Auto-off could save three quarters of games console power use

An article in Energy Efficiency journal has concluded that simply including a default auto power down feature into games consoles could reduce the power they use by as much as 75%.

Back in 2008, the US Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) estimated that more than 40% of all homes in the US contain at least one video games console and together they consumed 16bn KWh per year. The NRDC produced a report – Lowering the Cost of Play – which concluded that power management features in the devices could save around 11bn kWh of electricity per year. That would save more than $1bn and avoid emissions of more than seven million tons of CO2. The report made recommendations for users, manufacturers and games designers for improving the efficiency of current and future consoles.

The recent article in Energy Efficiency journal makes similar estimates of game console power consumption – 11bn KWh in 2007, but rising to 16bn KWh in 2010. This is an increase of 50% in 3 years and equivalent to around 1% of US residential electricity consumption. The rise is put down to market growth, with devices often having new capabilities which in turn increase power consumption.

But the article - Electricity consumption and energy savings potential of video game consoles in the United States – points out that it’s difficult to assess the energy consumption mainly because of the lack of information on the extent to which devices are turned off after use.

The article concludes that just by adding a feature that automatically reduces the power consumption when devices are not actually being used could save 75% of the power used. That equates to a 10bn KWh in 2010 in the US alone, reducing electricity bills by the $1bn that the NRDC was trying to achieve. So an automatic power down feature would be at least as effective as implementing a set of energy efficiency improvements. It would also be much easier to implement and could even be applied retrospectively through firmware updates.

 

It’s surprising to me that, given the focus on managing power use in PCs and servers, there hasn’t been the same attention given to games consoles. As is clear in the IT industry, by far the easiest way to make savings is to ensure that devices are powered down when not in use. It’s a green ICT lesson that the games manufacturers seem not to have taken on board.

As often seems to be the case, it’s easy solution but with a significant impact on carbon emissions.

(My thanks to GreenIT.fr for bringing this item to my attention).

Is Apple’s business model sustainable?

There’s been a lot of adverse comment about Apple in recent months, some in this blog. Much of it refers to the conditions of workers in factories owned by Foxconn, an Apple subcontractor in China. Meanwhile, Apple has amassed so much money that it has been obliged to return some to shareholders via, share buy-back and paying dividends.

But perhaps the bottom line should be: Is Apple’s business model sustainable? Whatever you think sustainable means, or should, mean, there’s an argument that Apple’s current approach is not sustainable in the long term.

There was an interesting article in yesterday’s Guardian newspaper on the subject. See what you think:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/23/bad-apple-employ-more-us-workers?INTCMP=SRCH

British Waterways appoints Linden Environmental to sell water to cool data centres

British Waterways, the organisation responsible for the country's canals and rivers, has signed an agreement with environmental consultancy Linden Environmental to promote the use of canal water to cool waterside buildings, including data centres, across England and Wales. Linden is now British Waterways’ sales agent and can also finance the cost of switching to canal water use, making it a more attractive financially.

Using canal water cooling rather than air conditioning is clearly more environmentally friendly and cost effective. It’s particularly attractive for data centres, which can use much of their power to keep IT equipment cool. Water can drawn in from a river or canal and run past a heat exchanger on the other side of which is water carrying heat from the data centre. The heat transfers to the river/canal water which is returned to the source 6-8 degrees warmer and then dissipates.

Among those already using canal water in this way are GlaxoSmithKline, who use it for the data centre housed in their global HQ in London (see the previous blog), and National Rail's data centre, in the Mailbox centre in Birmingham. GlaxoSmithKline apparently saved over £120k a year and 276 tons of carbon by switching from traditional air conditioning and subsequent improvements have raised this saving to almost £200k a year.

Paul Adams, marketing director of Linden, said: “Our target is put in place enough schemes to remove the equivalent of 40,000 vehicles’ CO₂ emissions each year”.

 

I guess that the possibility of using canals and rivers in this way is gaining more interest, hence the appointment of Linden. Although since the initial publicity around the GlaxoSmithKline implementation – in June 2009 – I haven’t heard much more.

