Why to Buy a Green Environment Friendly PC ?

As Techsavy become increasingly more environment conscious, PC manufacturers are tending to stay in step with a conscientious approach towards the issue of global warming which encouraged them to come up with a new generation of computers – Green PC.

Aiming at reducing the e-waste in the environment, these eco-machines enjoy a number of advantages that make them superior over conventional PCs. Green PCs or “Eco Friendly Computers” as they are commonly known as, use a fraction of the electricity of a normal PC–energy efficient 45W, contrary to usual 200W.

Green Computers do not contain the hazardous materials like brominated flame retardants, PVCs, and eliminate the dangers of heavy metals as lead, cadmium, and mercury, which are generally used in computer manufacturing. The parts used in eco friendly computers are designed out of recycled steel, aluminum, and plastic. Their screen can also be even made out of wood. This certainly underlines the component of fashion in sustainable living!

One of the biggest factors making computers an environmental menace is its dumping. According to the data showcased by recent surveys, around two million PCs are dumped in UK landfills every year. This causes soil infertility as most chemicals end up in the soil. The situation is worst in Asia, where much of the West’s useless equipment ends up.

As opposed to traditional computer equipment, green computers are easier to upgrade and recycle, thereby making your investment worth the money. Green PCs are no doubt a significant step taken towards the monumental objective of tackling changes in climate.

Using environment-friendly products in an efficient system, green computing solutions attempt to address the factors making a negative impact on environment.

Green computing solutions focus on increasing economic viability of the product, maximizing its energy efficiency, and biodegradability of a futile product. Many IT companies including the prominent names like Wipro have already gone green whereas a few others are in process to come up with their eco-friendly computers.

The introduction of Green PCs is likely to push environmental versions of all consumer products soon. They are more similar to a small piece of a large jigsaw puzzle.
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How to Combine Economic Growth and Green IT

More than a concept or fashionable precept, the ‘Green IT’ phenomenon or preservation of the environment has to be considered as an absolute must by all businesses. In view of the frenzied continuous growth of IT in all type of businesses (including a massive turnover of equipment), the IT sector is turning into a potential time bomb not only in terms of recycling but also in increasing levels of energy consumption.

For instance, approximately 50 million tons of e-waste is produced yearly in the world with a steady growth of 5% in Europe alone. Just think of 239 million PCs sold worldwide in 2006!

But besides these numbers related to manufacturing and recycling, those linked to the consumption of energy speak for themselves. In a recent report, the analyst group IDC has shown that whilst over 10% of the electricity consumption in Europe is directly produced by IT equipment, 80% of companies are still not able to quantify their energy consumption.

It is definitely time that we become aware of the dangers, not only at manufacturing levels but also amongst end user companies. A certain number of software providers, mainly those specialized in IT management solutions have been studying the subject and are now able to offer means to better implement business processes in terms of environment policies, energy consumption savings, leading to better business ROI.

Implementing a set of centralized processes throughout a company infrastructure can lead to a significant contribution towards reducing the costs of replacement of devices and energy consumption. With the right set of tools, a company will be able to identify the state of its IT assets (new, working or failing), to measure the precise sources of energy consumption and to renew the redundant equipment consuming unnecessarily and therefore not only generating cost savings but also transforming its IT business into a Clean Infrastructure.

The WEEE (European Union's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive) makes equipment manufacturers responsible for disposing of e-waste generated by goods they produce, and the disposal must be ecologically friendly. These regulations became law in February 2003, with member states given until August 2005 for implementation. Including Green IT initiatives into its infrastructure management is therefore a key link to the Protection of the Environment chain, widening the magnitude of the environmental watchdog.

Besides the general trends of control, the simple fact of being able to automatically and centrally switching devices on and off, according to business hours or end users working patterns, is another mean made available by committed software providers.

Representing a real source of savings for companies, implementing such responsible practice reduces their electricity bill by more than 30%. Various studies have shown that the annual consumption of a PC and associated devices averages 800 kWh per end users each year - choosing for the implementation of an ‘automatic on-off’ process would therefore reduce company consumption to 240KWh per users so an average of 24000 KWh per 100 PCs.

It is proven that economical factors lead and accelerate general awareness, allowing quick measurable results. Therefore, it is now a reality that reducing business spending implies a relevant management of assets combined with the implementation of dedicated energy costs saving solutions. On the reduction of equipment depreciation time alone, a saving ranging from 10 to 20% of the buying value could then be achieved, furthermore by complying with these types of practices; companies would improve their competitive positioning by setting themselves as environmental market leaders and vanguards.

In order to be effective and successful, this global approach must be kept within the frame of a strategic plan, lead jointly between the company Board and IT Management.
Green IT is definitely flourishing!

source:cripton
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11 ways to turn your computer green

The fast-moving pace of technology is good news for gadget lovers, but not such good news for the environment. As we acquire more and more electronic products, an explosion in e-waste (electronic scrap) containing toxic chemicals that cannot be disposed of safely is a growing concern. To make environmental matters worse, devices are burning up more energy than they need to through being left on while not in use.

The blame lies with both PC users and manufacturers. Last year saw campaign group Greenpeace take on Apple, slamming its lack of environmental policies and non-existent plan to reduce its eco-impact. Apple CEO Steve Jobs rectified this in May, when he posted environmental targets online.

Other PC makers have been making a lot of noise about their energy efficiency, reducing carbon footprints and cutting non-renewable or toxic components. PC World's carbon-neutral PC has been picking up a lot of press attention, while Intel has been working on energy-efficient Santa Rosa and Centrino processors and rolling them out into various laptops.

Laptops that have flash memory rather than hard disks are another green choice. With no platter to spin, far less energy is required to write data to memory. They're a pricey option at the moment - Sony's Vaio TZ18GN costs $700 (about £350) more than its hard disk version, and has a 32GB capacity rather than 100GB - but we expect to see prices drop as more are launched.


1. Set Sleep Time for your PC

If you don't tap your keyboard for 10 minutes, your PC will often go to sleep. Your PC's screen is probably set to go into power-saving mode after a preset period. Although they're not as power-hungry as old-style CRT displays, you can still save a great deal by having your flat-panel power off in this manner.

To adjust the setting for your PC or laptop, go to Control Panel, Power Options and select a screen power-off schedule to suit. Note that screensavers don't reduce energy consumption. You can also enable PC hibernation but, as with standby mode for other devices, this doesn't completely power down your PC. It's all too easy to assume you're keeping costs and power consumption down, even though the current is still flowing.

You'll see different power scheme options for desktop and laptop PCs. Your laptop can automatically adjust its power options depending on whether you're running it from batteries or mains power.

You'll find a range of energy-use calculators online, such as Energy Star's (eu-energystar.org). The savings you can make depend on how much you use your PC and the size of your screen, but could be £50 a year or more.
energy star


2. Turn it all off

According to a study by Fujitsu, the UK wastes £123m powering PCs left on out of hours. That's not only a lot of wasted energy - it's a lot of money too.

An individual computer left on all the time costs about £37 a year to run. Switch it off at night and weekends and this figure can be reduced to just £10 a year. The energy saved could make almost 35,000 cups of coffee, according to the Carbon Trust.

Some argue that a PC should be left on all the time because turning it on and off causes stress to the computer's components. But if this were the case, the vast majority of PCs would suffer from such damage. They don't.

Another argument against turning off a computer is the energy required to start it up again. To be as green as can be, consider turning off your PC if it's going to be inactive for more than 16 minutes. Beyond this time, the energy needed to run it outweighs the energy required at startup.

