Green IT

Green IT news and analysis for IT professionals, covering electronics recycling and ewaste, energy efficiency and alternative energy

Liquid solar cells: an innovative hazard

Posted May 26, 2012 - 7:46 am

As the race to find real renewable energy keep increasing its pace, some really innovative ideas have come out of some pretty poisonous materials. Take the University of Southern California's development with cadmium nanocrystals that are stable enough to conduct electricity and are able to float in a liquid solution, making them printable. This means "solar paint" is nearly within reach.
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Renewable sources will power Apple's data center by 2013

Posted May 21, 2012 - 9:48 am

Apple has announced that its North Carolina data center will be powered entirely by renewable energy sources by the end of 2012.
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Five ways to improve data center power efficiency you might not have thought of

Posted May 10, 2012 - 10:41 am

While few doubt the importance of maximizing the energy efficiency of their corporate data centers, executive vice president of data center technology for Las Vegas-based Switch, Mark Thiele's talk at Interop this week showcased just how much companies might still be missing.
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Penn State cooks up ouchless bandages made of edible starch

Posted May 10, 2012 - 7:30 am

The general rule for pulling off a bandage is to rip it right off in one instant. But what if it the adhesive melted all over the place or it was applied it to an extremely hairy leg? Ouchies always seem to ensue.
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UC Berkeley tests floating robot sensors to track water flow, environmental concerns

Posted May 9, 2012 - 10:56 pm

It's been a couple of years and a couple of million dollars. Finally, researchers and graduate students who have spent years developing intelligent water sensors released them into the Sacramento River on Wednesday, about 80 miles east of San Francisco.
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This new wind turbine produces electricity and water

Posted May 5, 2012 - 7:30 am

In our pursuit of clean, renewable energy, wind turbines seem to always take a backseat to solar energy. We're constantly looking into new ways to harvest the Sun's energy, but what can you do with something that is essentially an oversized fan?
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Greenpeace questions the green in clouds

Posted April 30, 2012 - 11:45 pm

That apple ain’t green.
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Greening up data centers could matter

Posted April 29, 2012 - 9:02 pm

Does green really make a difference?
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Greenpeace's sign to Amazon, Microsoft: 'How clean is your cloud?'

Posted April 21, 2012 - 7:49 am

Activists at Greenpeace intensified their environmental criticism of Amazon and Microsoft by posting signage near the Seattle offices of both companies questioning the cleanliness of the companies' clouds.
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Are zombies sucking the life out of your data center?

Posted April 20, 2012 - 9:19 am

If your organization operates its own servers and switches, it's likely that a percentage of them are zombies--steadily gobbling up resources but doing no work. Cleaning up a zombie server infestation takes good management and stringent documentation.
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Apple's greener power plans spark conflict of interest

Posted April 14, 2012 - 7:12 am

Apple's fuel cell facility, which is expected to begin generating power for iCloud's data center in June, has caused a conflict of interest for Apple and Al Gore, former Vice President of the US and Apple board member.
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Environmentally-friendly battery for iPhone 6?

Posted April 5, 2012 - 3:07 am

Organic Radical batteries (ORBs) are generally used with IC cards, RF tags, and electronic paper, but a report is suggesting they could be utilised in the iPhone 6.
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Google bests itself on PUE

Posted March 26, 2012 - 4:44 pm

Google data center down – in PUE
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Gamification driving corporate sustainability initiatives

Posted March 20, 2012 - 7:20 am

Gamification could be the key to driving sustainability strategies within organisations, by encouraging employees to engage in social competition with each other, rather than seeing corporate environmental initiatives as a chore.
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Microsoft deploys global system to gain clearer picture of carbon impact

Posted March 18, 2012 - 7:33 am

Software giant Microsoft is hoping to gain more insight into its carbon footprint by rolling out a cloud-based monitoring and analytics system from CarbonSystems across its offices around the world.
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IT outsourcing buyers still don't care about sustainability

Posted March 4, 2012 - 7:22 am

There's been no shortage of announcements by global IT service providers about their sustainability projects in recent years --from run-of-the-mill energy consumption reduction goals and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings to more fascinating waste conversion to manure efforts and personal carbon calculators for employees.
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eBay's Arizona data centre gets Green Grid stamp of approval

Posted February 29, 2012 - 10:33 am

Online auction site eBay has slashed costs and maximised energy efficiency at its enormous new Arizona data centre, after employing best practices from The Green Grid.
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Apple details carbon footprint, environmental progress

Posted February 25, 2012 - 7:59 am

Apple has published an overview of its carbon footprint for 2011, breaking down how factors such as manufacturing, transportation, product use, recycling, and its facilities influence its effect on the environment.
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Sony shows power outlets that can control electricity by user, device, or source

Posted February 14, 2012 - 7:55 am

Sony is developing electric wall sockets and plugs that can control power consumption by appliance, user or original power source.
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Bangalore gets a data center with screaming capacity and tight security

Posted February 9, 2012 - 5:59 pm

This data city is a mega data center.
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Bay Area climate to help cool exascale systems

Posted February 8, 2012 - 8:10 am

In a picturesque spot overlooking San Francisco Bay, the U.S. Department of Energy's Berkeley Lab is building a new computing center that will one day house exascale systems.
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Are CFOs turning greener?

Posted January 20, 2012 - 8:42 pm

A surprising resilience last year in corporate "sustainability" efforts --- despite a global recession that many saw as working against that movement --- largely reflected the work of corporate finance executives.
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And the ISO/OSHAS data center awards go to Google

Posted January 20, 2012 - 5:01 pm

Found: data center certs for Google
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EU electronic retailers must take back old equipment without charge or sale

Posted January 19, 2012 - 1:46 pm

The European Parliament on Thursday approved plans to force large electronic retailers to take back old equipment.
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Cisco expands smart grid portfolio

Posted January 19, 2012 - 12:30 am

Cisco this week expanded its smart grid portfolio for utilities with a reference architecture, products and services intended to modernize the electric grid.
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