It’s also worth noting that after I first wrote about the British Waterways proposals I heard from Netherlands-based, data centre specialist Deerns. The company pointed out that the experience in the Netherlands is that in high summer the canal/river water is already so hot that almost no temperature rise is allowed in the cooling water. Consequently, the data centre has to have its own chiller plant as a redundant facility, but the chiller has to be designed to work in the summer, so it creates a high power demand, which many data centres already have problems with. Ideally you would want to have a system that reduces this peak summer requirement. Back then Deerns was looking into thermal storage using underground aquifers.

As far as British Waterways is concerned, this year the canals and rivers the organisation looks after will transfer to the ownership of a charity called the Canal & River Trust. It remains to be seen what happens after that.

Climate change target will cost just 1-2% of GDP

Earlier this month the UK’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC)published a report that showed how the UK’s 2050 emissions reduction target could be achieved. The analysis reinforced other studies that indicate that, rather than the crippling cost that is often suggested, the 2050 target can be achieved at a cost of just 1-2% of GDP. The report also pointed out that this cost was accepted by Parliament when the Climate Change Act was first legislated, given the much higher costs of doing nothing.

The CCC is an independent statutory body set up by the Climate Change Act to advise the UK Government on setting carbon budgets and to report back to Parliament on progress.

The comments on the cost of meeting emissions targets were made in a report by the CCC considering whether international aviation and shipping emissions should be included in carbon budgets. These emissions were not included in national budgets and targets when the Climate Change Act became Law in 2008, but the Government is required to make a proposal to Parliament by the end of this year on whether or not to include them or not.

The CCC recommended that they should now be formally included. For aviation emissions, the Committee recommends that emissions in 2050 should be no higher than 2005 levels, which would allow for some demand growth, given the increased fuel and carbon efficiency of flying.

 

It seemed inevitable that international aviation and shipping would eventually be included in national targets, otherwise they would be left out from any calculations. But the CCC suggests that it should be achieved through EU and global policies rather than a unilateral UK approach, in order to avoid competitiveness impacts, so it remains to be seen if or how it will be actually implemented.

But the fact that overall 2050 emissions reduction targets can be achieved at a cost of just 1-2% of GDP adds strength to the pressure to act. We’re not going to significantly damage the UK economy by implementing the emissions reduction plan – that’s much more likely to happen if we do nothing.

Every rooftop in the US to be mapped for solar potential

US companies GeoEye and Geostellar have come together to catalogue the solar power potential of every commercial and residential property in the United States. GeoEye will supply the satellite mapping and surface models, while Geostellar will interpret the data into solar energy potential.

Geostellar has an analytics platform that automatically works out how quickly a property owner can recoup an investment in solar power generation. The model uses various aspects of a building, including roof slope, shadows, weather patterns, local utility rates and solar energy subsidies, to assess solar potential and payback. The company has already built solar maps for Washington D.C., Boston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New Jersey, using aerial imagery made available by government agencies. But to expand the process across the US the company needed a partner to help collect and process the massive amounts of Earth imagery needed.

 

 

GeoEye started out as a high-resolution satellite imagery company, but now collects, processes and analyses massive amounts of geospatial data. GeoEye will be Geostellar's Earth imagery vendor, providing the data required to develop solar maps for every main metropolitan market in the US. GeoEye intends to take a small equity stake in Geostellar as part of the agreement.

 

A great idea. It sounds like a grander and more sophisticated version of the plans by aerial mapping company Bluesky, in the UK. The company is researching the development of a web-based renewable energy rating platform, using geographic data to assess how suitable individual buildings are for energy generation. The initially focus is solar generation, but other types of renewable energy generation, such as wind power and ground source heat pumps, are expected to be added.

Given that Bluesky is working with a number of other industry and academic organisations across Europe on the project (see more details here) perhaps they should also be speaking to GeoEye/Geostellar.

BearingPoint launches a logistics emissions calculator

Consultancy company BearingPoint has released a Logistics Emissions Calculator (LogEC) that helps companies calculate and analyse their carbon footprint, as well as manage initiatives to reduce their emission levels.

According to the company, the software is a response to increasing regulation in the logistics sector:

• Since January, air traffic in Europe is subject to emissions trading.

• The European standard prEN 16258 for calculating carbon emissions in transport services will come into force this year.

• In France, it will be obligatory for companies to deliver carbon emission data for each journey from July 1, 2013, onwards.

BearingPoint believes that 60% of European businesses haven’t taken any action yet regarding the measurement of their carbon footprint.