If you leave your PC on overnight because you don't like waiting for it to start up first thing each day, set it to turn on automatically a few minutes before you arrive at the office. Restart your PC, hitting the Setup menu key before Windows loads. Tab to the Power Management Options and enable the alarm and select a suitable time for your PC to restart.

You can also schedule your computer to shut down - a good option if you like to leave it on for your backup program to run after you leave the office.

Turn on the printer only when you are ready to print. Printers consume energy even when idle. Similarly, a scanner sucks power in ready mode. Photocopiers are energy guzzlers too. Even when your PC is turned off, a phone charger plugged into your USB port will continue to draw energy.


3. Stop leaking power

It's not enough to just switch off the computer. If you really want to make sure that the machine isn't drawing power from the mains, you need to physically unplug the computer or get out of your seat and switch it off at the wall.

When you shut off your computer and the monitor goes black, your display is actually in standby mode and waiting for the PC to switch back on. Digital cameras, mobile phones and iPod power adaptors that are left plugged in all the time also suck power from the outlet, even after you've disconnected the devices you were charging. When you leave the adaptor plugged in, you're losing an average of 2W.

The simplest way of ensuring that all your computer's peripherals are completely turned off is to connect them to a power strip that you can simply switch off. Several companies have caught on to the publicity surrounding standby energy wastage and offer timer and standby switches.

For home or office use, Micromark's £21 timer plug will soon pay for itself in energy savings, while Bye Bye Standby lets you turn off several devices around the home from a central point.


4. Be an Energy Star

Energy Star stickers used to be seen plastered all over CRT screens that were unusual in having standby modes. Flat-panels use far less energy than CRTs, but buying an LCD monitor isn't the only way to conserve power. Look for the Energy Star logo when buying printers, fax machines, scanners and other products.
Energy Star

To find products which meet strict green standards, look for the Energy Star logo

Energy Star is an initiative that promotes energy-efficient hardware. The scheme saved $12bn (£6bn) on US utility bills in 2005. To get the stamp of approval, products must meet guidelines such as having a low-power sleep mode. At the Energy Star site (energy-star.org) it's easy to find products that meet the guidelines. It lets you search by category, brand and feature.

5. Use a flat-panel display

Next time you're looking to replace your PC monitor you should at least ensure that it's a TFT model. Old-style CRT displays typically use 75W of power, while 25W is more typical of a flat-panel's lighter footprint.

As well as drawing three times as much power so they can illuminate the phosphors that make up the display, CRTs contain a vast amount more lead than flat-panel displays. A typical CRT contains approximately 1.36kg of lead, while some LCDs contain only a few grammes. Philips has gone so far as to eliminate the lead content of some of its screens, such as the 19in 190C8FS.

Thankfully, CRTs are on their way out, while pressure from campaigners mean more and more products will attain certification for the responsible way they have been manufactured and their low impact on the environment.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, a DAB radio uses 10 to 20 times less energy than the same broadcast via a digital TV.

6. Know your RoHS

ROHSThe European Union implemented RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive) in July 2006. The directive restricts the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ether in the manufacture of electronics.

Anything that's available for sale or import within the EU should now comply with RoHS. However, it's not a foolproof piece of legislation. Apple's Steve Jobs claims some companies are using loopholes in the RoHS directive to continue to use toxic chemicals in their products. These companies claim their products meet requirements "because of certain little-known exemptions granted by the EU", he says.


7. Go paper-free

Another way to do your bit for the environment, as well as save time and money, is by going digital. We waste more paper than we do anything else. The average office employee uses up to 50 sheets of A4 every day, according to Envirowise. Much of this paper is thrown away - the group estimates that UK businesses throw away five million tonnes of printing and writing paper each year.

If you can't stop printing altogether, set your device to print double-sided by default or create your own writing pad from discarded printouts. Learn to resist the urge to print out emails and other documents for filing. Instead, read them onscreen and store them on your hard drive. If you need a record, create a PDF file. If you don't already have a PDF creation package, try Backup4all novaPDF Lite 5.1, which can create PDFs of documents from within any Windows application.

Next time you find a web page you'd like to read later, don't print it. Select File, Print, click the PDF pop-up menu in the dialog box and choose Save To PDF. You do need backups of important files, but back them up to your hard drive.

8. Is your journey really necessary?

There are all sorts of ways of offsetting your carbon footprint. The most effective is not to travel unless it's really necessary. Travelling not only requires you to spend money on plane tickets and a hotel, but also includes a hidden cost. We checked out how heavy a burden a couple of intercontinental business trips plus a package holiday break within Europe could be. Our 10,000lb total (according to terrapass.com) is alarmingly high.

Broadband connections, webcams, video-conferencing and webcasting tools, along with email, ought to make many business trips unnecessary. If you have to fly but are concerned about the CO2 you'll create, consider donating to an organisation such as Native Energy or TerraPass. These companies calculate your impact and suggest a monetary donation to go towards projects such as building renewable energy sources.

9. Don't dump your Computers

Dispose of your old hardware responsibly. Consumer electronics and computers contain toxic materials, such as lead, that can seep into the ground if dumped improperly. British Computer Society president Nigel Shadbolt explains: "PCs contain many toxic components, so if they end up in a landfill we are creating a real problem for the future.”

This is bad news, according to energy minister Malcolm Wicks. "Electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest-growing category of waste across the EU, with an estimated 17-20kg per person produced every year. The UK alone generated about one million tonnes of waste equipment last year," he says.

An older PC may no longer meet your requirements, but there are plenty of people who'd love to use it. Many charities will take an old PC and peripherals off your hands, or you can get in touch with Computer Aid, which refurbishes machines for use by schools and in the developing world. You could even sell it on eBay or give it away through Freecycle.

Failing that, recycle it. According to the WEEE directive, electrical and electronic waste has to be dealt with separately from other rubbish so that hazardous elements can be stripped out.

Electronics manufacturers and vendors cover the cost of this; your task is to get them to collect it, return it to them or take it to your council's recycling centre. If you can't transport it, arrange for the council to pick it up.

Many electrical retailers run take-back schemes - check your PC vendor for details about how it is dealing with WEEE compliance. Note that you shouldn't have to pay to return end-of-life goods. But, you can't be too careful where stored personal details are concerned.

10. The sunny side

If you're seeking clean power for energy-hungry gadgets, consider looking to the sun. Solar power is renewable and free - although sunshine can be limited here in the UK. Be aware that you need direct sunlight to get a good charge with these products. Cloudy skies and reflections on windows can cause problems.

Voltaic's £189 Solar Back Pack consists of three solar panels embedded in the outside of the bag that generate up to 4W of power. The bags have 11 adaptors for mobile phones and other devices, but are not designed to charge laptops.

If a solar-powered bag isn't for you, choose a less expensive charger that fits in your hand. The £45 Solio charger from Better Energy Systems gives about one hour of playtime or 10 minutes' talk time from one hour of sunshine, according to the maker. Whether you'll find a whole hour's worth of sunshine within the British Isles is another matter.

Other solar chargers include the Freeloader (£99 from Firebox). If you've got your PC or laptop switched on and have a couple of ports free, you could do worse than power up a pair of USBCell batteries for future use.

Laptop PCs require a little more power: unlimited-power.co.uk stocks Uni-solar Portable Solar Electric Panels that can be used for this purpose. The marketing material states that they can provide power even with bullet holes or in partial shade, which suggests that these are really designed with the army in mind, but they are worth investigating. Prices start at £451.

