There is a considerable co-responsibility for reducing total CO2 emissions using greener IT solutions. In many cases, this can be brought about via changes in IT use on various levels, both in relation to environmentally correct server rooms and greener hardware and software. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is launching a number of initiatives to bring ordinary people, companies and authorities on board in relation to greener IT solutions.
The necessary changes in behaviour can only be brought about via increased focus on intelligent solutions in all of the sectors relying heavily on IT. Considerable reductions can be obtained, while new, more energy-efficient solutions can be developed at the same time.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Technology and Innovation aims to gather and demonstrate the best practices in the field and share the positive stories that can make the activities of Danish companies more energy-efficient.
The already-existing good experiences of Danish companies with Green IT must therefore be accumulated. It is important that this body of experience be used to provide a sense of what works well and what does not in relation to greener solutions regarding IT use. This can include greener IT solutions in connection with server rooms, home offices, the procurement of so-called AutoPowerOff plug banks, or entirely new ideas or models for solutions relating to IT.
The result of collecting experience in collaboration with the IT trade organizations is the production of a brief catalogue of ideas for use by companies interested in developing a greener IT profile.
Figure 3 – Companies with IT-telework, number of employees.
Since 2002, there has been a marked increase in the use of telework in Danish companies, e.g. via home offices. The larger companies in particular have opened up for telework. This saves on transportation and therefore also on CO2 emissions.
Remote access to company email systems is usually easier to establish than remote access to the other IT systems. It must therefore be assumed that remote access typically includes access to the company email system, but not always to the other IT systems. These calculations cover companies with at least ten employees. 2004-2006 refers to January, 2002 until the end of the year.
Source: Statistics Denmark, Danish corporate use of IT 2006.
Denmark is known for being on the forefront with numerous innovative solutions. Gathering experiences is therefore an important step in the further development of green corporate profiles.
Did you know…
about Climate Savers Computing, an interesting initiative from the IT business? This initiative has been launched by Intel and Google, and its supporters include Microsoft and Dell, working together with the World Wild Fund for Nature. The aim of the group is to exploit computer use to bring about voluntary reductions in CO2 emissions amounting to 54 million tons annually, corresponding to the annual emissions from 11 million automobiles.13
Companies are increasingly marketing themselves in environmental tones, including greener IT solutions. An ever-increasing aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) deals with environmental conditions.
In addition to strengthening their profile, corporations are able to achieve a considerable savings on energy consumption. Working together with the IT trade organizations, a number of initiatives are therefore being launched that aim to reinforce the corporate focus on this area.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) defines the social, ethical and environmental responsibility of corporations.
Denmark is one of the leading IT nations in the world. Some of the most enthusiastic users of IT are children and young people. It is therefore vital to focus on their use of IT in relation to energy conservation.
Children and young people represent the largest group of private IT consumers, and they are the group that accepts the new technology the fastest. It is the younger generation – a generation often referred to as digital natives – that will come to form the use of IT in the future.
Digital natives describes the generation that has grown up with digital technology, such as computers, cell phones and MP3.
In this connection, it is necessary to target information to the youth about Green IT use. There are opportunities to get the youth involved using computer games, Internet gaming in virtual forums, or campaigns using digital communities. Facebook and MySpace are examples of digital communities.
Figure 4 – IT products used in the general population – 2006.
The population has access to a great number of different IT products that they either own or have access to in their homes.
Source: Statistics Denmark, Danish corporate use of IT 2006.
Public companies must take the lead in the use of Green IT solutions.
Environmental requirements are already part of the procurement arrangements made by the Danish state and municipalities. The objective is to use these procurement arrangements to save DKK 150 million on electricity use over a three-year period via the purchase of energy-saving equipment. This experience is to contribute to raising the environmental requirements in future procurement arrangements.
Increased use of AutoPowerOff plug banks for computers in the public sector can contribute to reducing energy consumption. AutoPowerOff plug banks turn off all appliances at the same time, thereby reducing the standby consumption.
Click to save energy
An AutoPowerOff plug bank is akin to an intelligent extension cord that automatically turns off screens, modems, printers, scanners and anything else when you turn off your computer. By using an AutoPowerOff plug bank, the individual consumer can typically save DKK 150-200 on the annual electricity bill.
An AutoPowerOff plug bank costs from DKK 50.
For more, see www.elsparefonden.dk
These guidelines will also include recommendations about how the server room is to be designed most appropriately. Servers are among the equipment using the most energy in modern companies. The Danish Electricity Saving Trust estimates that the average Danish workplace consumes electricity for DKK 100,000-200,000 annually on server rooms alone.
Considerable environmental gains can be achieved by designing server rooms appropriately. The Danish Electricity Saving Trust estimates that electricity consumption can be reduced by one-third to one-half without compromising security.14
For example, the air that is ventilated out of the server room has a temperature of 30-35°C. This warm air can be ventilated to the building’s heat recovery unit and used to heat the fresh air vented into the other rooms in the building.
Figure 5: The distribution of electricity consumption in a server room.
The following equipment is typically found in a server room: Servers: CPUs and hard disks use the most energy. Approximately 60 per cent of the electricity consumed in the server room goes to these units.
Various IT equipment: typically includes backup systems, screens etc. Roughly 10 per cent of the electricity goes to such units. Cooling equipment: roughly 30 per cent of the electricity consumption is used in the refrigeration equipment.
Source: The Danish Electricity Saving Trust
Increased use of laptop computers and thin clients in public authorities can also provide a considerable environmental saving, as they generally use far less power than desktop computers do.
Thin clients
A thin client is a very simple computer that must be linked up to a server in order to work.
