Posted by Greenbang on November 20th, 2008
Can enviros enjoy video games with a clear conscience? Perhaps not so much, as a study by the U.S.-based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Ecos Consulting has found that game consoles are responsible for hefty amounts of energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The NRDC/Ecos study finds that video games in the U.S. consume about 16 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. That’s as much as is used annually by the entire city of San Diego.
One of the simplest ways to reduce that consumption is for players to switch off their consoles when not in use (duh), although the savings vary widely depending on the system used. The Nintendo Wii, for example, proves to be a dainty energy-sipper, with an annual energy cost of just $10 (U.S.) when left on ’round-the-clock (the cost is $3 for players who switch their systems off). Gamers who leave on their Sony PlayStation 3 units, on the other hand, prove to be anything but green: for a console left on at all times, the annual energy cost is $160 (turned off when not in use, the cost is $15).
(The study adds that Sony made a power management feature available online in October, but that the feature is disabled by default.)
The NRDC and Ecos urge both gamers and game-makers to adopt more energy-efficient practices and technologies, and the potential payoff is no child’s play. The study concludes improvements could save the U.S. some 11 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, save more than $1 billion in annual energy costs, and avoid more than 7 million tons of carbon emissions per year.
Posted by Greenbang on November 19th, 2008
The old saying about brain power — imagine what we could do if we actually used all of it — applies to information and communication technology as well, according to a study prepared by the Boston Consulting Group.
In a U.S.-focused addendum to The Climate Group’s “SMART 2020″ report, the Boston Consulting Group (pdf) finds that smarter use of information and communication technology, or ICT, could cut the nation’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by 13 to 22 percent by 2020. That reduction could save $140 billion to $240 billion in energy and fuel costs.
Improving energy efficiency with smart building technology alone could help the U.S. reduce carbon emissions by 270 to 360 million metric tons and save $40 billion to $50 billion in energy costs.
Currently, the U.S. emits some 6 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. Without changes in the way the country uses energy and technology, those emissions are likely to rise to 6.4 billion tons annually by 2020.
While growing use of ICT around the world is expected to cause the industry’s global carbon footprint to double by 2020, it has the potential to help other sectors reduce emissions by five times that amount, according to the “SMART 2020″ report.
How? According to the report, making the most of ICT could help standardise information on energy consumption and emissions, provide better monitoring and accounting of energy use, offer innovations for improved energy efficiency and integrate systems for more automation and lower emissions.
“PCs, mobile phones, and the Web have transformed the way we all live and do business,” said Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group, “Global warming and soaring energy prices mean that rethinking how every home and business uses technology to cut unnecessary costs and carbon is critical to our environment and economy. Supported by innovative government policy, ICT can unlock the clean green industrial revolution we need to tackle climate change and usher in a new era of low carbon prosperity.”
This technology story is brought to you in association with Kyocera
Posted by Greenbang on September 1st, 2008
We’re publishing reports on all kinds of subjects around clean tech, green business and sustainability.
Here’s a summary of one such report by Nualight. You can download the whole thing by clicking the words ‘lighting-the-way-to-greener-retail‘.
Here’s a bit about it:
Replacing environmentally unfriendly fluorescent tubes with digital lighting in refrigerated display equipment drastically lowers energy consumption
Mid-size retailer with 100 stores could save up to £550,000 (€720,000) a year in energy and maintenance bills
Food retailers can make significant savings to their energy bills if they replace fluorescent lighting with digital lighting in refrigerated display equipment. A study conducted by pioneering LED lighting module manufacturer Nualight reveals that digital lighting can save retailers more than 50% of their annual lighting bill for refrigerated display environments. For a mid-size retailer with 100 stores, this means a saving of around £550,000 (€720,000) a year in energy bills.
The highest density of energy usage in supermarkets is in refrigerated displays, which account for 50 to 70% of total power consumption. The typical lighting used in refrigerated displays is fluorescent tubes and by virtue of their relative inefficiency, combined with the waste heat they produce within the chilled environment, they consume a lot of excessive energy. Nualight’s research found that by replacing traditional fluorescent lighting with digital lighting, based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs), energy consumption is halved and merchandising appeal is considerably improved.
Speaking recently at Euroshop 2008, the global retail trade fair, Dr. Kelly, CEO of Nualight, said:
“Being green makes good business sense; digital lighting is not only environmentally friendly but is also cost effective. The days of fluorescent lighting are numbered as more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solutions are developed. Our research showed that retailers that implement digital lighting in refrigeration display cabinets can achieve reduced costs, merchandising differentiation and improved retail environments.“
The paper also revealed that digital lighting has an overall better quality of light than fluorescents, making products sparkle. As digital lighting illumination is instant, it can be directed to where it is most needed and individualises products, making them more appealing to consumers.
As part of the research, Nualight undertook a test with one of its retail customers measuring the effect of using digital lighting in display cases. The retailer replaced fluorescent tubes in a cabinet on one side of an aisle with digital lighting while keeping fluorescents lighting in the facing cabinet. The retailer found sales in the cabinet lit with Nualight digital lighting modules were 19% higher than when it had used fluorescent lighting. The paper says the effect of increased sales due to better illumination should not be surprising. Apart from the difficulty in seeing the products on sale in poorly lit displays, the paper found there is a customer perception that if the lights are not working, neither is the refrigeration.
Dr Kelly continues:
“The food retail industry is rapidly evolving as it adapts to new customer demands. With customers increasingly going online, retailers need to create ‘leisure destinations’ with ambient surroundings and new experiences. Lighting is a key tactic to creating these environments and digital lighting is the next generation technology to achieve this.”