Wind-up chargers are also available, although their efficiency is somewhat limited. For example, the Multi Mobile Charger (£6 from iwoot.com) gives you eight minutes' talk time on your mobile if you wind it up for three minutes.

But why stop at your gadgets? If you install a renewable energy source - such as solar panels, wind turbines or biomass heaters - in your home, you may be eligible for a grant.

11. Give it away

For all our talk about the digital, paperless office, we've yet to hear of anyone achieving it. As well as saving on ink costs by printing at small point sizes and in draft or economy mode, you can minimise waste by recycling cartridges via organisations such as laserxchange.co.uk. If your office doesn't have a dedicated charity it supports, Oxfam, Childline and ActionAid and a number of smaller charities can benefit from your thoughtfulness.

Similarly, hand back your old and unloved mobile phone handsets. T-Mobile is offering £80 cashback, while Carphone Warehouse tempts you with a more modest £20. If you want to avoid the smooth sales talk, the charities we've outlined can also earn revenue from your philanthropy.
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How green is your Ethernet?

The growing emphasis on energy efficiency in IT has led to plans to reduce the amount of power needed to run a corporate network by changing the way Ethernet switches and adapters work.
Here’s the idea. When a device connects to a network switch at present, it only ever negotiates the speed of that connection once, typically opting for the maximum bandwidth supported by both parties. So why not negotiate the connection dynamically, to enable the speed of the network port and the amount of power required to drive it to vary depending on the needs of the attached device?

For example, if a PC was idle, the switch could put its network port into standby mode. Similarly, it could configure a 10Mbit/s connection when the user was pulling down email and only opt for a full 100Mbit/s or Gigabit link when transferring large files.

Of course, the usual IEEE study group has been established to look into possible mechanisms for what is being called Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE), but that will take a long time to report back, let alone come up with any concrete proposals or standards for developers to aim at. In the meantime, a number of the networking vendors are starting to talk up the concept, with D-Link going so far as to release products already with what it calls “green Ethernet” features.

It won’t be going as far as dynamically negotiating bandwidth, as that would require changes at the device end as well. However, D-Link’s Green Ethernet switches will be able to detect when attached PCs are turned off and power down the associated ports into a standby mode. They will also be able to analyse cable length and adjust power usage accordingly. And the end result could be savings of up to 44 per cent in terms of the overall power needed to run the switch, plus a longer product life thanks to a reduction in operating temperatures.

D-Link intends to deliver this kind of functionality in its managed switches, including the enterprise-grade xStack range, next year.

That is all very well, but cynics like me will question the use of the term “green” to describe this kind of technology. It’s a popular bandwagon on which to throw the concept and it could help save energy; however, to have a real impact companies would have to replace millions of Ethernet ports and that would come at a carbon as well as a financial cost.

I would also argue that simply by getting everyone to turn off their PC when they go home, we could make just as big a saving, if not more, and with none of the associated costs.

Src: http://www.whatpc.co.uk/itweek/comment/2200660/green-ethernet-3520628

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Green Technology : Just Hype or Must-have?

There is a very crucial question for all we have that the "green" technology been over-hyped? Scientists throughout the world who study global warming have concluded that drastic changes in human energy-consumption are necessary to avert a crisis.

Energy use in IT, like all other technology-intensive industries, thus has been put under a microscope. Computer hardware and software vendors, sensing a financial bonanza and opportunity to appear virtuous, have flooded the market with so-called green products.

It's enough to make some IT managers dismiss green technology altogether, but even those who are concerned about the environment and their own energy costs have a tough time separating product hype from reality.

"There is a lot of hype, and it's hard to discern the difference between things that have been 'green-washed' and things that are really green IT,"

says Forrester analyst James Staten. Many vendors also like to "shine up" old products and sell them with a green tag, which makes it all the more deceiving.

IT vendors might be taking a cue from car companies that boast about selling one or two eco-friendly cars while selling millions of gas-guzzling SUVs. Dell, for example, has lots of ads talking about the greenness of their servers and PCs, Staten notes. While Dell's blade servers are very efficient, on the whole the company's "servers are not a whole lot different than other people's,"

he says.

It's not just Dell. Vendors, such as IBM and HP, are pushing green data-center service engagements that tend to push customers to standardising on either IBM or HP equipment, rather than picking the best from multiple vendors, Staten says. Vendors say, "if you want to go green, you have to go with all my products," he says. "I wouldn't point fingers at one. I think everybody's guilty of this."

Rather than looking to individual vendors, IT pros should turn to industry organizations like The Green Grid for less-biased information, he adds.

In the US for example, data centers consumed less than 1% of total US electricity use in 2000, but that number will rise to at least 2.3% of all electricity use nationwide by 2010, according to the Uptime Institute. Figures in other part of the world can be comparable.

IT departments therefore have a big responsibility," says Derek Kober, director of the BPM Forum. The organisation recently surveyed 150 IT pros and executives, and found that most IT pros are concerned about the IT department's impact on the environment -- or are at least interested in the economic benefits of being more energy-efficient.

In the survey, 86% said IT organisations have a "responsibility to substantially improve efficiency and green activities." Only 41% have any specific green plans in place, however, the survey also found. "The biggest overarching message was that despite concern and despite increasing priorities for improving the environment and greening the data center, IT departments in general are pretty far behind," Kober says.

Some IT shops view green technology as too expensive upfront, but Kober noted that many businesses save money over the long run by consolidating systems and replacing old processors with newer, more energy-efficient models. Because of these long-term savings, economic benefit rather than environmental concern is the initial driver that gets IT departments thinking about efficiency, Kober says.

Forrester's Staten shares this perception. "IT administrators define green as that rectangular dollar bill rather than something that is environmental," he says. "They don't really make a lot of decisions around what's environmentally responsible or not."
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The Greatest Green Event Ever

Today is World Environment Day. Today a movie being released worldwide by producers as "the greatest green event ever", a high-budget documentary to save the planet from Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

From New York's Central Park to the Champs de Mars by Paris Eiffel Tower, the French photographer known for the "Earth From The Air" books and "Seen From The Air" on TV, is releasing the green-awareness movie "Home" in over 100 countries simultaneously.

"More than a movie, Home will be a major event,"

the producers said.

Shot from the air in a chopper, the environmental documentary will be available across the globe June 5, mostly free of charge, in open-air spaces as well as theatres, TV, DVD, and the Internet.

"The idea is to explain what`s happening to the planet by beginning at the beginning, by the miracle of life on earth,"

the photographer-director told reporters.

Kicking off with stunning aerial views of the earth's natural wonders before focusing from the air on polluting factories, airfields and oil platforms, the message translated into more than a score of languages is: "It's too late to be a pessimist."

"Although there's a general trend towards an awareness of ecological issues, concrete action is still too little, too slow,"

he says.

"In 200,000 years on earth," adds the film, "humanity has upset the balance of the planet. Humanity has barely 10 years to reverse the trend."

The commentary, narrated by Glenn Close in English and Salma Hayek in Spanish, was submitted for editing to 2007 Nobel-prize winner Al Gore and Lester Brown, the US environmental guru.

It took almost three years to finalize the mega-movie, shot over 217 days in 54 countries, providing 488 hours of footage.

"We have the power to change so what are we waiting for?" it asks.

French movie mogul Luc Besson is distributing the 10-million-euro movie, a huge sum for a documentary put up by the luxury consortium PPR headed by Francois Henri Pinault.

"The massive and free distribution of the film will enable anyone, anywhere, to see it, whatever their income," Pinault said.

