What is Green Computing
According to a definition from Wikipedia encyclopedia, Green computing or green IT (Information Technology) as it is also called, refers to environmentally sustainable computing or IT. It is “the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment.
Ozone layer depletion and global warming have been major concerns for global companies and countries over the years. Meanwhile, in the UK, a new government task force has been formed to develop individual computers that use 98 percent less energy than standard PCs. This is called Green Computing.
With increasing recognition that man-made greenhouse gas emissions are a major contributing factor to global warming, enterprises, governments, and society at large now have an important new agenda: tackling environmental issues and adopting environmentally sound practices. Greening our IT products, applications, services, and practices is both an economic and environmental imperative, as well as our social responsibility. Therefore, a growing number of IT vendors and users are moving toward green IT thereby assisting in building a green society and economy.
The goals of green computing are to reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product’s lifetime, and promote recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste.
Green computing researchers look at key issues and topics related to energy and the environment. These include energy-efficient use of computers, the design of algorithms and systems for environmentally friendly computer technologies, and a wide range of related topics.
In Nigeria, there has been little or no response towards encouraging green computing. This is largely due to poor awareness, poor economy, and poor prioritization.
While companies in Europe and the US are trying to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, ignorant and unscrupulous businesspeople in African countries are looking at making business out of the situation. It is no longer news that some Nigerian traders encourage and participate in the importation of used computers which emit more carbon dioxide than new PCs.
Search engine giant Google and US semiconductor firm Intel threw their weight behind a massive scheme to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The scheme which is expected to cut emissions by 54 million tonnes a year (equal to 11 million cars or 20 coal-fired power plants) sets out an industry-wide target to cut the amount of energy computers consume by 2010. Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell and Microsoft have all signed up to the campaign. Today, they have made significant progress in that field with ‘green PCs’.
Computers and other IT equipment have been blamed for causing as much global warming as the airline industry.
It is estimated that using energy-efficient technology would make computers about $20 (N3,000) more expensive and servers about $30 (N4,000) pricier, but these costs would be offset by lower electricity bills. And of course the health factor.
In such complying countries, utilities are encouraged to offer rebates to consumers who buy the ‘green PCs’.
Manufacturers who agree to the climate-saving program agree to design, produce, and sell equipment that meets the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star standard of 80 percent initially. That will rise to 90 percent before the end of 2010.
The initiative is an extension of the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Savers program, which helps companies to reduce their harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Initial supporters also include Yahoo, Hitachi, and Sun Microsystems.
In addition to the environmental benefits, Google co-founder Larry Page said the initiative would also act to make computers better – more reliable and quieter.
Roads to Green Computing
Experts note that to comprehensively and effectively address the environmental impacts of computing/IT, a holistic approach must be adopted to make the entire IT lifecycle greener by addressing environmental sustainability along four complementary paths. These paths are:
- Green use (reducing the energy consumption of computers and other information systems as well as using them in an environmentally sound manner).
- Green disposal (refurbishing and reusing old computers and properly recycling unwanted computers and other electronic equipment)
- Green design (designing energy-efficient and environmentally sound components, computers, servers, cooling equipment, and data centers) and
- Green manufacturing (manufacturing electronic components, computers, and other associated subsystems with minimal impact on the environment).
In Nigeria, the most worrisome is the amount of toxic computers brought into the country yearly. At the popular computers and peripheral market in Lagos, heaps of computer waste lie at back stalls.
However, Nigerians are waking up to the need for Green Computing, even if not for climatic reasons but for convenience and cost.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) had, after the passage of the Bill establishing it, announced plans to regulate the importation of computer systems in the country. This move was meant to address the issue of importing harmful, ‘climatically unfriendly’ computers. Several IT bodies in the country, including the Computer Professional (Registration Council) of Nigeria (CPN) and the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) have warned that they will intensify efforts to ensure that only approved computer equipment is brought into the country.
Also the Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), an umbrella association of traders at the computer and peripheral market also known as Otigba, in Lagos had made representations to the State Government over the piles of computer wastes imported into the market and the conditions of some computers sold in the market.
The Lagos state government, in line with the federal government’s campaign against the dumping of toxic waste in the country, has put its foot down on ensuring that inspection of products in the market is beefed up.
Network infrastructure company, Ericsson of Sweden had in 2007, in Badagry, near Lagos, launched three base stations that run on biofuels.
Ericsson is conducting this project in partnership with the MTN Group and the GSM Association.
It is estimated that biofuels would bring about a reduction of up to 80 percent in carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to negative climate change. The Biofuels program which was an initiative of Ericsson and the GSM Association was aimed at connecting off-grid locations by identifying and processing locally grown crops like coconut, cotton, and jathropha into biofuels that will power base stations in the developing world. The aim of the initiative was to provide operators with a carbon-neutral solution to solving their energy needs since biofuels recycle carbon from the atmosphere and do not contribute to global warming. Such efforts should be replicated in the use of harmful materials in assembling computers in Nigeria. Computer assemblers in the country should also be willing to use components that are user-friendly and contribute to Green Computing.
Meanwhile, as the First International Green Computing Conference, to be held in Chicago between August 15 – 18, 2010 gears up, key issues relating to energy efficiency in computing and promoting environmentally friendly computer technologies and systems will be on the table. The conference is aimed at providing a forum to a wide audience for discussing, sharing, and investigating the state-of-the-art aspects of green computing, which include energy-efficient use of computers, design of algorithms and systems for environmentally friendly computer technologies, and a wide range of related topics. It will publish papers pertaining to hardware and software systems, algorithms, and applications as well as power, energy, and temperature-related research areas of current importance to researchers, engineers, and practitioners. The conference will hold forums and workshops on hot topics related to how the carbon footprint of computing can be reduced and how computers can contribute to the environment and overall well-being of the planet.
Topics to be treated will include Power-aware software, middleware, applications, and networking. Other topics are Efficient circuit design for energy harvesting, Power implications for portable and mobile computing, Power-efficient architectures and chip designs, Energy recycling, and the Use of sensors for climate monitoring among others.