The LogEC software allows companies to calculate and analyse the effects of every shipment to understand the potential to optimise the delivery. It could, for example, work out which routes or with which type of freight emissions could be minimised and then track the impact. As well as carbon calculations for completed transport routes, the software can also simulate transport scenarios or reduction targets.

The software is most accurate using detailed business data, but any data gaps can be closed using standard values from official databases, for example from the Handbook Emission Factors for Road Transport. The greenhouse gas emissions of transportation by train, ship, plane or truck can be calculated.

 

Another example of a consultancy company releasing a carbon counting solution aimed at its customers. They are often initially developed to help with engagements with clients.

A cynic has to wonder about software provided by consultancies, though. If it’s easy-to-use and does the job, you wouldn’t need the consultancy company any more. I’m sure BearingPoint would argue otherwise.

Cloud suppliers are relying on dirty power - Greenpeace

Greenpeace has published a report called “How Clean is Your Cloud?" that evaluates 14 IT companies on their clean energy policy. It’s based on an assessment of the energy supply to more than 80 data centres.

The general conclusion is that while IT companies have been innovative in reducing data centre power use, they have ended up attaching their facilities to some of the dirtiest power sources. And because there’s a tendency for IT companies to gather in the same areas, their data centres are actually driving demand for coal and nuclear power. Greenpeace believes that if IT companies continue to rely on these dirty sources of energy the cloud will begin to have a measurable negative impact on our environment.

But the NGO does see light on the horizon, with some leading IT companies trying to align their rapid growth with the use of renewable energy, which is shaping their decisions on data centre locations. Greenpeace also acknowledges the clean energy investments and renewable energy contracts from some vendors (Google in particular) and also the fact that many IT companies are recognising that they have the market power to demand clean energy investments and influence utilities and governments.

 

 

Overall, Yahoo! and Dell came out top of the Clean Energy Index, with Oracle and Salesforce scoring lowest. More specific findings included:

• Three of the largest cloud companies - Amazon, Apple and Microsoft – rely heavily on dirty energy to power their clouds.

• Yahoo and Google both continue to lead the sector in prioritising access to renewable energy and both have become more active in supporting policies to drive greater renewable energy investment. Facebook has now also committed to using renewable energy, starting with its latest data centre in Sweden.

• Akamai is the first IT company to begin reporting its carbon intensity under the Green Grid’s Carbon Utilisation Effectiveness (CUE) standard.

• There are increasing positive signs of collaboration and open source sharing among IT leaders. There have also been more signs of IT companies taking a more proactive approach to using renewable sources of electricity.

• However, there have been increasing attempts by some companies to portray the cloud as inherently “green,” despite a lack of transparency and poor metrics for measuring performance or environmental impact.

 

It’s a useful contribution from Greenpeace, particularly for that last comment, with which I couldn’t agree more. It’s been apparent for some time that there is a growing casual assumption that cloud-based IT is greener than in-house. It certainly should be, but it very much depends on individual circumstances.

Much of the problem is down to the over-use of the Green Grid’s PUE (Power Utilisation Effectiveness) metric – the ratio of total data centre power use to ICT power use. A lot of IT companies have made efforts to ensure their data centres are more energy efficient (which saves money as well as making them appear more sustainable) and they have the economies of scale that most enterprise cannot match.

But the best PUE only minimises the power used – it can still be dirty power. A company that uses only renewable energy is greener than the data centre of a major IT company with the best PUE in the world if it still gets its power from a coal-fired generator.

PC power management – releases from Granola and IA-Kar and wins for 1E and Verdiem

There’s been a lot of news from various PC power management vendors in the last week or two, here’s a roundup:

MiserWare, makers of Granola power management software have released version 5.0 of  Granola Enterprise, which can now establish a baseline power consumption for a company’s entire IT infrastructure.

The Virginia-based company also says that the new version has industry-leading options for energy savings. It’s not just about turning systems off - Granola Enterprise saves up to 35% more by reducing energy waste while systems are in use.

According to CEO Kirk Cameron, a professor at Virginia Tech, Granola Enterprise was redesigned in response to enterprise and data centre clients. “Our clients are often mandated to report IT power use. A free account now gives organisations access to their IT energy footprint, making it easy to identify energy waste and evaluate power management options.”

There’s more on the company, products and pricing here. MiserWare also has what it claims is the world’s most popular free energy management software: Granola Personal.

