March 2008 Archives
Google's homepage went dark on Saturday for Earth Hour, the World Wildlife Fund's effort to draw attention to power consumption.
Google even addressed why the company isn't making the change permanent, especially in light of the Black Google hubbub of last year.
Google users in the United States will notice today that we "turned the lights out" on the Google.com homepage as a gesture to raise awareness of a worldwide energy conservation effort called Earth Hour. As to why we don't do this permanently - it saves no energy; modern displays use the same amount of power regardless of what they display. However, you can do something to reduce the energy consumption of your home PC by joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.
So that explains that.
[via Digg]
EcoGeek's Hank Green has a post up regarding Earth Hour, a follow-up to Sydney, Australia's "lights out" event last year. Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, the aim is awareness, plain and simple.
And this year, they're going global.
So on March 29th, whenever 8pm rolls around, over 350 cities in 35 countries, millions of individuals, the Sears Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, and 2,100 corporations including HP, Coca Cola and McDonald's, are all turning off their lights.
And candles are a no-no (comparatively more CO2 is released) and the fact that many of us live in big wooden boxes, for the most part.
As of this writing, 263064 folks have signed up (+1 for me). You can sign up here.
HP's Eee killer is just around the corner, if this Engadget post is right.
...we just received what appears to be a full spec list for the upcoming machine, and it's VIA C7-Ms all around, with graphics courtesy of a VIA Chrome 9 chipset. According to our source, these will hit on April 7th, and it looks like those pricing whispers were pretty accurate as well...
Prices range from $549 to $849 for a bizarre "regional" model with Vista Basic. Interestingly, the $549 model ships with SUSE Linux installed.
But the most interesting piece of news is that the units will supposedly ship on April 7. A mere 11 days away, so ready those credit cards.
You'd be amazed how much of the Sun's energy reaches the earth. Capturing just a fraction of it could really change things...
Go solar!
Green Stats: 89,000 - Treehugger
89,000 - That's how many terawatts (one terawatt equals 1,000,000,000,000 watts) of solar energy passes through the atmosphere and reaches the Earth's surface at any moment.
Online Bill Paying Saves 24 Square Feet of Forest per Year - Reuters
The PayItGreen Alliance said it believed this was the first detailed study commissioned to determine the impact of one individual household on the environment and it hoped to get across the message that every green step counted.The study found the average U.S. household receives about 19 bills and statements from credit card companies and banks every month and makes about seven payments by paper each month.
Breakthrough Windows Would Save $15B/Year - EcoGeek
In terms of energy efficiency, windows are one of the biggest contributors to heat loss from buildings. But a new window technology called vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) being developed by Guardian Industries could allow for windows that can provide insulation values comparable to, well...walls, with a new double-pane glass with a vacuum between the panes.
The biggest source of mistakes: carbon vs. carbon dioxide - Gristmill
The biggest source of confusion and errors in climate discussions probably concerns "carbon" versus "carbon dioxide." I was reminded of this last week when I saw an analysis done for a major environmental group that confused the two and hence was wrong by a large factor (3.67).
Cali Utility to Install 2 Miles of Solar Panels - Earth2Tech
Southern California Edison (SCE) has launched one of the most ambitious solar rooftop projects to date, promising 250 megawatts of photovoltaic power covering more than two square miles (some 65 million square feet) of southern California’s commercial building rooftops in what it claims will be the nation’s largest solar cell installation. All told, the project is forecast to cost $875 million and produce enough power for 162,000 homes. Booyah.
...in Texas.
Dell and Goodwill announced that they'll take those old systems off your hands, that is if you happen to live in Houston or 15 nearby counties.
Nonetheless, their goals are noble and the program, called Reconnect, can also be found in a handful of other states. According to the press release, here's what Reconnect entails:
The Houston Computer Works store, located at 12230 Westheimer, provides an affordable retail outlet for refurbished computer hardware and software in the Houston community. Residents can learn more at www.houstoncomputerworks.org
Reconnect offers consumers in Houston and 15 surrounding counties free recycling for any brand of computer equipment in any condition. Residents can find a drop-off location at www.reconnectpartnership.com.
Program goals are to divert 1.5 million pounds of used computers and computer equipment from area landfills over the next year; and provide consumer education on the importance of environmentally-responsible computer disposal. Reconnect also can help create job opportunities for individuals with disabilities and other employment barriers.
