit these sites instead?

A Guide to Making Your Next IT Purchases as Green As Possible - GreenerComputing

If you're looking to make sure you buy green hardware, probably the best place to start is with the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) website. EPEAT, which is run by the Green Electronics Council, registers products whose manufacturers conform to an environmental standard for electronics products, called IEEE 1680-2006. The standard uses a comprehensive set of 51 environmental criteria, including the reduction or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, energy conservation, packaging and much more. The standards are quite detailed: For example, they cover mercury and other hazardous materials, energy efficiency, how recyclable hardware is and so on. You can get more details about the standard on the EPEAT website.

Green IT: Corporate Strategies - BusinessWeek

What each of the three reports share is statistics that make it clear reducing expenses is the leading reason corporations are seeking more eco-friendly practices. Forrester's report, for instance, states that 55% of those surveyed see reducing their energy-related operating expenses as the main reason for pursuing more sustainable IT operations—above "doing the right thing for the environment," the top motivator for 50% of those polled. In the Gartner report the authors estimate that "potential power cost and CO2 emission reductions of 50% are available" by better managing the power usage of PCs, monitors, and printers—for instance, simply encouraging employees to turn them off.

How to become green heroes - CIO UK

At the heart of most dematerialisation is software. Even the humble mobile phone, with its camera, calculator, email, web access, instant messaging and so on, is the result of dematerialisation. How many devices would you have once needed to carry to achieve all that functionality? Even answering machines and faxes have been replaced by software equivalents.

Nokia Unveils 1 Green Phone, 1 Super Phone - PhysOrg.com

The clamshell phone's casing is made entirely from recycled aluminum cans, and its chassis is made from the plastic of recycled drink bottles. The rubber keys come from old car tires. The screen and circuit board also minimize environmental impact by using manufacturing techniques such as printed electronics. The display graphics are also specially selected to save energy.

Google to Outspend US Government on Environment - Planetsave

Google has already committed large amounts of finances to various green projects, both within their own company and without. They’ve committed $20 million to funding start-up firms researching solar-thermal and high-altitude wind power, and another $10 million to Pasadena, California-based eSolar Inc to support research and development on solar thermal power.

Thin provisioning for the environment? Yes, says 3PAR.

Between the purchase of C02 offsets and the savings of un-bought storage gear that 3PAR's tech allows, the company has been able to take the equivalent of 2,300 cars off the road. Here's a story from a year ago on our main site that explains their storage strategy. Essentially, 3PAR asks IT shops "Why overprovision?"

Let's take a look at some specifics from the press release:

3PAR's Carbon Neutral Storage Initiative, the first of its kind when introduced last year, has achieved tremendous results in its first year. Through this program, 3PAR has purchased carbon credits to offset 4,367 metric tons of CO2 emissions, allowing 3PAR customers to deploy storage capacity that is effectively 100% carbon neutral.

Between the reduction of disk capacity and the purchase of carbon
offsets through both the 2007 Carbon Neutral Storage Initiative and
"Think Thin, Think Green" awards, 3PAR estimates that its efforts in
2007 amounted to reducing CO2 emissions by 12,000 metric tons -- the
equivalent of taking 2,300 cars off the road for an entire year. In
2007 alone, 3PAR customers are estimated to have replaced
approximately 11,000 terabytes of traditional capacity with just
4,367 terabytes of thin storage capacity by deploying 3PAR Thin
Provisioning and thin copy technologies such as 3PAR Virtual Copy and
3PAR Remote Copy.

3PAR plans on advancing the program in '08 for more energy savings and cleaner skies.

Thanks Dan!

Popular Science has compiled a list of the top 50 green cities in the US. The locales where judged on four criteria: electricity, transportation, green living and recycling.

Portland, Oregon, San Francisco and Boston were awarded the top three spots. Congrats! NYC, on the other hand, comes in at number 20 with the distinction of being a category leader for its mass transit system. Hey, it's something.

How does your nearest city rank?