Another new power management company to me, is IA-KAR, out of France, makers of KAR Energy Software. On their (not very well translated) website the company points out that it can reduce PC, laptop or server power consumption by almost 50% in four different ways:

• By reducing the power consumption of RAM. The software automatically adjusts the memory used according to actual need, to make computers up to five times faster.

• KAR Energy Software cools the processor electronically by putting to sleep unneeded electronic components. If the processor is cooled by 10°C, it can double its life.

• By reducing the frequency of the processor. Since a computer doesn’t need to operate at the same speed all the time, the software will automatically adjust the clock speed as necessary.

• By putting the computer into standby, including forcing standby when it’s otherwise being prevented by a programme. Sleep time (and wake-up) is also user configurable.

IA-Kar has other interesting products, including a solution for mouse control for disabled people, which seems to be based on using the built-in webcam. There’s also a product called Kar Senior coming soon, but no details yet.

A couple of better known power management software suppliers have also announced significant wins his week. NightWatchman Enterprise, from UK-based 1E, has won a contract with airline catering company LSG Sky Chefs, headquartered in Germany. The company operates some 200 customer service centres in 52 countries and in 2011 produced about 492 million airline meals for more than 300 airlines worldwide.

Dirk Kröning, Vice President, Global IT Infrastructure, LSG Sky Chefs said that “Based on our pilot project, powering down our corporate PCs during non–work hours is expected to save LSG Sky Chefs approximately €70,000 per year. In other words, we’re saving almost 400,000 kWh of electricity, which is the same amount used by 35 homes in one year”. (That must be US homes, it would be twice the number in the UK – ed)

Verdiem, meanwhile, has successfully deployed its Surveyor energy management solution at Staffordshire University in the UK to help reduce power wastage across its estate of over 4,000 PCs for staff and students deployed across multiple sites.

Jay Burke, Senior IT Officer (Client Tech & App) Information Services, at the University said “Using Surveyor, we saw an immediate saving of 60% on student PC power usage and 25% on staff PCs. We’re now on course to achieve a full return on our Verdiem investment within a single year.”

 

The last point is the telling one. The payback on PC power management is short (many companies claim less than a year), so the products pay for themselves quickly as well as helping to minimise climate change.

What surprises me is that the market is still growing sufficiently for new companies to keep appearing - I’m coming across new names all the time. At one time it seemed that this was a market that would explode and then burn out fairly quickly, leaving all but a few major players. As yet, though, the market seems to be continuing along a steadier growth curve with competition still emerging. In the longer term they will all be fighting to make money as the competition hits prices and more and more functionality is built into operating systems and other software. Suppliers will need to diversify and for some power management is just one of a range of computer management solutions.

ITU and Telefónica Green IT Application Challenge

The ITU has asked me to remind readers that the second Green ICT Application Challenge is still open for entries. This is the competition to find the best and most innovative Concept Paper for an ICT application to help promote Sustainable Energy for All (It’s currently the International Year for Sustainable Energy for All).

The ITU ran the Application Challenge for the first time last year. It was won by a “Smart Recycling” application designed by Lis Lugo Colls, from Spain. The application helps mobile users locate recycling and garbage bins within their area and provide advice generally on recycling.

This year the competition is being run by the ITU and Telefónica. In line with the ‘sustainable energy for all’ theme, the competition is looking to build on the role of ICT in transforming energy distribution in technologies such as smart grid, smart metering, renewable energy, electric vehicles, etc. all of which allow people to exert more direct control over the energy they use. The ITU wants entrants to submit Concept Papers suggesting new ways in which users can improve their own energy efficiency.

The author of the best, most innovative Concept Paper will win a cash prize of $3,000. The Challenge is open to individuals from Member States of the ITU and the prize will be presented in Paris on 18 September during the 2nd ITU Green Standards Week. Note that the competition was due to close in April, but you now have until May 31 to submit an entry. Full details are here.

ICT and broadband – the key to a low-carbon economy

The Broadband Commission has published a report putting its weight behind the view that ICT, supported by broadband communications, is an essential part of moving to a low-carbon economy.

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development was set up in 2010 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation (UNESCO). The Commission comprises government leaders and the high-level representatives and leaders from relevant industries and international agencies and development organisations.

