What is green computing and can you balance performance with sustainability?
With buzzwords like "going green" and "carbon footprint" floating around, it's no wonder that sustainability has become a major global issue.
In this drive for sustainable development, the IT world is not left out. Efforts are being made to make computing more environmentally friendly, hence the name "green computing".
This article will explore what green
computing is, how it affects design, and whether performance and sustainability
can be balanced.
What is green computing?
Green computing is a term that has been around for a while, but what does it mean?
In simple terms, green computing is a method of designing, producing and using computers that minimizes the impact on the environment.
It can also be defined as any form of energy-saving computing, including using less electricity, using renewable energy to generate electricity, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
For example, green computing discourages
wasteful practices, such as running equipment continuously when it is only used
intermittently.
What technologies are involved in green computing?
There are several technologies that enable
green computing. These include green manufacturing, green design, green use and
green disposal. Now let's look at these techniques in detail.
Green Manufacturing
Green manufacturing is the process of being green from the start. This involves using green materials and minimizing power consumption during production.
For a green system to be manufactured, its components should be free of harmful chemicals such as halogenated flame retardants. It should also have components that meet stringent energy efficiency standards (such as Energy Star) and green building standards (such as LEED) certified by environmental groups.
Green Design
Designing a green system involves making green decisions during the design process to improve the green attributes of the system. These green decisions should consider energy efficiency, environmentally friendly materials, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing energy use.
Some green decisions involve evaluating a computer's life cycle during the design process. For example, green computing will focus on designing systems with longer lifespans so they are not replaced as often. It also aims to consider how the system will be used in its design.
Green computers should also be recyclable and use less energy in transport. Create a sustainable product cycle from the start of manufacture until its components can be recycled into new computers.
Green Use
"Green use" technology involves using the computer in the most energy-efficient way possible. For example, the user should not deal with excessive waiting when starting the computer. The speed of the computer should also meet the needs of the user so that battery power is not wasted.
Ensuring green use also includes the correct and efficient use of green systems. For example, green computing recommends turning off computers when not in use to reduce wasted energy.
Other simple things to do include turning off the computer screen or even adjusting its power settings to consume less energy while still running, which is also green computing technology.
Green Disposal
Green computing disposal refers to recycling computers in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner. It also means making sure the computer can be recycled into a new computer or other product.
How does the need for green computing affect design?
Green computing affects design in several ways. For example, green computing requires meeting energy demands through power management features such as sleep modes and green technologies such as low-voltage processors, which require less electricity to operate.
Another way that green computing affects design is that green equipment is recycled or reused rather than thrown away, which provides green technology for other green equipment.
A third way that green computing affects design is green manufacturing, which assumes efficient use of resources based on environmental impact. This means that manufacturing processes should be designed to maximize reuse and recycling of materials, or should minimize any harmful effects during production or assembly.
Balancing green computing and performance
Although green computing aims to reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions, it is sometimes inconsistent with performance.
For example, a green computing machine may implement a power setting that results in slower system performance than the user expects. It also means that the design components of green computers may not be as powerful as other consumer electronics products.
However, green computing is not at odds with performance, as the goal of green computing is to use computers in the most efficient way possible, not to purposely slow them down for the sake of sustainability.
This is underscored by the percentage of energy spent actually computing compared to the energy spent powering the computer. For example, according to a paper published in the International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology (IJERT), of the $250 billion used annually to power computers globally, “only about 15 percent of electricity goes to computation—the rest wasted on idleness.”
The main goal of green computing is to reduce the energy use and environmental impact of computers. Performance sometimes suffers, but green computing is not incompatible with performance; green computers can still have high performance if designed properly.
Green computing is more about designing
high-quality computers that meet user needs than designing low-performance
computers.
Any tradeoffs, even small ones?
Yes. Green computing requires tradeoffs. The main trade-off is that green computing may require users to sacrifice some performance for green usage. However, this does not mean a complete loss of performance or the user's ability to access high-performance features.
For most users, the performance difference is likely to be negligible. If you don't notice any difference when switching from optimal to power saver mode on your PC, the performance drop is probably negligible for you.
Green computing protects the environment
Green computing requires green technologies to reduce energy waste, green processing methods to protect the environment, green manufacturing, efficient use of resources, and efficient power management to save electricity. It's not inconsistent with performance, but it may require users to sacrifice some negligible performance for green features.