‘Going Green’: The Power Supply Manufacturer and the Communications Technology Industry
Over the last decade the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry has been increasingly criticized regarding its growing energy utilization, and the resulting amplification of global carbon dioxide emissions. This sector is actually believed to be responsible for more that 2 percent of the worlds annual carbon emissions, which amounts to the combined discharge of almost 320 million cars. This figure unbelievably places the ICT sector on par with the airline industry regarding its carbon footprint, but using the right power supply manufacturer could help with these figures.
The Power Supply Manufacturer and ICT Industry
As it always has been however, the ICT industry is one step ahead in that solutions to this issue are already being sought. Numerous advancements in equipment technology and design have accordingly been explored, already allowing for an increase in energy conservation, as well as improving the sectors’ environmental sustainability. This trend is expected to continue, due to the growing international emphasis on ‘green IT’, and the rising cost of energy. The facilities which have been the focus of most ‘green computing’ changes within the ICT sector are data centers, which house the majority of companies’ computing and communication equipment.
A Green Power Supply Manufacturer
One of the main ‘green’ changes in many data centers has been the sole utilization of renewable energies, such as wind energy. This practice allows companies in many areas to indirectly offset their carbon usage via Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s), although this is still quite controversial. In countries such as Germany, facilities have the option of choosing where they buy their renewable energy, in many cases knowing exactly where the electricity was generated. Other countries such as Australia however, are not yet this advanced, with data centers generally being unable to access any form of renewable energy.
Another, more common ‘green’ practice, is the implementation of energy saving ‘Energy Star Rated’ equipment from a reputable power supply manufacturer, aimed at energy conservation. Modernized data center components, such as ‘green servers’ and new energy efficient CPU’s and power supplies, have been found to result in energy savings of up to 60 percent. These savings stem not only from the reduction of electrical operational costs, but also from the fact that modern equipment is able to operate at higher environmental temperatures, therefore reducing the need for extreme cooling systems within data center facilities.
Research has also found that more energy conscious utilization of IT equipment within data centers can result in a significant increase in energy efficiency. Simple practices such as enabling standby mode on equipment, or utilizing power management software, has been said to reduce a computers energy usage by up to 80 percent. Experton, a German research company has also proposed that turning an IT component off overnight has the potential to save a large amount of energy. In the case of a printer for example, the energy saved in one night would be enough to print 1200 pages.
It can consequently be noted that in addition to equipment upgrades, and the utilization of renewable energies, there are also simple non-cost ways of ‘going green’. An effortless change in the way that technicians view and operate IT equipment within installations such as data centers, has the potential to save companies significant amounts on their energy bills, and decrease their environmental impact.