Speaking to reporters, Arthus-Bertrand said it was time to call a halt to a world where 20 percent of the population consumed 80 percent of the planet's riches.

"I explain what is happening, I don`t offer solutions," he said. "But we all have solutions within ourselves."

"We would live better by consuming less and sharing more, and we need more courageous policies".

"The idea is to convince people to push politicians to action."
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Features of Energy Efficient PC

A typical desktop computer, together with a monitor and printer, can consume as much electricity as five or six powerful incandescent household light bulbs.

If left running for long periods of time - or even 24 hours a day - a computer can easily cost you more in electrical bills than its original purchase price.

While you can use the power-saving features built in to today's operating systems to put a computer into a sleep mode when it's not being used or simply turn it off, many people don't.

Computers in Internet-connected households or in the workplace are frequently left running non-stop so that they're always available for research or play.

That's why it pays to look closely at how much electricity a computer is likely to use when you're on the hunt for a new machine or upgrading components within your existing one. Computers today run the gamut from power-sipping misers to unabashed energy hogs.

And it's not always clear from the packaging which one you're signing up for.

Notebooks

Notebook computers are built from the ground up to consume as little energy as possible - and therefore to save you money over desktop machines. Not all notebooks, though, are built with power- saving in mind. Models that are touted as 'desktop replacements' typically are built around the same components that appear in full- sized PCs, and they therefore consume as much electricity - and cost almost as much to operate.

Under the hood

Whether you're evaluating a notebook or a desktop computer, the components in it determine how miserly it is, so it pays to know something about the power needs of the parts that make up any computer you're evaluating.

Central processing units (CPUs) - the main chips around which PCs are built - often use more energy than other components. While most processors today go into a low-power mode when they're not being taxed heavily by the demands of software, the maximum power usage is telling.

Intel's flagship Core i7 processor, for example, requires 130W of power, and AMD's Phenom X4 Quad-Core uses 140W. Intel's Core 2 Quad chips use 95W, while most of the Core 2 Duo chips consume significantly less, at 65W. What this illustrates is clear: today's powerful processors are also power-hungry, and the more powerful chips consume significantly more electricity and will therefore be costlier to operate.

Processors designed specifically for notebook computers fare much better. Intel's high-end Core 2 Duo chips designed for notebooks, which generally run at 2.1 GHz or better, consume either 25W or 35W, depending upon model. The Core 2 Duo U7700, which runs slower at 1.33 GHz, needs only 10W of power, while AMD's Sempron for notebooks runs at 1 GHz and requires just 8W of power.

Video cards

Today's fastest processors are typically paired with today's beefiest graphics cards, which use so much electricity and throw offso much heat that dedicated fans are required to keep them cool.

The graphics cards from Nvidia and ATI, built for running today's games and 3D applications, can consume anywhere from 117W when idle to well over 300W under load. 'Under load' refers to the power draw of the cards when rendering complex objects or powering through a game, while 'idle' refers to the power required just to have the video card turned on.

Hard drives

Hard drives are on or at the ready almost always when a computer is powered up. So they're always drawing energy. As with other components in a computer, higher performing hard drives - those with rotational speeds of 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) or higher - consume the most electricity. To save money, look for hard drives - either desktop or notebook - that spin at 5400 or 7200 rpm. Western Digital's 'green' drives, for instance, spin at a variable rate to conserve energy, and they consume about 40 per cent less power than comparable non-green drives.

Solid State Disks (SSDs) are increasingly popular as replacements for hard drives, both in desktop and laptop computers. While many assume that SSDs consume less power than traditional spinning- platter models, recent tests have shown that their power usage is about the same.

Monitors

If you're still using an old cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, ditch it. Its power requirements are probably twice that of a similar-sized LCD panel. Most LCDs use fluorescent back lights, which are energy efficient. What's more, when in sleep mode, many LCDs consume just 2W or less. Better yet, monitors are easy to turn off completely. Do that if you won't be using it for a while.

Final decisions

The bottom line is that the energy efficiency of any computer - and by extension the cost of running it - boils down to how much power the individual components consume. In today's world of mix- and- match PC purchasing or building, you have a great deal of control over how energy-efficient your computer will be when armed with the knowledge of how power-hungry its parts are.

Source: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/tech/features/article_1465958.php/Buying_an_energy-efficient_PC__Feature__
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Facebook New app Encourage Towards Green PC

Popular social networking website face book is now in Green Technology. Face book new application promises greener PC, which encourages to save environment as well as energy. It also encourage environmental and energy conservation. Many offer obvious advice like to use green technologies, save environment, use LED bulbs, but a new app offers to green up the PCs Face book members rely on to access the social networking site.

"Green Your PC," developed by Redwood City, Calif.-based SupportSoft, Inc., offers to help configure settings including your computer's monitor timeout, disk timeout and standby mode so that they comply with Energy Star and Carbonfund.org recommendations. Users can do this either by downloading a piece of SupportSoft software (an .exe file) that automatically performs the configurations or by following a tutorial written by SupportSoft that instructs users on how to change their PC's configurations themselves. So use green PC to save energy, save environment as well as money.

The app became available earlier this month for Facebook members using PCs (a Mac version is in the works). SupportSoft, a provider of third-party helpdesk services, got the idea for the app from a free service it's been offering its customers since last year. The company offers that service when customers call up with other information technology support needs, but Facebook opens up a much broader audience, which SupportSoft hopes "Green Your PC" will serve. (Previous ScientificAmerican.com coverage of Facebook apps has included one written for Burger King, which Facebook later disabled.)

"We're doing something that the majority of users don't know how to or don't think to do on their own," says Anthony Rodio, SupportSoft's executive vice president of worldwide operations. Rodio says he has no plans to offer the app through MySpace or any other social network.

It's unclear exactly what impact computer energy settings will have on the environment. But Carbonfund.org, a non-profit that advocates for renewable energy, estimates that if 100,000 computers and monitors reduced electricity use to the level set by the "Green Your PC" app, it would save more than 11 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually (roughly the same as emissions from burning 13,000 barrels of oil).

Source: http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=facebook-app-promises-greener-pcs-2009-03-17
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5 reasons to consider PC power management

The rolodex of Green IT projects available to IT leadership is seemingly endless. But at some point, prioritization is necessary, and IT professionals tend to gravitate to those projects that produce an acceptable financial return with the path of least resistance. And in recent interactions with Forrester clients, it’s becoming clear that PC power management — the act of powering down PCs when not in use (e.g. nights, weekends) — is one of those projects IT leadership are willing to act on.

Do I agree? In short yes. And here’s why: PC power management can reduce costs, cheaply and effectively, while at the same time help justify more strategic IT investments and improve your green “credentials.” Let me elaborate:

1. Save money — and lots of it. The top motivation for pursuing greener IT is to “reduce the energy-related operating expenses of IT.” And PC power management can do this very effectively. By powering down PCs during periods of inactivity, Energy Star estimates that firms can save $25 to $75 per PC per year. Take AT&T as a real-world example. By powering down their 300,000 PCs during non-working hours, AT&T expects to save more than 135m kilowatt hours of electricity – assume an average U.S. price per kilowatt of $.095, savings top $12.8m per year.

2. Reduce costs without capital expenditure. While more energy-efficient equipment and computing architectures are a surefire way to reduce energy costs and environmental impact they require capital investment. So if you’re seeking effective cost-saving tactics with zero to little investment, get familiar with green PC power management. There are a variety of tools to assist in implementing power management organization wide. Many of these tools are free while some are license fee based, but include added features, such as reporting or advanced provisioning and power management settings.

