More United Kigndom IP Communications Stories

The global recession has propelled U.S. businesses and consumers to reassess needs that are essential and those that can be cut back – and is evidently the impetus for greater investment in so-called "green technology."

 

The U.K. government said Wednesday it will devote more than $330 million in new environmental technology as part of an effort to cut the nation's greenhouse gas emission, according to Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, Bloomberg (News - Alert) reported.

 

Mandelson’s report released today – known as the "Low Carbon Industrial Strategy" – defines the government’s plans for ensuring that the United Kingdom maximizes the economic opportunities and minimizes the costs of moving to a low carbon economy. According to the report, 400,000 jobs stand to be created out of this initiative. Mandelson was not available for immediate comment.

 

The United Kingdom has, through the Climate Change Act, become the first country in the world to adopt a legally binding target to reduce carbon emissions – by at least 26 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050, according to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

 

Significant advances have been made and are being made to reduce the overall IT infrastructural carbon footprint here in the United States as well.

 

Datamonitor reported this week in its study, “Can Green IT Bloom in an Economic Downturn?” that the recession has forced vendors and technologists to innovate in such a way that equipment delivers more, costs less, and, most important, consumes the least possible electricity. Their research uncovered that lean IT budgets will likely be the norm in 2009, and that organizations will predominately seek green IT solutions because they’re cost-effective.

 

Many U.S. companies are exploring the possibility to switch to Direct Current (DC) rather than the high cost and carbon generating Alternating Current (AC). At least one known company houses DC power plants and offers the option of DC power that is considered an attractive option for companies who need high-equipment densities to house rich digital content.

 

The report, “Power, Proximity Peak Performances Propel Profits” revealed that firms in the financial market were still spending at the rate of $1.8 billion per year on servers, power and cooling solutions. Even though super quick two-way communication is a vital parameter, 82 percent of respondents surveyed claimed that even the smallest additional expenditure on power was the cause for maximum concern and seen as the number one reason for reducing profit margins.