Reconnect now covers 57 Texas counties and approximately one-third of the state’s population. Reconnect Houston joins programs in the greater Austin and San Antonio regions.
Other Reconnect programs currently exist in: Michigan (statewide); New Jersey (statewide); North Carolina (49 of 100 counties); the City of Philadelphia; the greater Pittsburgh region; Northwest Ohio, San Diego; and San Francisco (Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties).
No more excuses! Dump that old box today, save a few bucks (many electronics recycling programs are fee-based) and feel good about it.
[via TG Daily]
It sounds like an exciting prospect: a new class of worker that will carry our economy forward to a low-emissions, energy-independent future, and hopefully, a new era of prosperity. The hope is that good, hard working folks that got left behind as corporations discovered globalization will be gainfully employed installing windfarms and the like.
But in coining this term, feathers are getting ruffled.
It turns out that the divisions between blue and green collar workers may not be all that clear cut. Indeed, politicians are being accused of a sort of "greenwashing" (try to contain your shock).
This New York Times article explains:
But some skeptics argue that the phrase “green jobs” is little more than a trendy term for politicians and others to bandy about. Some say they are not sure that these jobs will have the staying power to help solve the problems of the nation’s job market, and others note that green jobs often pay less than the old manufacturing jobs they are replacing.Indeed, such is the novelty of the green-job concept that no one is certain how many such jobs there are, and even advocates don’t always agree on what makes a job green.
“A green-collar job is in essence a blue-collar job that has been upgraded to address the environmental challenges of our country,” said Lucy Blake, chief executive of the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of environmental groups, labor unions and politicians seeking to transform the economy into one based on renewable energy.
However, the article notes that some are seeing a clear difference, pointing to the skill and expertise required to manufacture, install and maintain alternative energy producing products like solar.
It seems simple. Click around your power management panel, configure the options to your liking and marvel as your screen blackens and drives stop when you step away from your PC for more than a few minutes.
Unfortunately, lots of people still haven't gotten the message. The problem is worse in places with tons of networked PCs (in the absence of specialized management software, of course).
Oxford is having none of this. They're establishing an advanced power management software project. GreenerComputing has the details:
The school is pioneering an energy saving research project to develop software that is free and easy to download, which will make networked computers more energy-efficient and reduce carbon emissions by saving on electricity needs. The project, underway at Oxford's Environmental Change Institute (ECI), will start with an 18-month pilot project on the Oxford campus, and eventually spread to include educational institutions across the U.K.
The University hopes to cut the power requirements of its own computers by 50 percent. We'll be definitely keeping an eye on this...
Greenpeace and electronics makers have had a strained relationship, to say the least (click here, here and here for examples). But Sony has reason to be somewhat happy. Their ultraportable TZ line earned kudos from the environmental group.
Sony's TZ series of 11.1" subnotebooks are singled out for praise in Greenpeace's latest guide to greener electronics, but the company itself was edged out by Samsung, Toshiba and Nokia in the overall runnings.The TZ, newly garbage-free when it comes to pre-installed applications, is also free of another kind of garbage — beryllium — which landed it the top spot in the advocacy group's roundup of green machines.
Hurray for Sony! But looking at Greenpeace's new Guide to Greener Electronics, the TZ did nothing to supplant Toshiba and Samsung as the greenest gadget makers. Indeed, the green end of that scale is pretty barren.
Oh, and Nintendo is still dead last.
John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins talks up green investing again, though this time to the Wall Street Journal.
Where the Money Is - Wall Street Journal
Silicon Valley's venture capitalists have embraced green technology in a big way, pouring money into companies developing alternative fuels, fuel-efficient devices and other "clean" technologies. One of the most influential venture firms, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, is devoting about one-third of its investments to green technology.
Solar Bubble to Burst Next Year, Report Says - Earth2Tech
While the solar industry has been shining bright over the past few years, the industry’s forecast isn’t all sunshine, according to a report issued Thursday morning from Lux Research. Even though solar revenues are expected to more than triple to $70.9 billion in 2012 from $21.2 billion in 2007, solar supply will exceed demand as soon as 2009, according to the report.