The report, called The Broadband Bridge – Linking ICT with climate action for a low-carbon economy, says that broadband has a vital role to play in three key areas related to climate change:

• Transformation: helping other sectors of society to reduce greenhouse gases through dematerialisation, such as substituting travel with online collaboration or books with e-books.

• Climate mitigation: reducing the ICT sector’s own emissions, such as developing low-energy products and solutions.

• Climate adaptation: changes in processes, practices and structures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems to climate change impacts.

There are more details on each of these sections in the report. (The overview of adaptation is particularly interesting – it’s an area not often discussed)

The 40-page report goes on to set out the challenges, actions to date and follows up with some government case studies.

It concludes with some specific recommendations for what governments, organisations and corporations need to do to ensure that ICT/broadband achieves its low-carbon potential. The main message is that the various stakeholders need to work together and that a lack of awareness about ICT and broadband’s enabling role is a key challenge. To set things going the organisation came up with 10 specific recommendations, primarily aimed at governments, which are summarised below:

1. Adopt a long-term National Broadband Plan/Strategy and consciously connect this to your climate goals.

2. Bring convergence to ICT policy formulation so that it aligns with other policy areas.

3. Ensure regulatory certainty to create a framework of investment certainty.

4. Drive cross-ministry collaboration and integrated decision-making and use government procurement to send the right market signals.

5. Remove the policy barriers hindering research and investment in 21st century ICT-based infrastructure and low carbon solutions.

6. Encourage the take-up of low-carbon solutions by rewarding or incentivising consumer behaviours.

7. Fund and facilitate scalable pilots to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of broadband as a low-carbon enabler.

8. Form partnerships across public, private and non-governmental sectors and industries to help develop a collaborative mindset.

9. Develop metrics and standards for calculating both ICT’s environmental impacts and the positive contribution it can make to other sectors.

10. Share knowledge and raise awareness.

 

The report provides useful support to the view that ICT can make a real contribution to a low-carbon economy, something that government often seem to acknowledge but then make policy that only categorises ICT as a problem, not part of the solution. Much of what’s in the report has been said before, in one form or another, but it’s well worth repeating.

My only criticism is that there is a confusion between ICT and broadband in the report, which tends to confuse, if not dilute the message. It’s understandable, given that it comes from the Broadband Commission, but the report is really talking about ICT. Broadband is one (very important) aspect of green ICT.

DECC publishes smart meter programme update

Last week DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) released its latest update on what’s happening in the UK’s smart meter implementation programme, including recent conclusions and further consultations. The documents published are here, and you can also find more on various aspects of the programme by searching The Green IT Review.

Among the highlights of the announcements were:

• The Government will require all energy suppliers to complete their smart meter rollout by 31 December 2019. The view is that this is a ‘challenging but achievable’ timescale.

• There will no exemptions in relation to early installations of domestic smart-type meters that do not meet the technical specifications.

• The initial version of the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications (SMETS) has been developed and will be published shortly.

• The SMETS does not specify the communications technology to be used by the equipment, for example for the Home Area Network (HAN). However, HAN technology utilised by suppliers must be based on open standards. In the meantime, the Government is undertaking a series of trials of different technology standards that could be used for the HAN.

• To ensure consumers receive the full benefits from the implementation programme, the Government will require energy suppliers to utilise the functionality of smart meters when installed.

• Suppliers’ licences will include the fact that there can be no sales concluded during the smart meter installation visit and that the consumer must agree in advance to any face-to-face marketing activity.

• The Government is proposing that, with the exception of monthly data required for billing, consumers should have a choice over the level of data that suppliers can access. Suppliers can collect daily data (for any purpose other than marketing) unless the consumer objects. For half-hourly data (or data to be used for marketing) consumers will have to explicitly opt in.

 

One issue that has resulted from recent announcements on the technical specification of smart meters is that they need to upgradeable without being replaced. (I’m not sure whether this is explicitly spelled out in the recent documents – I couldn’t find it - or an implication of various comments). Anyway, the Daily Telegraph reported that as a result British Gas will have to replace many of the 400,000 smart meters it has installed in UK homes. The company hasn’t said how many would need to be changed or at what cost. As the paper pointed out, British Gas opted to begin the smart meter roll-out two years ago so it could be ‘ahead of the game’.