Click here for the rest of the list.

The Financial Times has a great article on a recent report by Climate Risk (PDF) and the efforts of Sol Trujillo, Telstra's chief executive, to reduce Australia's carbon output. Few nations are more acutely aware of the possible effects of climate change since the onset of a debilitating, multi-year drought.

But as CEO of Australia's largest telecom, he thinks his industry can do better to help reduce the number of vehicles on the road and thereby cutting carbon. One way to accomplish this is to push teleconferencing.

Teleconferencing is an important part of this vision. Mr Trujillo is frank about its failure to live up to the promises of the late 1980s – “the technology was not that exciting, you spent more time setting it up than on the call” – but he believes “one click” conferencing will attract much greater take-up.

Last year, Telstra conducted 20,000 hours of video conferencing calls, which it calculates eliminated 4,200 tonnes in travel-related emissions.

Of course, teleconferencing isn't a cure all; it's just one of many benefits faster, wider-piped connections can provide. Needless to day, some telecoms on this side of the Pacific could use a little bit of that enlightened outlook.

No disrespect to our Russian friends, but Treehugger got it spot on with the title to this post. The image originates from this World Front Page item.

Peter Jackson could have saved a fortune on visual effects had he only known. Now I feel a LOTR:CE marathon coming on...

Cables can be lightweight and even a little eye-catching. With some vision, though, they can help with energy efficiency too.

This whitepaper from Siemon explains the art and science of proper air flow:

In order to have the most efficient cooling, cabling must be properly designed, remediated and routed to allow the air to flow in an unobstructed manner. TIA-942 and other complimentary data center standards around the globe suggest that horizontal and vertical cabling be run accommodating growth so that these areas do not need to be revisited. There are several reasons for this recommendation, including: eliminating the adverse affects of removing floor tiles and decreasing static pressure under raised floors during MAC work; assuring that pathways are run in a manner that will allow the flow of cold air in cold aisles to be unobstructed by cabling; and a potential benefit to cooling as the cabling can be installed to provide a baffle of sorts, channeling cool air into cold aisles.

Another idea is to invest in cables that outperform your current needs. Though a premium is paid upfront, they reduce the need to re-cable when it comes time to upgrade and cut waste in the long term.

Not as sexy as, say, low-power processors, but an interesting read nonetheless.

[via GreenerComputing]

Now that they've shored up their numbers and issued some preliminary metrics and guidance, The Green Grid has started laying the groundwork for next-gen, energy efficient data centers by hosting its Technical Forum in San Francisco this week.

A handful of presentations are available online, including this one from the Utility Incentive/Rebate Initiatives Panel (PDF) that explores some of the programs for getting utilities to sweeten the deal when it comes to building or retrofitting a data center. One easy way to start is by demanding efficient power supplies from vendors.

Here are some stats from The Green Grid that highlight the potential savings from adopting 80 Plus:

• More than 3.1 billion power supplies now in use in the U.S.
• Annual U.S. sales of about 450 to 600 million units
• About 6 to 10% of U.S. electricity use is converted from high voltage AC to low voltage DC in power supplies: (200 to 340 billion kwh/year worth $16 to $27 billion/year
• About 3 to 4% of U.S. electricity use is consumed inside power supplies: (100 to 140 billion kwh/year worth $8 to $11 billion/year) R
• More efficient power supplies could save 1 to 2% of all U.S. electricity use -- about $3.4 to $6.8 billion/year!

And if you think 80 Plus is a rare species of power supply, think again. According to the group, there are over 352 compliant models from 66 makers on the market .

Growing our fuel rather than drawing it out of the earth has an undeniable allure, especially if switchgrass lives up to its promise. But the switch to biofuels (no pun intended) may not be the salvation it's cracked up to be.

According to the The New York Times, studies published in Science spell bad news for those looking forward to more ethanol pumps at the gas station. That is, if you were hoping to avert global warming...