More on the economic turmoil and cleantech - Greentech Media
Since then that “possible” recession now seems to be hitting in full force, with a lot of pessimism out there at the highest (well, not the VERY highest) levels.So does that mean the picture’s gotten clearer for those in cleantech venture capital? Nope. If anything, opinions are even more widely cast at this point, showing that no one really knows anything.
Report: Cleantech Investment Robust in U.S., Europe - Environmental Protection
Report Buyer, an online business intelligence provider for major industry sectors, has added a new report showing that the current global market for cleantech products and services is about $284 billion and is expect to grow to more than $1.3 trillion in 2017. Of this amount more, than one-third ($467 billion) is attributable to renewable energy sources, such as biofuels, solar, tidal, and wind power.
FPL jumps into California solar market - Green Wombat
Utility giant FPL has filed plans with California regulators to build a $1 billion, 250-megawatt solar power plant in the Mojave Desert. The move marks the first time that a major player — in this case a Fortune 500 company — has jumped into the nascent Big Solar market.
Everything computer related, from processors to enclosures, are undergoing eco-friendly changes. It was only a matter of time before uninterruptible power supplies got in on the act.
CyberPower Introduces Industry Leading Green UPS - CyberPower (Press Release)
After a year in development and hundreds of tests, the CyberPower engineering team zeroed in on an advanced-circuitry bypass design. The meticulously engineered design improves energy efficiency by significantly reducing energy consumption during normal utility power operation.“The patented GreenPower™ design reduces the power consumption of UPS systems by up to 75% compared to conventional UPS systems,” said President of Manufacturing, Michael Ho.
Power outlets glow red when you’re not being green - DVICE
Here’s a design concept by Shane Ellis and Terry Brown that’ll lay on the guilt, glowing red when those wall warts are sucking power. The more energy used, the brighter red the outlet glows.
Clean energy in the oil capital of the world - SmartPower Blog
What’s the first word that comes to mind when you hear “Abu Dhabi?” I’m guessing it’s “oil.” Which is why it is so amazing that the worlds first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free, emission free city is being built in the United Arab Emirate, near Abu Dhabi.
Consumer Product's Green Diet: Slimmer Packaging Looks Good On You - Environmental Leader
The second driver is the changing customer attitude on sustainable products. IRI panel data supports that, for the first time, consumers are seeing green, and they’ll be voting for sustainable practices with their dollars. In 2008, expect more companies to not only be selling products, but their social and ecological practices as well.
Green Apples - Electronic House
Say hello to my new little friend. It’s a 13-inch MacBook laptop, and yes, I am in love with it.Why? Because I work on a computer all day, writing these missives and producing features for Electronic House, and not only is my little laptop easy, easy, easy to use, it’s also pretty green. That makes me feel good as I pound away on the electric meter.
A company that specializes in WLAN access for mobile workers and an enterprise telephony provider have teamed for a "'green' voice and data access solution for teleworkers."
Naomi Graychase over at Wi-Fi Planet has the details on the offering.
The IP-based solution integrates components of Avaya Connected Teleworker—including IP telephones, Avaya Communication Manager software, and Avaya Modular Messaging servers—with Aruba adaptive wireless LANs. It provides identity-based, follow-me security wherever a teleworker roams, using “an unobtrusively packaged” remote access point—about the size of a couple of decks of cards--that includes an integrated firewall and router, and a centralized management system that can accommodate large workforces.
The portable device sounds pretty neat. Better still are the environmental benefits.
According to Aruba, a telecommuter traveling 45 miles—roughly the distance between San Jose and San Francisco, or Boston and Providence—twice a week, instead of every day, will reduce annual CO2 emissions by roughly 5.5 metric tons (an amount that could also be “offset” with a $66 donation to CarbonCounter.org).
I know plenty of folks that commute at least that much every day in each direction. Visit Wi-Fi Planet for more details and a handy graphic on how it works.
If in the next couple of years you find yourself in the market for a new car, things will start to look a noticeably different when you peek under the hood.
Forbes has a story on efficient car engines and a slideshow on the 10 green car technologies that can dramatically improve MPG ratings for near-future cars. These include continuously clean diesel, variable transmissions like Nissan's (pictured above, under the Volt), which is already available in some of its vehicles direct-injection, by-wire vehicle control systems, and plug-in hybrids like Chevy's Volt.
Maybe a 30+ MPG baseline isn't so crazy after all.