Mark England, CEO of smart meter technology company Sentec, gave his view:

“As announced this week, DECC has made a sensible move in its new technical specifications requiring smart meters to be capable of field upgrades. This is a vital function for the success of future smart meter rollout, and a great example of this roll-out model can been seen in the successful proliferation of FreeView decoders and digital TV’s in the UK which, once installed, the vast majority are updated in-situ.”

“The news has come a little late for some, with British Gas needing to replace around 200,000 smart meters that cannot currently receive system upgrades remotely. The ability to future proof smart meters is a critical consideration for those still planning their smart meter rollout and something we have long been championing. With much fragmentation in the market and until now, little guidance from the government, companies must plan now to avoid costly revisions when the roll-out is in full swing.”

There’s clearly still a lot of potential for controversy in the smart meter implementation programme, not officially scheduled to start until 2014.

P&G provides sustainability assessment tool at no cost

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is to make its Excel-based environmental sustainability scorecard analysis tool freely available to other companies. The tool measures environmental sustainability metrics across the supply chain to identify progress and opportunities for improvement.

P&G is hoping that giving the tool away will encourage other companies to improve their environmental footprint because they won’t have to invest in any analysis software. “We’re taking every step we can to help others make their supply chain more sustainable,” said Larry Loftus, Director of Purchases Capability & Strategy and lead designer of the scorecard. “We believe we have a useful process and tools and we want others to benefit from that.”

The tool, together with training modules, is available here.

The Scorecard Analysis Tool is the latest part of P&G’s Supply Chain Environmental Sustainability Scorecard to be made available. P&G has been using the Scorecard for some time to improve the environmental footprint of its supply chain as well as encouraging suppliers to make environmental improvements in their own supply chains. The Scorecard measures absolute or intensity improvements in nine key metrics, including energy use, water use, waste disposal and greenhouse gas emissions, on a year-to-year basis. Its results affect a supplier’s rating, which can impact future business with P&G.

P&G has also reported its first year-on-year data analysis from using the tool, which revealed that:

• The greatest improvements in the Company’s environmental footprint came with its logistics and chemicals suppliers.

• Nearly half of the companies earning the highest rating came from Europe.

• Suppliers from developing markets such as China, India and Brazil tended to show the most improvement, with US suppliers not far behind.

• The two measurable areas with the greatest improvement were Hazardous Waste and Water Usage. Direct Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Scope 1) and Fuel Energy were tied for third.

• Overall, when combining all suppliers and categories, there was an improvement in 55% of the measurable categories.

 

For P&G the Scorecard is one aspect of a sustainability effort across the company that has led to nearly $1bn in bottom-line operational savings. Making the Scorecard available to other companies may well help kick-start similar efforts elsewhere.

P&G reports that feedback from its suppliers ‘remains encouraging’. I guess the impact on suppliers largely depends on how the Scorecard is implemented. It really needs to be seen as a means to encourage suppliers rather than a stick with which to beat them. Alongside its sustainability assessment P&G offers its suppliers operational/technical support, learning forums, including the opportunity to learn from other P&G external business partners, and, if asked, strategy and policy idea exchange sessions with senior level P&G sustainability leaders.

The GSMA is working with India’s Bharti Infratel to turn mobile towers green

GSMA, the mobile operators’ industry association, and Bharti Infratel, which provides telecom infrastructure in India, have agreed to work together to develop and promote green technologies for telecom towers.

Bharti Infratel owns over 33,000 of India’s estimated 400,000 towers, including nearly 9,000 off-grid. The company has already converted over 10,500 sites to alternative back-up power, with 1,350 of them now on solar hybrid. Working with GSMA, 1,000 more towers will go green, reducing greenhouse gas carbon emissions by almost 11,000 tonnes as a result of using less diesel fuel.

Infratel’s existing GreenTowers initiative has been running for almost two years. It’s an energy efficiency and alternate energy programme aimed at reducing diesel usage and carbon emissions. The GSMA has its own Green Power for Mobile programme, supported by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), which works to promote and institutionalise green power in a number of markets including India.

Chris Locke, Managing Director, GSMA Development Fund said “Using the insights gained from our partnership with Bharti Infratel, we will produce a best practice guide and case study which we hope will lead to widespread industry change as the industry follows Bharti Infratel’s lead.”

 

India is certainly a good place to implement cost and energy savings in mobile infrastructure. It’s a rapidly expanding mobile market and the GSMA also recently predicted that India will become the second largest mobile broadband market, behind China, within the next four years. With much of the infrastructure off-grid there’s significant savings to be made in the fuel used to power these sites, as well as available renewable alternatives, particularly solar.