Together the two studies offer sweeping conclusions: It does not matter if it is rain forest or scrubland that is cleared, the greenhouse gas contribution is significant. More important, they discovered that, taken globally, the production of almost all biofuels resulted, directly or indirectly, intentionally or not, in new lands being cleared, either for food or fuel.

Read the rest of the article for more bad news.

Sad news, folks.

Apple's razor-thin and interoffice mail-able MacBook Air doesn't benefit all that much from the pricey solid-state (SSD) drive option.

Ars Technica took it for a non-spin. (No platters, get it?) What they found is that while there's a minor boost in speed and less "pinwheeling" as a result, the SSD-equipped sliver of a machine barely edges out the hard drive model.

Worse, battery life was something hardly worth writing home about. Read the review and weep.

[via Engadget]

What are you doing hanging on to it, anyway? Sheesh...

A common excuse is that it's good to keep one around in case of emergencies. But let's be honest; when that vampire, killer robot, or Sunnydale refugee comes knocking on (or down) your door, it will likely be discharged in your sock drawer.

At least you can try hurling it at the intruder.

Earth2Tech's Craig Rubens brings to our attention some startling statistics from iSuppli. In the U.S., only about one out of ten cell phones winds up recycled. There are some good cases of reuse, such as selling it (3.1 %) or handing it off to a family member or friend (15.5%). However, the vast majority is never reincarnated.

Really, just recycle it. It's easy.

If you've ordered a gadget from Amazon recently, you may have noticed that they've included some Cell Phone for Soldiers envelopes. Learn more about that program here. And in my travels to stores like Best Buy, more and more seem to have a bin that accepts old phones and batteries, so that's an option too.

And if my pleas don't sway you, maybe this LOLcat will scare you into getting that old cell out of your house before your finances suffer.

Remember those 65nm 360's? Apparently they've been on the market for a couple of months. The problem with trying to acquire one is that they're commingling with the old, 200+ watt systems.

Naughty!

Xbox 360 Fanboy has tips for spotting the newer systems. With some sleuthing and the help of cooperative retail workers, you can buy one of the new 65nm "Falcon" models that not only consume less power but are also less prone to failure, aka RROD.

Be sure to read some of the comments to help you in your search. Good hunting!

Now we're talking.

It's pretty easy to slip a laptop into your bag these days. That chunky power adapter is a different story.

Lenovo is taking aim at hefty power bricks for many of its models with a nice 90W model that's not only slim, it also charges/powers another devices at once with optional adapters. Now you can charge your iPod and get your productivity on at the same time.

The downside? It costs a cool $120.

Engadget has more.

Seems a little counterintuitive to try to woo the hardcore performance crowd with green gear, but Asus is taking a stab at it nonetheless.

The P5E3 Premium WiFi-AP @n green, based on the oh-so-overclockable P5E3 Premium, promises considerable energy savings thanks to a built-in power management chip. To the press release!

The ASUS engineered EPU is the world’s first hardware-based on-demand power saving IC controller. In conjunction with ASUS’ GreenASUS project, this intelligent energy-saving chip utilizes an innovative power technology to digitally monitor and automatically fine-tune the CPU power supply with improved VRM efficiency under any [load]. With real-time automatic detection of the CPU current, the EPU can provide total control and attain the best possible power efficiency and energy savings – providing users with more power for higher performing applications and saving more than 80% of your CPU power when the PC is running low intensity programs. Coupled with the innovative AI Gear3 – which features a new user interface that shows users exactly how much electricity and CO2 is being saved, the ASUS EPU can provide users with up to 50% more energy efficiency.

According to company estimates, this can result in savings of 33,000 watts over a year (continuous operation). Other features include 5-second to Internet browsing without booting to Windows, built-in 802.11 b/g/n, an Intel X38 Express Chipset, Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad support (socket 775), and for you enthusiasts out there, an overclocking-friendly BIOS.

Catch more specs here.

How's that for a Geek Squad?