Wikipedia has some interesting entries in its CVT "advantages" list.
- CVTs can compensate for changing vehicle speeds, allowing the engine speed to remain at its level of peak efficiency. This improves fuel economy and by effect, exhaust emissions.
- CVTs operate smoothly since there are no gear changes which cause sudden jerks.
- Very few problems have been reported with the CVT transmission, Thus it is cheaper to have.
- There are 25% less moving parts to a CVT transmission
- It is also cheaper to repair.
- The fluids do not have to be changed as often as an automatic transmission
Given these, the disadvantages, most of which boil down to preference, seem easily surmountable.
If your village was among one of many without power in the developing regions of the world, you wouldn't even be reading this. That can soon change thanks to some bright engineers.
Wired.com has a great article on Engineers Without Borders, a group that's bringing predominantly eco-friendly power generation in the form of small wind turbines to "off-the-grid Guatemalan villages by this summer."
The effort comes amidst recent efforts to bring new light and power to small towns in the developing world. An estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide are without electricity, and many of them are forced to light their homes with kerosene. Using one of these lamps is like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, says the World Bank, and the lamps present a significant fire risk. That's why many startup companies, such as d.Light, are trying to bring cheaper LED lights to homes, but they still need a solution for producing power locally.
Standing at 2' wide by 3' feet tall, "she" only generates 10-15 watts but it's plenty to provide power for LED lamps and other power-sipping gadgets. Maybe even charge an OLPC...
Admittedly, all this green talk can come across like a lot of hippie tree hugging. Butterflies, nymphs frolicking in the woods, cuddly puppies... You get the picture.
But lets face it, we don't get paid in puppies and butterflies -- good luck cashing that check -- nor do our CIOs.
Today a colleague, Christopher Saunders of InternetNews, and I sat with Steve Sams, IBM's VP of Global Site and Facilities Services. In short, his group is responsible for helping clients design and build data centers. Today, that job means packing more compute capacity in tight power envelopes.
Some interesting stats emerged during out talk of IBM's own efforts to improve efficiency.
1997
270 Data Centers
31 Networks
11,000 Intel Servers
8,000 Unix Servers
15,000 Applications
Fast forward to...
2008
12 Data Centers
1 Network
1,500 Intel Servers
1,500 Unix Servers
5,000 Applications
Energy and operational cost savings? $1.5 Billion a year.
Update: That colleague was Christopher Saunders. And I'll back him up on this; Sams does indeed spin a bone chilling yarn.
...At the same time, Sams said enterprises are holding off on a third of all server-related decisions -- because they don't think they have enough space in the datacenter!Other businesses are allocating unnecessarily huge portions of their datacenter expenses to power and environmental costs. One datacenter observed by Sams' team spent a piddling 28 cents of every dollar on running its servers: the rest went to keeping the lights on and the air cool.
So, that IT project of yours that got denied? Now you know why. Unless your boss just hates you...
HP has been talking up its lucrative teleconferencing business lately and now the company is showing off the their latest, the Halo Collaboration Center.
Here it is, in all of its (drab) color. It's actually nifty looking, though a little creepy and one-sided in that picture. My question is, does it come with those Herman Miller Aerons that I miss so much?
Luckily, Skype came to my rescue. First, though, a little background.
I now work primarily from home. It's not unusual in our organization; a lot of folks do it across several states and a handful of countries. I'm sure this has helped, in part, to attract and retain our vast and deep reservoir of skill and talent.
I'll be honest: I won't miss the commute, but I do miss my Herman Miller chair and the treasured 212 area code number that I had for ages. As of Friday, my backside was firmly affixed to an unpronounceable, if serviceable Ikea something or other, but I was still without a business line.
The first instinct was to buy a fancy handset and spring for Vonage or ooma's provocative device/service. After spending considerable time researching my options, it occurred to me that adding a new router or VoIP appliance, in addition to powering another phone, was hardly a green way to go about my telecommunications needs.
So I pared down my requirements to the bare necessities. These were making and receiving phone calls, voicemail, and conference calling. I already keep my work machine, a bulletproof ThinkPad running XP SP2, powered up for most of the day and my broadband connection via Comcast is fairly reliable, so why not let software do the grunt work?
I then heeded the advice of a fellow home worker (thanks Alex!) and tried Skype's service. In short, I'm glad I did.
