The past few years have seen phenomenal growth all across the globe, in almost all the sectors. However, this growth has set up a global trend in resource depletion, air and water pollution, energy consumption and climate change. The preliminary signs of environmental change are alarming and many corporations across the world are vying for green alternatives to inhibit the rapid deterioration of the environment. One such initiative is Green IT. IT & ITES is one of the fastest growing sectors of the modern times. The sector generates a lot of employment and has become an important constituent in spurring economic growth of many countries like India.
However, as we revel in the success of the IT industry, a larger threat looms. The IT industry is a huge consumer of energy and it is contributing significantly to the already high pollution levels. The reasons behind this problem are the data centres, inefficient use of technology, wastage of realty space and over burdening of resources. Let us see how IT can play it's part in helping the cause of the environment.....
1. Improve Data Centers: Energy consumption in the data center is predominantly from two loads: servers and cooling. Increasing server density compounds the problem. Use of efficient servers and better technology can ensure the mitigation of the pollution caused due to these factors. Energy-efficient servers are available from the major vendors, most notably Sun's CoolThreads technology that Sun says makes servers more efficient by a factor of five. The payoff of efficient servers is twofold. Servers that consume less energy also throw off less heat, requiring less energy for cooling. On the technological front, virtualization is a good concept which comes in handy for reducing power requirements.
2. Make workstations more efficient. Outside the data centers the workstations account for the huge power bills. This is because of the sheer no. of workstations in use. However, the energy consumption of these power guzzling machines can be reduced by up to 25% through effective use of power management tools.
3. Convergence: Integration of from home and within office activities. High speed broadband connections are available all across India. The companies should promote more and more employees to work out of their homes. This way the company is able to save on the realty cost and also other miscellanea like AC cost, lighting cost etc. We will be able to save a lot by leveraging the communications infrastructure and making the infrastructure more efficient for corporate use. Further, this way we are able to reduce the average commuting hours and miles for any employee. So, we save time and money and reduce emissions as well. Further, activities such as teleconferencing save on the cost of traveling and allow seamless integration of business processes.
4. Improve the building. Most of the high tech facilities need high volumes of power to sustain business activities. With frequent power cuts these facilities have to rely heavily on generators which further escalate energy costs. A lot of energy is spent on lighting, temperature maintenance etc. These issues can be dealt efficiently with the help of Energy Management Systems (EMS). EMS go farther, centralizing the control of lighting, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning with the goal of reducing the energy those systems consume.
These measures ensure the efficient use of energy and ensure high levels of productivity. Many IT giants such as CSC have already started the initiative to incorporate these practices in their facilities. Meticulous implementation of these schemes will definitely ensure a greener and safer tomorrow.
However, as we revel in the success of the IT industry, a larger threat looms. The IT industry is a huge consumer of energy and it is contributing significantly to the already high pollution levels. The reasons behind this problem are the data centres, inefficient use of technology, wastage of realty space and over burdening of resources. Let us see how IT can play it's part in helping the cause of the environment.....
1. Improve Data Centers: Energy consumption in the data center is predominantly from two loads: servers and cooling. Increasing server density compounds the problem. Use of efficient servers and better technology can ensure the mitigation of the pollution caused due to these factors. Energy-efficient servers are available from the major vendors, most notably Sun's CoolThreads technology that Sun says makes servers more efficient by a factor of five. The payoff of efficient servers is twofold. Servers that consume less energy also throw off less heat, requiring less energy for cooling. On the technological front, virtualization is a good concept which comes in handy for reducing power requirements.
2. Make workstations more efficient. Outside the data centers the workstations account for the huge power bills. This is because of the sheer no. of workstations in use. However, the energy consumption of these power guzzling machines can be reduced by up to 25% through effective use of power management tools.
3. Convergence: Integration of from home and within office activities. High speed broadband connections are available all across India. The companies should promote more and more employees to work out of their homes. This way the company is able to save on the realty cost and also other miscellanea like AC cost, lighting cost etc. We will be able to save a lot by leveraging the communications infrastructure and making the infrastructure more efficient for corporate use. Further, this way we are able to reduce the average commuting hours and miles for any employee. So, we save time and money and reduce emissions as well. Further, activities such as teleconferencing save on the cost of traveling and allow seamless integration of business processes.
4. Improve the building. Most of the high tech facilities need high volumes of power to sustain business activities. With frequent power cuts these facilities have to rely heavily on generators which further escalate energy costs. A lot of energy is spent on lighting, temperature maintenance etc. These issues can be dealt efficiently with the help of Energy Management Systems (EMS). EMS go farther, centralizing the control of lighting, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning with the goal of reducing the energy those systems consume.
These measures ensure the efficient use of energy and ensure high levels of productivity. Many IT giants such as CSC have already started the initiative to incorporate these practices in their facilities. Meticulous implementation of these schemes will definitely ensure a greener and safer tomorrow.
1 comments:
It is need of hour to come up with innovative and efficient solutions to help the inhabitants of this planet. People are thinking on these lines is really heartening to know.
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