3. Address your most energy-consuming environment. What consumes more energy: your data center, or the IT assets outside of your data center? According to a recent Forrester survey, IT professionals report that more electricity is used outside the data center by a margin of 10%. While every organization is different, recognize that your energy reduction efforts in the PC environment might offer a larger payoff than in the data center.

4. Justify investments in client management suite technology. One of the biggest challenges IT ops professionals face is managing an increasingly distributed and heterogeneous client environment. Client management suite technology can help by automating software distribution, patches, and general systems management. And some vendors — such as 1E, BigFix, LANDesk, and ScriptLogic — are even starting to offer PC power management capabilities. So if you’re struggling to justify budget, reallocate the dollars saved from PC power management to improving the ROI on client management suite investments.

5. Demonstrate your commitment greener business practices. While the primary motivation for Green IT is financial, the second most popular driver is to “doing the right thing for the environment.” And curbing the energy consumption of your PC environment in turn cuts emissions related to global climate change. To paraphrase the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, the average desktop PC wastes half of the energy it consumes and by turning on energy-saving features you can reduce your CO2 emissions by nearly half a ton.

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/forrester/?p=149
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QSC-Microsoft Green PC Initiative All Set to Take Off

THE first batch of refurbished computers is ready for distribution to the underprivileged under a joint initiative launched by Microsoft and Qatar Scientific Club.

“The recipients are to be identified by a charity organization,” Microsoft country manager Mohamed Hammoudi told Gulf Times.

The Green PC initiative, launched last month, involves soliciting donations of older personal computers and laptops, which are refurbished and given away.
“Microsoft is supporting Qatar Scientific Club (QSC) by putting software onboard, primarily Windows and Office,” Hammoudi explained.

The official recalled that an announcement made by Microsoft for old computers resulted in good response with a number of organizations coming forward.
The project, a part of the IT giant’s corporate social responsibility programme, will also benefit the environment by helping to prevent the premature disposal of computers that can be re-used.

“As a next step in this regard, Microsoft is also assisting Qatar Scientific Club to make it an IT academy and develop a digital library,” Hammoudi pointed out.
This venture provides essential training tools and information on Microsoft’s latest technologies, which would give QSC members the opportunity to enhance their ICT skills and capabilities.

Though technology upgrades and organisational changes at many companies are creating an enormous surplus of older but usable PCs, only a small portion are redeployed to serve the educational and training needs of underserved communities, the official observed.

He said that millions of potentially useful PCs are going to waste and with them, opportunities to expand digital inclusion are being lost.

“With the help of Qatar Scientific Club, the Green PC initiative increases the availability of low-cost usable PCs to communities in Qatar that helps in the creation of new social and economic opportunities in the country”, Hammoudi added.

Source: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=269572&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
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Samsung Developed Green Memory Chip

Samsung developed a green memory chip that consumes less energy,less power tapping into a growing demand for green energy-efficient servers.

Samsung claimed the world's highest-density dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip - 4 gigabit (Gb) double data rate (DDR) 3 DRAM chip - which consumes 40 percent less power than conventional 2Gb DDR3 DRAM.

Like its predecessor, the 4 Gb DDR3 DRAM chip is manufactured based on fine and cost-efficient 50-nanometer level processing technology. But the new chip doubles storage capacity and supports a lower voltage of 1.33 V, which helps save energy.

Samsung is the world's top maker of DRAM, which is used for primary storage in PCs, servers and others.

The development came as energy efficiency is increasingly important in the IT sector and demand is growing for larger data storage among server and PC makers.

"For the new generation of green servers, the 4 Gb DDR3's high density, combined with its lower level of power consumption will not only provide a reduction in electricity bills, but also a cutback in installation fees, maintenance fees and repair fees involving power suppliers and heat-emitting equipment," Samsung said in a statement.

"Low power DRAM used to be just nice to have, but now it's a critical requirement from major PC/Server OEMs," Jung Tae-sung, senior vice president of Samsung said at a forum last month.

The new chip not only enables lower power use and higher density, but also faster speed.

It achieves transfer rates of 1.6 Gbps (gigabits per second) at 1.35 V, 20 percent faster than the current industry standard of 1.333 Gbps at 1.5V.

Samsung seeks to leverage its technological prowess to widen the gap with its rivals at a time when global memory chip makers are struggling with tumbling demand due to the global economic meltdown.

The 2 Gb-or-highter DDR3 DRAM will represent 3 percent of the total DRAM market in 2009 and 33 percent in 2011.

From: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/01/30/200901300061.asp
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Building a Greener World with PC Virtualisation Tools

'THERE is no obstacle that can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change." US President Barack Obama's inauguration words are a noble call to us all to rise to meet the best in ourselves. But many of us are wondering: "How do I tangibly effect change in my life? Or in my organisation?"

Obama built his campaign on the promise of economic stimulus and aggressive green PC support for green technologies. Recently, he selected alternative energy supporter and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu to head the Department of Energy. He's loading his guns and locking in his economic stimulus package. He's poised to begin executing his gleaming mission.

Are we ready to execute ours?

The realities of the economy are daunting. We have organizational goals to meet, and smaller budgets with which to meet them. Businesses are closing; people are losing jobs and homes. And amid all this, our planet is increasingly evidencing the spectre of radical climate change. The need for change is breathing hot in our faces, yet the challenges we face seem insurmountable.

As Confucius said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." If so, then what tangible solutions are available that can help us produce change in our organizations now and help us meet our goals while lowering costs and reducing the environmental impact?

The functional area where organizations can most effectively — and immediately — cut costs and produce environmental change is in IT. For example, using powerful, low-cost desktop virtualisation tools, you can reduce your IT maintenance and support costs by up to 80 per cent while also reducing electricity use and electronic waste by up to 90 per cent.

Desktop virtualisation technologies leverage the unused computing power of a single computer, creating an efficient alternative to traditional desktop-per-user computing.

I have evaluated many companies hawking products and the one I've been most impressed with is Userful (userful.com). Putting it plainly, Userful doesn't talk; it just walks. In an age when rampant rhetoric still rules the virtualisation market, those who let their demonstrated commitment to serving their customers and creating organisational change speak the loudest of all.

Userful's PC sharing and virtualisation technology turns one computer into 10; allowing up to 10 users to work on a single computer by simply attaching extra monitors, mice and keyboards. It delivers full PC performance, including full-screen streaming video, for a fraction of the cost of using a PC-per-user solution. Userful also enables users to manage and monitor their desktops through a central administrative website, allowing them to control their desktops from a simple web browser, and generating significant savings in administrative tools.

Because of the radical reduction in electricity and electronic waste, Userful's solutions are eco-friendly. A recent deployment in South Africa — which delivered 2205 virtualised desktops to 105 South African schools using only 315 computers — saves the equivalent of more than 4000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions; the equivalent of taking 700 cars off the road. And with more than 30,000 desktops now in governments, schools, libraries, businesses and military in more than 100 countries, Userful's virtualisation tools are a proven market leader.

Perhaps change begins with a simple intention. And renewal begins when a simple intention becomes a single step, multiplied. With Obama's call to us all to be the change we wish to see — and his commitment to stimulating the economy and supporting green technologies — companies like Userful are well prepared to help organisations that also embrace the call to change.

Source: http://www.businessday.com.au/business/building-a-greener-world-with-pc-virtualisation-tools-20090126-7q1g.html
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World's First Green Zero-Watt PC

Fujitsu Siemens (FSC) will shortly show off what it claims will be the world's first PC that consumes not a jot of power when it's placed in standby mode, the computer said today.