Combined, Skype Pro (voicemail, extra features) and SkypeIn (phone number) cost me just $6 a month. And you know what? For the price I'm very pleased, ecstatic even.
Once you sign up for Pro, you can grab a SkypeIn number, apparently for some huge savings. All I know is that it's costing me $3 a month for the phone number. Unsurprisingly, there are no 212 numbers available, but you can conduct a search for a desired sequence. Just don't expect to land your dream combination of digits. Nonetheless, with some creativity and a little time, you can find an easy enough to remember phone number.
From there, you have tons of options at your disposal. I have yet to figure out how to have my new number display on the recipient's caller ID, but I'm working on it. Otherwise, I recorded a new greeting; set voicemail parameters; let the software handle mic volume levels (OK so far); and tweaked my privacy and marketing settings.
Voice Quality and Features
Of the handful of calls I've made and received, the voice quality remained acceptable, though notably compressed over a cheapy GE headset I bought at Target. Voices are loud and clear, not muddled. Just don't expect to catch every nuance or subtle inflection in a person's voice. Not a deal breaker, since most of the calls I'm on don't require superb voice quality, but it may be for others. Your mileage may vary, of course. The quality of your broadband connection and whether your ISP *tinkers* with packets come into play. So far, things are OK for me.
I'm not a big on video conferencing, so I'm skipping that functionality.
There are some downsides.
The software's user-friendly (version 3.6.0.248) nature gets in the way sometimes. For instance, I have a habit of saving after each configuration change. Skype helpfully closes the window assuming you performed all the changes you were planning. I can hit my own X button, thank you very much.
The default ringtone selection is tiny but you can import your own. Or you can follow the built-in link to the pay site. I'm not a fan of ringtones in general, but folks that like to assign custom sounds may want to pay attention to these options.
Also, forget about any quality of service (QoS) options. You'll need to do some research and hit your router's admin pages to tweak those settings. That's my next project.
So far, my experience has been a good one. The software is easy to operate and stable. The latter is a HUGE consideration for me. I can deal with complexity, but I can't deal with flaky software that craps out on a whim.
I run a fairly tight ship on my end security-wise, but I have some security concerns. It's doubtful that I can stop anyone determined enough to pluck those packets en route, just look at the whole FISA brouhaha. Still, it's something I'll be keeping an eye out...
What you'll need is a reasonably modern Windows, Mac or Linux system (3-4 year old ThinkPad T41 here), a reliable DSL/Cable/FIOS connection, a headset or decent built-in mic and speakers and a minimum of $6 per month.
In short, if you're looking for a lean, green and cheap way of getting phone service without an armload of new gadgets to drive up your electric bill, Skype fits the bill.
What's been your experience? Can you recommend other services? Shout out in the comments.
John C. Dvorak, always good for a rant, makes a valid point. Would it kill you to turn the lights off?
Turn Off the Lights! - John C. Dvorak - PC Mag
Hey, I have an idea: Grow up and learn to turn off the darn lights in the house! Talk about leaving lights on; I have a view of San Francisco from my home. The place is lit up 24/7 like a Roman candle. Turn off some lights! Why am I the one hassled by all this politically correct green blather while these lights are on?
Green Media Computing - From Data Centre Cooling Through Production Technology Virtualization - brad's blog
I thought I’d conclude my weekly post by blogging the details of this weeks Toronto Section SMPTE meeting that I organized thitled; ” Green Media Computing - From Data Centre Cooling Through Production Technology Virtualization”. For the record it occured on Tuesday March 11, 2008 in Room RCC-204, Eaton Lecture Theatre, Rogers Communications Centre at Ryerson University.
Caveat Emptor, Green Data Center Watchers... - Tech Hermit
....A sort of first battle of the Greenwash Wars of 2008. While IBM and Microsoft are seemingly just starting their shots at each other, its no different than what companies like Yahoo, Google, HP, and others are all calling “green” solutions especially in the data center space. Either with specific products, or investments in green-tech, being viewed as the most green is turning out to be an interesting battle.
Is HP Planning A Green Marketing Push? - Environmental Leader
Here’s the publication’s reasoning: At a March 11 conference Mendenhall discussed a number of trends in marketing, one of which was sustainability, and said HP has developed a device that could reduce the amount of energy used by computers in data centers, and that it is thinking about a push to encourage consumers to turn off their computers at night.
