COMP 2923Basics of Green IT

Danny SilverJSOCS, Acadia University

References

• Chapter 2 of John Lamb’s “The Greening of IT”

The Basics of Green IT

• Major issues effecting Green IT Initiatives:– Government regulations– Government and Power Co. incentives– Corporate structure– Impact of Greening on organization– Product end-of-life and asset disposal

Major Discussion Points

• Organizational issues and going to Green IT• Regulations as factors for change• Motivation for executives to move to green data centers• Issues of product transportation and disposal• Important steps required for Green IT • Role of software, applications, process workload• Impact of distributed mobile equipment• Energy measurement and management

Organizational issues and going to Green IT

• Starts with who manages and controls IT power bill

• It should be CIO – Why?• Developers and users should know measures

of IT electricity• Areas of energy wasted: power supply, power

distribution, cooling of work space

Regulations as factors for change

• Standards– CSA – Canadian Standards Association

• Energy Efficiency Verification• Electromagnetic Compatibility Testing• Environment Product Peformance

• Provincial – Provinces dictate law on recycling electronics

• Federal– Tends to focus on federal government departments,

nation defence, hazardous waste

Motivation for executives to move to green data centers

• dxsdvv

Energy is about 10% of data centre budget in US and CanadaSecond largest line item.Much higher in other parts of the world

Motivation for executives to move to green data centers

• dxsdvv

MtCO2e = Mega tonne CO2 equivalent= 1,000,000 tonne CO2

GtCO2e = Giga tonne CO2 equivalent= 1,000,000,000 tonne CO2

Issues of product transporation and disposal

• Products move• And die• It all costs

Issues of product transporation and disposal

• And there is the collateral paper, packaging, storage, incineration, landfill costs

Important steps required for Green IT

• Diagnose the opportunities and problems• Manage and measure• Cool more efficiently • Virtualize as much and as soon as possible• Build green when you build

– Building envelope - Choose energy sources – Select green tech - Build culture

IBM Big Green Approach

• Diagnose the opportunities and problems– Get the facts on energy use and carbon footprint

• Manage and Measure– Seize control of energy use with methods and systems

• Cool– Make smart / economic choices

• Virtualize– Replace multiple old systems with single new systems

• Build / Rent – Plan, build more energy efficient facilities, or use the cloud

Role of software, applications, process workload

Reduce the cost of Data … •Processing: Algorithms not typically optimized to reduce energy use•Storage: Select lower power tech / options•Communication: Move to fibre optics•Take advantage of:

– SOA = Service Oriented Architecture– SaaS = Software as a Service

Ways to Reduce Process Workload

• Replace paper forms with e-forms• Increase automation to achieve more with

less environmental impact• Model and improve process sequences and

workflows • Leverage charge-back accounting to enforce

efficiencies• Address environmental regulations

Beyond Green Data CentersImpact of distributed mobile equipment

• http://www.sustainability-perspectives.com/article/the-four-key-environmental-factors-of-ict-energy-carbon-e-waste-and-water/

Some say as high as 4-6%

Energy measurement and management

• If you do not measure it, you cannot manage it • Culture must be the first thing to change• University of Colorado (p. 26 of Lamb), 2008:

– 18,000 computers - $550,000 / year in energy– Plus cost to cool rooms with computers - $150,000 / year– Total - $770,000

• What do you estimate is Acadia’s PC/Laptop energy cost per year?

Energy measurement and management

• MIT – 20,000 PCs, saving an estimated 8 M KWH annually

• Estimate 4% of overall energy can be saved =961 homes in Cambridge, Mass

• Based on 14 idle hours per day a single desktop savings can be 500 KWH per year

• Average home uses 700 KWH per month

Energy measurement and management

• Myths:– Screen savers save your screen– Computers have a shorter life when turned off/on– Turning your computer off/on uses more energy

than leaving it on

Useful Websites for PC Energy Reduction

• When to Turn Off Personal Computers• http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/energy-efficient-computer-use

• How much electricity do computers use?• http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/computers.html• http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/power-pc-technology-explained/ • http://www.nspower.ca/en/home/for-my-home/save-energy/energy-calculator.aspx

• Five tips for reducing your computer’s energy use• http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/reducing_your_c.php

• Ways To Reduce Computer Energy Consumption• http://www.thesimpledollar.com/8-ways-to-easily-reduce-the-energy-consumption-

of-your-computer-and-save-big-money/

Videos

• The Greening of Information Technology– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQvtr7hUDNs

• NASCIO:Taking the Lead: Green IT in the States– http://www.nascio.org/committees/green/

greenITVideo.cfm