Dubbed the Zero-Watt PC, the machine can still be managed in a standby state by an IT department - despite consuming no power, FSC claimed.

It's keeping mum about how this is achieved, but it pledged to spill the beans at the CeBIT show, where the Zero-Watt PC will get its first public outing. CeBIT kicks off on 3 March in Hannover, Germany.



EU legislation demands that from 5 January 2010, new PCs and other electronics products must consume less than a Watt of power when placed in standby mode.

Source: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/01/20/fsc_green_pc/
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Energy efficient Green PCs

There are three reasons as to why any company would want to go Green—to save money, to earn money (through carbon credits) and due to government regulations. Although there are no government regulations in India that compel companies to think Green, companies are finding newer ways to reduce energy consumption on their own owing to their corporate social responsibility. The issue is one of sustainability rather than cost, although energy-efficient products help customers lower the cost of ownership and help meet the broader goal of protecting the environment. The focus on energy efficiency is to design a product that helps customers to decrease power consumed by the system and the system’s operating cost, which is long approach. Desktop PCs and workstations often consume huge amounts of energy that are overlooked by most organizations as they keep their ‘green’ focus limited to the data center. In many cases, organizations want to reduce power consumption of desktop PCs but are not too sure how to go about the same. There are myriad product offerings in the market to reduce the carbon footprint of desktops and workstations in an organization but it is important to understand what suits your organization the best.

Green PC initiatives

We see a greater emphasis on energy efficiencies in the desktop PC market. [The recent IDC ‘Go Green PC Power Play Study’ had some interesting statistics. The report found that the US federal government could save more than $82.4 million in energy costs—the equivalent of conserving more than 1.3 million barrels of oil in just one year—if its more than 10 million existing ENERGY STAR 3.0 PCs were updated to the new 4.0 standard.

Dell’s recently launched new line of commercial desktop solutions cut power consumption by up to 43%. A major trend is that we witnessing small form factor devices in the desktop space, where Dell’s offerings include the Optiplex 755, 740, 960 with the option of the ultra small form factor in the Optiplex 760.

Dell also launched two new models aimed at the business user. Pallab Talukdar, Director, Enterprise Business, Dell India explained, “The Latitude E-Series notebooks were designed after listening to the needs of nearly 4,000 businesses and IT professionals. The result is Dell’s thinnest, lightest and most powerful business notebooks ever and all-day computing with breakthrough battery life of up to 19 hours.”

“Dell in India is committed to bringing the same energy and commitment towards environment-friendly policies as in other parts of the world and continues to take the lead through its products, processes and policies,” Talukdar added.

HP’s initiative in Green PCs keeps Indian conditions in mind. Deepti Dang, Head of Marketing-Commercial and SMB, Personal Systems Group, HP India said, “We have a design center called IDC or the India Design Center and the basic objective of this center are to make products for India that suit Indian conditions—products that consume less power and give better productivity keeping global warming in mind.”

One of the products developed at the HP India Design Centre is called the Mini DT or the HP Compaq dx2009. This business PC is a high-performance machine that has the ability to withstand harsh Indian working conditions. It has a small form factor and is ideal for organizations, which struggle with challenges such as space limitations, data security and power consumption, especially in the ITES sector.

Lenovo also offers various desktops and notebook PCs that are targeted at reducing energy consumption. The company recently announced the launch of the ThinkCentre A62 in the Indian market. It is a cost-effective, environmentally responsible and manageable desktop PC, which provides enterprise and SMB customers with improved TCO throughout a longer PC lifecycle. Additionally it uses up to 40% less electricity than its ThinkCentre predecessor due to the efficiency of the new AMD 15W CPU, the Athlon 2650e, which is available on select models. The system is GREENGUARD and EPEAT Gold certified, ENERGY STAR 4.0 rated, and has as an option, the ‘Green’ fingerprint keyboard made of 35% post consumer recycled material.

On the notebook front, the new ThinkPad T Series from Lenovo has improved energy efficiency by more than 25% over previous T Series models. Hardware improvements such as LCD Backlight Displays and SSDs use less battery power and generate less heat. Switchable graphics let users move to lower quality graphics when they need to maximize battery life. Addition, when there is no activity, the optical disk drive and audio auto switch to a low power state. Coupled with software enhancements such as the new Green Power Scheme, Battery Stretch, and ThinkPad Energy Saver technology, the ThinkPad T Series lets users get the most out of their mobile computing time. Battery stretch is a new feature that allows temporary selections in extreme situations to extend battery life beyond what regular Power Manager Settings might produce. With this easy interface, users can, for example, minimize the display refresh rate or disable certain wireless communications devices to help preserve the power users need to finish their work unplugged.

“In the current scenario, all over the world corporates are turning towards innovative solutions to lower their power costs,” said Vinay Shetty, Product Manager, Components Business, ASUS (India). He continued for example, our Eee Box is a conventional desktop that runs only on 20 Watts of power, which results in 90% power saving as compared to a normal desktop.

Green components

Now that we have seen some of the initiatives and offering from major PC vendors, let us try to understand how they achieve this low power envelope. Following are some of the components that most vendors target to cut energy consumption.

* Monitor: Apart for a number of other benefits that LCDs offer over CRTs, power consumption is of prime concern. A CRT consumes about 60-80 Watts for a 15-inch model to almost 70 to 150 Watt for 17 and 19 inch models whereas an LCD monitor’s power consumption is only about 25 Watts. A backlit LCD helps reduce energy consumption for notebooks.
* Storage media: While HDDs remain the most sought after media for storage on PCs, SDDs are gradually becoming popular. An SSD reduces the power consumption by 50% when compared to a conventional Hard Disk Drive. SSDs do not heat up, reducing the power that is required to cool a PC. Although SSDs are a common option for notebooks, even a few desktops offer SSDs for storage. However, due to extremely high prices of SSDs, this technology might see higher adoption in the notebook space, where its durability and quick boot advantages make more of an impact, when compared to desktops. Many organizations and individuals who need the benefits of using an SSD do not mind the additional expense.
* Cooling: There are varieties of fans that go inside a PC to prevent it from heating up. The function of a traditional air fan is both, to take in fresh air and at the same time expel hot air from the CPU cabinet. Fans with variable speeds can largely reduce the power consumption, considering the fact that average CPU utilization levels are below 20% in both desktops as well as notebooks.
* Processor: With the shrinking of the x86 micro-architecture and emergence of multi-core processors, power consumption is also taking a dip. A shift towards 45 nm micro-architecture has helped reduce the power envelope for both desktops and notebooks. Ensuring that you are using the latest make of processor can further help in reducing power consumption.

Source: http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20090119/greenit02.shtml
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Go Green with Your Computer

Shutdown Your Computer Without Losing the Perks of an Always-On PC

Obviously, computers require electricity to run, so shutting down, sleeping, or hibernating your computer when you're not using it conserves energy. Every modern operating system has its own settings for conserving power, so the first thing you should do—if you haven't already—is open the power settings of your computer and set them for optimal energy use. Set your computer to put your monitor to sleep, spin down your hard drives, and put your computer to sleep when you're not using it. Even better, since your computer uses less power when hibernating than when sleeping, set up your computer to hibernate rather than just go to sleep.

One of the biggest turn-offs (no pun intended) about shutting down or sleeping your computer is that you miss out on some of the finer things your computer provides even when you're away. For example, if you're downloading a large file, you may want the download to continue even when you're away. Likewise, we've covered tons of ways to remotely access your computer, all of which no longer work if your computer's turned off. Luckily you can continue using your computer during these times but still conserve power the rest of the time.