Green thinking is well established. Green brands, not so much - GreenTech Pastures - ZDNet.com
Some exciting news out of GE this week. The company demonstrated an OLED "printing" process.
This could mean cheap, energy efficient displays and lighting. From Edison's Desk - The GE Global Research Blog explains:
Since the early days of OLED research, people have said that OLEDs could potentially be made at very low cost because they don’t require expensive semiconductor manufacturing techniques. The ultimate low cost fabrication method would be a continuous “roll-to-roll” process like what is done in newspaper printing. However, so far, no one has demonstrated that OLEDs can be made this way. So about 4 years ago, we set out to find out for ourselves whether it could be done. We found a partner company (Energy Conversion Devices or ECD) with great experience at making roll-to-roll equipment and together we were successful in winning a proposal that we submitted to a government agency (NIST) looking to help fund high risk technology development.
That's not the only green item of note. They're also a post from earlier in the month on sodium-metal-halide batteries that may lead to hybrid systems for heavy industries.
[via Cnet Green Tech Blog]
Got your attention right? That Motley Fool Headline got mine too.
That article is aimed at investors -- as most of the site is -- but cleantech entrepreneurs can also take comfort in its words. You see, writer Jack Uldrich encapsulated John Doerr's speech at the TED conference. So what did the high profile, not to mention successful, venture capitalist have to say?
He laid out a four step plan that may rain fortunes down on cleantech players.
First, Doerr said, the U.S. government should adopt a mandatory goal of reducing greenhouse gas 25% by 2010. This is an ambitious goal, and in an election year, I don't think its proposal is likely. Nevertheless, some controls are coming. Investors can profit by learning which companies are ahead of the curve and positioning themselves to benefit from government mandates.
Catch the rest of the steps here. Yeah, some are painfully obvious, and the stock market been beating up on stocks lately (green and non-green alike). But coming from a man that was on the ground floor of some of the most lucrative technology venture, it's worth a read.
Wal-Mart's stab at green computing? Call it more of a paper cut.
The company is giving up on the $200 Everex gPC, the very one that sold out in record time the minute (give or take) that it went on sale. But take heart, they're only dropping the product from their shelves, not the online store.
The reason?
Because customers were less than enthralled by the gOS operating system, a Linux variant.
[via Gristmill]
While everyone's holding up an exit sign for the Digg team, there's still plenty going on in cleantech.
Cleantech cash goes in all directions - Cleantech.com
Cleantech investment went all over the place this week, with General Electric putting cash into electric cars, and Braemer Energy Ventures and Tesla Motor's Elon Musk investing in ocean iron fertilization.
Q&A with Jeff Boyd, CEO of Miles Electric Vehicle - VentureBeat
Everyone knows the name Tesla Motors. High-profile VC fundings, a high-performance sports car and its layoffs have gotten the company endless coverage. However, there’s also a slew of lesser-known electric car companies. One of the handful with real potential (and real funding) is Miles Electric Vehicle, a Santa Monica, Calif. company with plans to release a highway-speed electric car, the XS500, in 2009.
U.S. Solar Startup Takes in Taiwanese Financing - Earth2Tech
Cleantech America, a San Francisco-based solar developer, says it has received an investment from Wafer Works Corp., a Taiwan-based electronic materials supplier of silicon wafers. The size of the investment was not disclosed, although Cleantech America CEO Bill Barnes did tell us that it will close the company’s Series B round of financing.
Cracking The Battery Barrier - Forbes
While the global battery market is enormous--some $55 billion, according to the Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based market research firm--batteries remain one of the most limiting technologies in the modern age, thanks in great part to the pesky laws of chemistry and metallurgy. Meanwhile, the need for generating and storing renewable, sustainable energy continues to swell.That spells massive opportunity for the tech-savvy start-ups trying to crack through these barriers--and potentially massive relief for throngs of frustrated consumers.
NanoGram expands into cleantech with $32M round - Small Times
NanoGram Corp. recently branched out into the cleantech space when it closed on a third equity round of $32M to expand its solar technology and nanomaterials businesses.