In Nigeria, youngsters have taken a very DIY approach to fixing their OLPCs when they go bust. During the Greener Gadgets conference in New York on Friday, Mary Lou Jepsen, the former CTO of One Laptop Per Child, shared with the audience how the design philosophy behind the computer makes for an earth-friendlier machine.

The Daily Green reports:

In the developing world, a consumer can't just drive to the nearest repair shop. That's why Jepsen and team designed the XO to be so easily repairable (it even comes with embedded extra screws). The key components can be easily swapped out with a screwdriver, including the $1 backlight for the LCD display (something that usually cannot be readily replaced on typical laptops). Even motherboards can be swapped out easily, though actually repairing one takes some expertise — about as much as repairing a TV, suggested Jepsen, depending on what's wrong.

How simple is it? In Nigeria a 5-year-old girl with a can-do spirit took it upon herself to troubleshoot and repair the OLPCs of her classmates, said Jepsen. A teacher encouraged her, and the class set up a "Laptop Hospital," where the kids learn to repair their own hardware.

But there are limits. Jepsen mentioned that the OLPC was designed with scavenging in mind, plus extra screws. But a cracked screen or a fried logic board still requires a new part.

Renee St. Denis is "obsessed with trash". It's an attitude that helps when you're Director of Product Take Back and Recycling at HP.

The proper disposal of gadgets is a big problem, and now the industry is taking a good hard look at a product's lifecycle. In examining what happens to gadgets at the end their useful life, Denis made an interesting statement about the dynamic between manufacturers and consumers.

Ms. Denis explains, "We are influenced by what our customers want, but we realized that as a company this size it's important for us to influence and educate our customers about what the real impacts of these products are."

And David Conrad, Nokia's North American Head of Environment, spoke of how workers in his position used to measure success by non-events. Smart and ecologically sound choices in product manufacturing, it turns out, was a story few wanted to hear and so their efforts went unsung.

"You prevented the company from undertaking risk, so when they didn't actually fall on their faces because of some contanimation that you helped them avoid, it's a non-event," says Conrad.

Now, however, "the consumer is awakening to environmental issues" and beginning to pull, he says, which makes it an exciting time for the environmental folks on the payroll.

Sony's Director of Corporate Environment, Safety and Health, Douglas Smith, reported on the progress of their partnership with Waste Management. So far, the results look promising.

Since its launch in September "we've collected and processed a thousand tons," he states. According to the EPA calculator, this means that "2,391 tons of carbon dioxide were eliminated, which is the same as 589 cars being taken off the road, which is 321,000 gallons of gasoline saved."

Not too shabby...

I'm currently in the midst of the Greener Gadgets conference. So far we've been treated to the photography of Chris Jordan, our keynote speaker. He photographs trash.

Fun right?

Well, with a little bit of Photoshop magic thrown in, he creates stunning and disturbing images of our daily consumption in the U.S. Some of these mountains of paper cups, "retired" cell phones (400,000+ a day) and brown paper bags dwarf people, buildings and even Seattle's space tower.

Check out his site for some of his work.

Mary Lou Jepsen just got off the podium. She's formerly of OLPC and now of the personal spin-off of sorts called PixelQi that's striving for the $75 laptop. She oozes both intelligence and heart, a rare combination in geeks.

She shared some of the neat technical tricks that makes the OLPC a 2-watt machine (1-watt at idle). This includes an architecture that doesn't go into low power states in X-number of minutes, but in minuscule fractions of a second.

She also spoke of the economics and how, despite popular belief, "it doesn't have to be expensive to be green." The camera within the OLPC, for instance, cost them just $1.50 to include, with no markup for going into a green machine.

She also contrasted the size of the OS, 0.1 GB vs over 12GB for Vista and advocates the ability to "skinny down the software" so that it doesn't take increasingly bigger, faster, more power hungry chips to run the software.

Another interesting fact is that the battery, with some processing, is suitable for fertilizer. Just imagine, your battery someday becoming food for your food.

More later...