Save Paper when Printing

When it comes to the environment, one of the first places most offices can improve is the giant pile of discarded paper by the network printer. Aside from obvious things you can do on your own—like printing duplex, printing to PDF, previewing before printing, and not printing hundreds of copies of an email forward to plaster around the office—there are a few other tools you can use to minimize wasting paper and ink when printing.

Turn Off Peripherals to Kill the Vampires

Now that you've put good energy practices into use on your PC, it's time to move onto the power-hungry peripherals you've got plugged into it. Whenever possible, you want to turn off any peripheral when you're not using it—like your printer or monitor. Likewise, you should be aware of any gear in your computing setup that draws standby power (a.k.a., vampire power) even when you've turned off the device in question. Vampires commonly stand out as large, unsightly AC adapters.

While you could diligently unplug your wall warts or keep them plugged into a power strip that you switch off when they're not in use, you can go even further and automate the process with gadgets like the Energy Saving Smart Strip (original post) and the Power Minder (original post), both of which monitor your PC's power state and automatically shut down other peripherals when you turn off your computer.

Source: http://lifehacker.com
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How Green is a Green PC ?

What is a green PC?

Any personal computer that's low on power consumption and is environment friendly can be called a green PC. Though many manufacturers don't have specific products under this category, finding a green option that fulfills your requirements isn't rocket science. A green PC should be assembled with environment friendly components. These might be built with recyclable products and must be low on energy consumption. Components that consume less energy not only save the planet but would also result in lower energy costs hence savings.

What makes a green PC green?

Building a green PC isn't a difficult job. There are a number of components that are manufactured to be easy on the environment and when using them savings come as a byproduct. Let's dig deep into how.

Processors: Processor manufacturers have been constantly coming out with new products that consume less power than their predecessors and are better performing. The main thing to keep in mind here is the kind of performance you want your desktop to deliver. The more the better might be your first answer, but it also means an increase in power consumption. If you're planning to buy new PCs for employees in your organization, then first find out the requirements. For example, if running basic productivity software and surfing the Internet is what's required, then going for low power consumption processor like the Atom might be a good option.

The power consumption of a desktop computer running on the Atom which costs a little more than 15k is around 20 watts as compared to a Pentium 4 based PC which consumes 75! That's a whooping 70% less power consumption while performance being similar, sufficient enough for running Windows XP and other basic productivity apps. Let's see how much money can you save by using them.

Assuming that an employee uses a PC for 10 hours daily and comes to work on 250 days in an year, a Pentium 4 based machine consumes Rs 1500 worth of electricity considering the cost of energy at Rs 8 per unit. On the other hand, running an Atom based desktop costs only Rs 400. That means you save 1,100 per annum on each machine that is just used for basic productivity!

Even though the price of these devices is quite less, people still find the thought of getting a more powerful PC in the same price range way too tempting. But, what more than often gets overlooked is the downside of buying a powerful machine when not needed. Power consumptions and running costs of a Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad based machines are also shown in the graphs.

Motherboards: When talking of green, there is more to this component than just an efficient design. Motherboard manufacturers have been developing technologies that would make their products smart enough to consume less power. Technologies like Asus's Energy Processing Unit helps motherboards in analyzing the actual CPU loading and dynamically regulates system power saving and performance parameters to create an optimal energy saving configuration. We tested the Asus P5Q Pro which sports the EPU technology against another motherboard (Gigabyte EP45 UD3P in this case) with a similar setup, one that didn't have this technology. We found out when running a Core 2 Quad processor the reduction in energy consumption to be as high as up to 40 watts!

Time for a little number crunching again to make things clearer. Assuming the same employee again, who uses his computer for 10 hours daily and works 250 days in an year. The amount of energy consumed by the CPU in an year while using an energy efficient motherboard comes out to be 305kWh as compared to another motherboard which consumes 405kWh. Converting into energy bills by taking the cost of each unit of electricity to be Rs 8, the energy efficient motherboard saves you Rs 800. That is savings of 80,000 for every hundred machines that run on energy efficient motherboard!





Monitors, LCD vs CRT: Apart from being insanely heavy and difficult to carry around, other disadvantages of a CRT monitor include their power consumption. LCD monitors, apart from being aesthetically very pleasing to the eye, slim and stylish, are also designed in a way to consume less energy than a conventional CRT monitor. LCD monitors definitely hold the edge over CRT monitors when it comes to being energy efficient. The huge tube in a CRT monitor is the source of most of its energy consumption, and a comparably sized LCD may use just a fraction of the electricity. When we compared the two, a 17 CRT monitor consumed 72watts and on the other hand a 17 LCD consumed just 20 watt, that's less than one-third of the CRT!



Let's see how stressful CRT's can be to the pocket. A 17 CRT being used for 10 hours a day, 250 days in an year consumes 180 kWh and at Rs 8 per unit costs Rs 1440 to run. Whereas a 17 LCD being used for the same amount of time consumes only 50 kWh. That makes each LCD consume Rs 1,040 worth of electricity less than its CRT counterpart! Therefore a hundred LCDs would save you Rs 1,04,000 in electricity bills!

Hard Drives: There are options for storing your invaluable data while consuming as less power as possible. Manufacturers like Hitachi have come with their range of energy efficient storage solutions for desktop PCs. These hard drives have advanced power management systems that make them consume less power during idle periods and also an improved design for a higher power efficiency. Even external hard drives come with efficient power management systems that push them into sleep mode when not in use.

Other components: Graphic processing units to RAMs, research and development teams across all segments are trying to keep upcoming devices as energy efficient as possible. And apart from power consumption, use of recyclable products is being considered wherever possible.

Make your current PC hug trees?

Using your personal computer judicially and intelligently can lower your electricity bills significantly. Applicable to both desktop and laptop users, these simple to implement tips can prove to be helpful for everybody. Here are a few simple but crucial things that can make you help save the earth (and some money too).
If you are downloading a file and tend to keep your PC switched on, then check out Add-ons like Auto shutdown for Firefox and many others. These automatically turn off your PC after all files are downloaded.

Related: Five Simple Ways to Get Started with Green IT

Source: http://pcquest.ciol.com/content/content_greenit/2009/209010101.asp
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HP to Unveil Green Gaming PCs at CES

Hewlett-Packard apparently has plans to soon announce two high-performance desktop PC’s that have a slim, eco-friendly design, thus defying the concept that bulk and big is best.

Typically gaming PCs have heavy duty cases allowing for a simple upgrade to hard drives, video cards and other components.

According to Engadget, the new "Firebird" packs VoodooDNA 802 and 803 bookshelf-type systems that are equipped with quad-core Intel processors with a clock speed of up to 2.83 GHz, 4 GB of DDR2-800 memory and dual Nvidia GeForce 9800S video cards with 1 GB of memory.

Also included are twin hard drive bays, an eSata connector, 6 USB ports and dual-link DVI and HDMI display connectors.

The Firebirds will be priced from $1800, excluding a monitor. The announcement is expected for January 6 and general availability for January 9 via the VoodooPC website. Retail availability will follow in February.

So, what about the "green PCs"? Well, they aren’t exactly green when you compare them to a regular PC, but they are said to consume much less power than a traditional gaming PC. Compact, more energy efficient components limit the maximum power draw to 350 watts, which is about 1/5 of the energy high-end gaming PCs can consume under maximum load.