The computer itself contains very little equipment and therefore uses very little electricity. The electricity consumption is instead centralized in larger server rooms, which provides economy-of-scale savings and efficiency gains.
The use of thin clients enables savings on electricity. The Danish Electricity Saving Trust thus estimates that thin clients save between 30 and 80 per cent in relation to stationary computers.
However, thin clients require a terminal server with a constant electricity consumption of 300-600 watts. If the company does not already have a terminal server, it does not always pay to switch to thin clients.
Increased focus on home offices makes it possible to save on transportation and CO2 emissions. The workplace of the future is flexible. Video conferencing, virtual meetings, e-learning and telework ought to gain a more prominent place in the public and private sectors alike.
Green IT is not merely a question of using the correct, environmentally friendly hardware. It is important that authorities consider the possibility that environmentally friendly software also plays a central role. For example, software can be used for the efficient regulation of the power used by the hardware. Moreover, different software requires different amounts of energy. It can therefore be appropriate to integrate efficient software in the public sector IT.
The IT strategies adopted by public authorities ought to include plans for reducing the environmental impact resulting from IT use. The guidelines for Green IT for public authorities will cover the most important aspects of the environmentally correct use of IT. As such, the guidelines provide instructions for how the public sector can best procure IT equipment while simultaneously granting consideration to their budget and the environment.
Did you know…
that the Danish public sector wastes DKK 4 million worth of electricity on a daily basis, much of which could be saved using simple measures?15
The purchase of energy-saving and energy-reducing electronic equipment involves a number of one-time expenses. However, these one-time expenses can pay for themselves via the expected savings on energy consumption and the environmental benefits.
The main focus of the guidelines will be to provide comprehensive instructions for how authorities in the public sector can make their IT use more efficient from an environmental perspective.
Percentage of ’paperless’ cases. 2003-2007
Percentage of public authorities with electronic document management
Electronic document management is understood as a system that supports the process of the case between employees
Figure 6 – the percentage of so-called paperless cases has increased significantly since 2003. The percentage of public bodies with electronic document management that deal with at least every second case in a paperless manner thus increased from 34 per cent in 2003 to 57 per cent in 2007.
Source: The Use of IT in the Public Sector 2007, Statistics Denmark.
The plan is for the IT operations and support, including the maintenance and operations of the state servers, to be gathered in massive server centres. In connection with the planned establishment of these administrative collectives, efficient and energy-friendly IT use ought to play a vital role.
These attempts at increasing efficiency can benefit from intelligent power regulation, the increased virtualization of servers and use of communication technology for virtual meetings over great distances instead of business trips.
Did you know…
that an international study has concluded that if 20 per cent of all business travels in the EU were replaced by innovative IT solutions, 25 million tons of CO2 could be saved annually?16
Finally, the guidelines will also provide advice about how public bodies are to deal with the disposal of electronic garbage; the so-called e-waste.
“e-waste” or "Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment" ("WEEE") is electronic garbage. E-waste can include obsolete, defective or discarded electronic equipment.
The guidelines are to help public authorities to include Green IT in all phases of IT products from cradle to grave. Recommendation will be made to all of the state authorities to make use of the guidelines to promote Green IT.
The guidelines can also serve as the basis for international work with disseminating ideas and technology based on Green IT.
Did you know…
that Greenpeace has estimated that globally 50 million tons of electronic equipment are disposed of annually. Most of this waste is not recycled.17
It is important that ordinary people, companies and public authorities can easily acquire a picture of how much power is consumed in connection with IT use. It must be possible to access information about energy consumption and CO2 emissions easily and quickly.
Did you know…
that a country such as the United Kingdom, which Denmark normally compares itself with, uses ten per cent of its energy on IT?18
A so-called knowledge base for CO2 emissions from IT use is going to be established. The knowledge base is to provide the individual citizen, company or public authority with access to measurements for how much energy is being used and how much CO2 is produced.
The knowledge base will be made digitally accessible via the Internet and will compare the various existing accounts so that the users can easily calculate their CO2 emissions.
The knowledge base will also include advice about electricity consumption, thereby also cutting down on CO2.
Example of CO2 calculations:
The Jensen family has one desktop and one laptop computer. They are used 6½ and 4½ hours per day, respectively, consume 593 kWh and 41 kWh annually, corresponding to 0.3 and tons and 0.02 tons of CO2.
Company X has 75 desktop computers that are used eight hours daily. Each consumes 210 kWh annually, corresponding to approximately 7.8 tons CO2.
Governing Body X has 250 desktop computers and 75 laptop computers. Each consumes 120 and 25 kWh annually, respectively, thereby producing roughly 26 and 1.65 tons of CO2.
The content of the knowledge base will be developed along the same lines and on the background of existing tools from The Danish Electricity Saving Trust and the Climate and Energy Ministry, which can be found at:
Energi saving and IT
More good advice about IT and Energi Saving can be found at www.elsparefonden.dk
13 http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/media/whitepaper11302007.pdf, p. 4.
14 http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-og-erhverv/produkter/it-og-kontorudstyr/servere/kom-godt-i-gang
15 http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-og-erhverv/kom-godt-i-gang?nm_extag=Link=,Fane_offentligogerhverv,Fane,
16 Global Action Plan 2007: An Inefficient Truth, p. 6.
17 http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/the-e-waste-problem
18 Global Action Plan 2007: An Inefficient Truth, p. 3
This page forms part of the publication 'Action Plan for Green IT in Denmark' as chapter 3 of 5
Version 1.0. 03-06-2008
© National IT- and Telecom Agency 2008