Toshiba thinks it's got this pesky global warming thing licked. Their answer: small-scale nuclear reactors.
io9 (yes a sci-fi blog, but this is sci-fact) has an item on Toshiba's idea for decentralized power generation. Operating as Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corporation in the US, the plan is to build 4S reactors, small scale nuclear power plants meant to be installed near office parks and apartment complexes. You know, close to all the places you work and play.
The units, described as "Super Safe, Small and Simple" (4S, get it?), generate power for 30 years before they run out of fuel. And they don't require fuel rods like Monty Burns' contraption. No, they use neutron reflector panels and liquid lithium-6.
The city of Galena, Alaska is replacing their diesel generators with one, since they don't have power. And get this, Burns and Roe is coordinating the build. A coincidence, really.
Sadly, I still think it will be a tough sell for a lot of folks judging from the comments the item generated. After the click is their reaction, summarized in LOLcat form.
When Cisco announces new gear, the networking universe grinds to a stop for a moment to listen.
And so it was with this week's Aggregation Services Router reveal. Devised as a way to layer services onto an edge router, the rack mount units are meant to replace a plethora of appliances that provide security and WAN and app acceleration. Hence, the name.
According to a study by Synergy Research Group (likely sponsored by Cisco), the cut in operating expenses and power are significant.
The new Cisco solution, which ranges from 2-6RUs, occupies from 4-18 fewer rack unit space than the competitors’ comparison; and has front to back cooling, which results in more efficient rack space utilization and fewer data center space costs. Annual maintenance and power savings extend between $16.9K and $97.7K, making the Cisco ASR 1000 Series Router much more energy and environmentally efficient (comparatively).
Of course, there's usually a reason why IT shops pick and choose their appliances, so they must really like or need what Cisco's offering to get them to switch. Even so, it's nice so see networking infrastructures get into the act.
More capabilities with less hardware is one of the hallmarks of a green data center, after all.
Asus finally saw it fit to fill those "not fooling anyone" speaker grills of the Eee with more screen!
The company officially unveiled the Eee PC 900 12G and it's new 9-inch (8.9-inch actually), 1024x600 widescreen goes a long way in improving its looks and usability.
Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of some portability; the new unit is described as slightly larger and thicker. To compensate, it packs a bigger trackpad and 12 GB of solid state storage. Not a bad tradeoff.
The new Eee 900 goes on sale mid-2008 for roughly $600.
Update: Engadget has pics of the unit with its screen turned on.
It was only a matter of time before the venerable IT conference took on a green theme too.
Green IT tops the bill at CeBit 2008 - vnunet.com
"The world's largest trade show for the digital industry provides the right international platform for an issue that affects the whole ICT sector," said Sven-Michael Prüser, vice president at Deutsche Messe."We want to show how the application of ICT solutions can save power, and that investing in green IT is an obvious step for anyone interested in reducing energy costs and contributing to climate protection."
At CeBIT Tech Show, a Green Undercurrent - Wired News
In order to bring the spotlight more on the concept of Green IT, the fair is working with the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a group founded in 2007 with the participation of Microsoft Corp., Google Inc., Intel Corp., IBM Corp. and others.Its objectives are to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases caused by the use of computers by 54 million tons annually. Cisco Systems Inc. manager Jan Roschek estimates that the IT sector is responsible for about 2 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.
Daylight Saving Wastes Energy, Study Says - Wall Street Journal
For decades, conventional wisdom has held that daylight-saving time, which begins March 9, reduces energy use. But a unique situation in Indiana provides evidence challenging that view: Springing forward may actually waste energy.
Al Gore Makes Impassioned Plea to TEDsters - Epicenter - Wired Blogs
After three-and-a-half days of listening to more than 50 speakers give talks on everything from the science of romantic love to unified theories of the universe, Gore told the audience of TEDsters, "We've had these brilliant presentations by physicists, . . . but in the struggle for a unified field theory, I think we have to find a unified Earth theory" to address the global climate crisis. In order to do this, citizens would need to become much more active and insistent about the problem to force politicians out of their complacency.
Lunar Eclipse May Shed Light on Climate Change - ABC News
Last month's lunar eclipse not only treated skygazers to a ruddy view of the Moon – it revealed that Earth's atmosphere contains little light-blocking volcanic dust.Some researchers say the low volcanic dust levels in the atmosphere over the last dozen years could be contributing to global warming, but others dispute the claim.