Source: http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/40782/135/
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Green Tips to Make Eco-easy Office: Go Green and Save Energy

With the current focus on increased environmental sustainability, conservation is quickly gaining momentum as a business necessity. Many companies are selecting green products to decrease their own impacts on the environment while saving money and resources. So, how can you and your office make green choices and make a difference? Here are some easy tips:

1. Learn the Lingo - Plenty of eco-alternatives exist, from textiles and fabrics to wood substitutes and hemp, and it is important to know your options. For example, Staples offers paper supplies made from sugar cane waste. The final product, available in notebooks, memo pads and filler paper, feels just like regular paper.

2. Love the Labels - When purchasing computers and office equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR(r) label, which identifies products that are more energy efficient than comparable products. These items can reduce the cost to power your office space or home office by up to 80 percent. For paper and wood items, check for the Recycled and Forest Stewardship Council logos.

3. Use a "Green" Screen - For a better, clearer computer picture, use an LCD monitor. Older monitors contain lead and other toxic heavy metals and can be hard on the eyes. And don't forget to set your power management settings to put your monitor and/or computer to sleep after 10-15 minutes of inactivity. You'll help save money by using green PC as well as by reducing electricity use.

4. Make a Sticky Statement - Addicted to sticky notes? No worries. Use sticky notes made from recycled paper and enjoy the same great quality. Also look to "right size" your sticky notes to save paper and money.

5. Write with "Green" ink - Many pens and highlighters are available with refillable barrels and non-toxic ink, and some pens also contain recycled content. These eco-preferable essentials make brainstorming a more eco-friendly activity.

6. Print Smart - While many businesses now include a "Please consider the environment before printing" disclaimer in their emails, printing documents is sometimes unavoidable. When printing cannot be avoided, look to double side print and copy, only print or copy the pages you need, and use eco-preferable papers. Opt for 30 to 100 percent post-consumer recycled printing paper, available in individual reams, as well as in bulk volume for offices.

7. Trend set with "Green Décor" - New eco-friendly bulletin boards are now available, which are made from 100 percent recycled rubber and are much more durable than traditional cork. Also look for natural and fast growing sisal, bamboo, and other plant fibers for rugs and other desk accessories.

8. Recycle Old Office Technology - Companies often upgrade technology for their employees without considering what to do with the old ones. Staples offers everyday, in-store recycling for a wide range of technology products through its EcoEasy recycling program. There are also trade-in events at Staples stores throughout the year, where customers can upgrade and recycle old technology.


Related: Important Tips For Buying Green PC

Source:http://www.northfloridanewsdaily.com/News/2008/1229/business_news/184.html
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Tips on how to save money, energy and the planet

Dreaming of a green Christmas

With a little bit of effort - maybe much less than you thought - you and your family can enjoy the holiday and help save the planet at the same time.

Holiday lights

Save money and energy by switching your old strands of incandescent holiday lights with newer light emitting diode holiday lights, which also are safer.

Plus, LEDs stay cool to the touch so they will not burn the tree or a child's fingers.

And, during the day shut off your holiday lights. It saves energy, and it allows your lights to last longer.

Wrapping

"Think about Christmas morning - you get done, and you have all these garbage bags full of trash," said Susan Angel, a green events planner from Boise.

The biggest thing someone can do to green their holiday, Angel said, is to do away with traditional wrapping paper and packaging, which often cannot be recycled.

Last year she made gift bags out of fabric.

"They are so easy to sew - three seams and a hem with a piece a ribbon," she said.

"If you are not real crafty, consider pillow cases tied with a ribbon." Other options include cloth or reusable gift or tote bags or wrapping gifts in usable items like dish towels or scarves. And try old newspapers, magazine pages, paper bags or old maps.

Last-minute shopping

Need to run to the mall one more time? BYOB; that's bring your own bag. Take your own cloth shopping bag and turn down clerks' offers of plastic bags.

Trees

Fake holiday trees are not environmentally friendly. Most are made in China from petroleum-based plastic and are not biodegradable, so they will sit in landfills for decades.

For a "greener" holiday tree consider a live, uncut tree, which can be replanted in your yard after the holidays.

Living Christmas trees can be purchased at some retail lots, choose-and-cut farms and some nurseries and garden centers.

The trees require a little extra attention. They need to acclimate for a couple of days in a garage or enclosed porch before being brought indoors, where they should not remain for more than one week. Then they should be gradually reintroduced to colder outdoor temperatures before being planted.

Fresh-cut Christmas trees from tree farms are a better choice than trees harvested from the wild.

Most fresh-cut Christmas trees now come from tree farms, so deforestation isn't an issue.

Additionally, Christmas tree farms keep large swaths of land from being developed. When the trees grow, they emit oxygen into the air.

When a cut holiday tree is past its glory, it can be recycled into mulch.

If you want to recycle your tree, do not use tinsel or spray it with fake snow, as tinsel and white trees cannot be recycled.

Gadgets

Here's a good rule for when your fancy new Christmas present replaces last year's electronics: If the gadget still works, donate it. If it is broken or antiquated, recycle it. But whatever you do, don't throw it in the trash.

E-waste is a growing environmental and public health concern as the world becomes more wired and companies introduce new products at a faster pace.

Discarded computers, televisions, cell phones, radios, batteries, cameras and other electronic gadgets contain a stew of toxic metals and chemicals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, brominated flame retardants and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

The average cathode ray tube, found in green computer monitors, televisions and other electronic devices, contains up to 8 pounds of lead, which can leach into the ground and contaminate groundwater.

Old cell phones can be dropped off at Staples office supply stores for recycling.

And don't forget the batteries. Buy rechargeable batteries to accompany your electronic gifts, and consider giving a battery charger as well.

Related Post: Ways to go green with the remnants of your Christmas

Source: http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_11290435
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Top 10 Tips for a Green New Year

With Christmas just days away and the endof the year looming, many individuals and organizations are thinking about "green" New Year's resolutions and the best ways of recycling obsolete computers and other hardware.

10 Green Technology( Green Computer)Tips for 2009

1. Set a green goal for the year and encourage everyone in your office todo the same. Make a difference in 2009!

2. Set the "sleep" (power management) settings on your computer to automatically turn your monitor, hard drive or entire system off after specific periods of inactivity, and ask your organization to implement a policy on it. Save money and electricity!

3. Print double-sided, narrow the print margins and use print-management software such as Green Print.Save money, paper, water and forests!

4. Use rechargeable batteries. Save money and reduce toxics in landfills!

5. Choose refurbished computers or EPEAT-rated new computers. Save money and reduce toxics in landfills! Qualifying nonprofits and libraries can find low-cost refurbished computers at Tech Soup Stock.

6. Use re-manufactured toner and ink cartridges or get personal one srefilled. Save money and reduce toxics in landfills!

7. Buy or lease re-manufactured copiers, printers and all-in-one machines(e.g., copier, printer, scanner, fax). Companies such as IKON provide"like new" machines at a reduced cost. Save money and reduce toxics in landfills!

8. Use smart power strips. Save money and electricity when they automatically turn off your accessories (i.e., monitor, speakers, printer)when you shut down your computer!

9. Use electronic fax solutions, such as My Fax, an Internet-based secure faxservice. Reduce your need for paper, toner and hardware and save money,paper and toxics in landfills! Qualifying nonprofits and libraries can find this product donation at Tech Soup Stock.

10. Recycle your old electronics (anything with a plug), batteries, CFLsand ink cartridges. Reduce toxics in landfills! You can learn how to recycle electronics and find recycling centers here.

Source:ibtimes.com/prnews/20081223/green.htm
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