Green IT
What is Green IT?
Green IT Information Technology) is the practice of creating and using environmentally sustainable computing. Green IT focuses on mitigating the material and energy burdens associated with conventional IT while meeting our information and communication demands.
What is Green IT all about?
There are two aspects to Green IT.
Hardware: The hardware aspect aims to minimize the negative effect of IT operations on the environment by designing, manufacturing, operating, and disposing of computers and computer-related products in an environmentally friendly manner.
Software: Hardware can consume energy only as much as the software allows i.e., how we design, develop and deploy software is inexplicably linked to the energy consumption of the hardware.
Why should we care?
- Electricity used for U.S. servers and data centers emits 35.9 million metric tons CO2e annually.
- Computer electricity consumption varies greatly with age, hardware, and user habits. An average desktop computer requires 66 W when idle and 1.9 W in sleep mode. Laptops require less power on average – 33 W when idle and 1.0 W in sleep mode.
- A 17” light emitting diode (LED) LCD monitor uses about 13 W while on, 0.4 W in standby, and about 0.3 W when off.16
- Every kWh used by office equipment requires an additional 0.2-0.5 kWh for air conditioning.
References:
- Menzes, A., et al. (2014) “Estimating the energy consumption and power demand of small office equipment.” Energy and Buildings, 75(2014): 199-209.
- U.S. EPA (2018) eGRID 2014 Summary Tables.
- LBNL (2014) Computer usage and national energy consumption: Results from a field-metering study.
- Park, W., et al. (2013) Efficiency Improvement Opportunities for Personal Computers: Implications for Market Transformation Programs.
- Roth, K., et al. (2002) Energy consumption by office and telecommunications equipment in commercial buildings, Volume 1: Energy Consumption Baseline. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service.
- Keoleian, G. and D. Spitzley (2006) Life Cycle Based Sustainability Metrics. Sustainability Science and Engineering.
