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To learn more about ITI's work and position on Energy, please visit
http://www.itic.org/policy/energy
http://www.itic.org/policy/energy
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Data centers are the workhorses of the latest wave of ICT innovation: cloud computing, the rapid expansion of mobile technology, and the shift from physical media to digital streaming. None would be possible without data centers. However, there is a consequence, namely the growing energy and water use of data centers and the stress that places on the larger system. Industry has responded swiftly by [...]
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Yesterday eBay Inc. formally opened its new Salt Lake City data center – a world class facility that is on track to help facilitate an estimated $300 billion in enabled commerce volume by 2015. Long story short, eBay is proving that environmental considerations can go hand-in-hand with good business strategy, and many transactions on eBay and PayPal will now be a little bit greener. The data center [...]
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Back in July, the Department of Energy issued "Proposed Determinations" of computers and servers as "covered consumer products," a key step in imposing new DOE energy efficiency regulations on these products. ITI last week responded in opposition. Our comment letters can be found here and here. ITI sees an important role for the U.S. government in energy efficiency, but not what DOE was proposing. [...]
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As we enter an increasingly digital and mobile economy, the promise of greater operational efficiency for businesses, consumers, and governments is obvious. So, too, is the need for greater reliance on data centers. What may not be as obvious is what this means for a cleaner, greener future, or, as Google queried at their large forum earlier this year, how green is the internet? I expect to have [...]
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Congress comes back in session this week facing a critical countdown that could result in American businesses losing access to the Federal Helium Reserve – by far, the largest single supply of helium in the nation. That’s because the federal government’s authority to sell helium from the Reserve ends on October 7, 2013, which means Congress needs to act before then to keep the reserve open – and American [...]
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This blog was originally published on The Breakthrough. Mark Mills’ recent report “The Cloud Begins with Coal” has received much attention in the past weeks, but largely for its comparison of the energy use of an iPhone versus a refrigerator. This factoid has become a distraction. Aside from his dependence on dubious statistics, Mills erroneously ignores the real benefits technology provides in combating [...]
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This blog was originally published at koomey.com. Joe Romm at Climate Progress was good enough to post my analysis of the recent claim that your iPhone uses as much electricity as two refrigerators. This issue was highlighted in Friday’s edition of NPR’s Marketplace program, which thankfully didn’t fall into the false balance trap that many journalists find irresistible. Here’s the short summary [...]
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This piece was originally posted by Schneider Electric. In a year of political impasse where we can’t agree on a budget, immigration reform or gun control, an area of agreement and bi-partisan support has emerged; energy efficiency. Depending on which side of the aisle you sit, energy efficiency either gets support as a job creator, a reducer of government waste or a step forward towards solving our [...]
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Xi Jinping mentioned the new political slogan “the Chinese dream” numerous times in his first speech to the nation as the President of China in March 2013. But what does it mean? To put the dream into practice, it appears the Chinese government’s first priorities are to improve food safety and address the pollution problem in China. In response to the toxic smog in Beijing and other major cities, [...]
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Nearly 200 company representatives from several industry sectors participated in our first-ever ITI Sustainability Series – product policy and compliance seminars held in Round Rock, Tex., Santa Clara, Calif., and Schaumburg, Ill. Many thanks to our hosts – Dell, Intel, and Motorola Solutions, respectively – and to the diverse speakers who shared their expertise at the seminars. We presented the seminars [...]