It means it’s a great test-bed for best practice in making towers more energy efficient and integrating renewable energy. And the GSMA is in the position to spread the message.

CarrierNet provides live sustainability indicators for logistics operations

Deltion has released version 6 of its CarrierNet transport management solution aimed at reducing logistics operation costs and improving sustainability. UK-based Deltion claims that CarrierNet was the first software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solution. With the latest version, the software makes it easier to identify ways to save costs and minimise environmental impacts.

New features include a real-time dashboard that gives visibility of what is going on in the transport operation. The dashboard’s needle gauges and charts give an overview of information on such things as empty running, load fill, asset utilisation, depot performance and load builds.

The live screen map allows a user to look at a route and gauge the efficiency of each part of it. A ‘traffic light’ ranking system will display a leg of the route in green if it is running full, amber if there is a load on board that could be optimised and red when it’s empty. (Users can set their own parameters driving the traffic lights). The map also identifies what loads are available around that route.



The new version of CarrierNet also makes greater use of interactive maps in planning. Users can see and modify actions on a map and get instant indicators of whether the modifications will help avoid empty or low running mileage.


The efficient management of loads and routes is the most critical aspect of any logistics operation, given the cost implications of running with a partial or empty load. Issues of carbon emissions have just made the concern more acute.

Strategies to optimise loads are not new, but the whole process is becoming simpler to manage through software like this. The SaaS approach means that the solution can be shared across the company, simple to read and assess dashboards allow for fast alerts to issues, and testing solutions with interactive maps makes it quick and easy to address problems.

Like many green ICT solutions, its not revolutionary, just a question of pulling all the pieces together.

O2 HQ works from home for a day

Mobile phone company O2 has released the results of a flexible working pilot. It’s the result of an experiment the company conducted in early February in which the entire head office work force was asked to work away from the office for a day. A quarter of O2’s 12,000 employees worked remotely as the doors were shut and lights turned off at the HQ.

The purpose was not primarily about sustainability, though. The idea was to push the boundaries of what is possible through flexible working, particularly in the light of the expected travel disruption London is expecting during the Olympic Games this summer.

In the event more than 2,500 people worked away from the office with only 125 essential staff left in the building (plus one person who apparently didn’t know anything about the pilot). Everyone who needed to get online and communicate was able to do so and 88% of staff said that they were at least as productive as on a normal day at the office. In fact 36% claimed to have been more productive, while 16% slept a bit longer than usual and 14% spent additional time with their families.

The IT infrastructure stood up well, although there had been specific preparations and training for the day. In all 80% of the workforce used the company’s VPN, with a peak of 162% of normal traffic, and instant messaging was up over 40%, but the helpdesk had a normal day.

The environmental impact was a saving of 12.2 tonnes of CO₂e emissions (equivalent to 42,000 miles in a diesel car), which helped with O2’s three year sustainability plan. A total of 2,000 hours of commuting time was saved – an average of 45 minutes per employee – with an overall cost saving of £9000 to employees, mostly in commuting. The company’s electricity consumption decreased by 12% (although it would have increased a lot at employees homes) and there was a 53% drop in water usage.

 

Of course the more people that work from home the more they’re likely to use their mobile phones, so this ‘pilot’ is as much a marketing exercise as anything else. O2 said that it hoped the exercise would showcase the business case for flexible working.

Nonetheless, O2 itself claims to have saved over £3m in overheads through its flexible working methods, in line with the company’s three year plan. The plan’s aim is to help over 125,000 employees work flexibly and collectively save over 500,000 miles of travel and over 160,000 thousand tonnes of carbon emissions.

But it has to be said that calculating the environmental savings from flexible working is neither obvious nor straightforward. For example, gas usage in O2’s HQ building increased slightly on the work-from-home day, probably due to the loss of body heat in the building. If this were part of a longer-term plan you would expect a downsizing of the HQ so heating costs would decrease. On the other hand, there would have been a significant increase in the energy used by employees at home.

The bottom line is that savings will depend very much on the type of company and employees, its location and transportation routes, since commuting is the main savings. What the pilot tried to show is that flexible working will work on a large scale. The added benefit is in the time saved for employees - a happier workforce is also a more productive workforce.