March 2009 Archives

Today Hewlett Packard announced the launch of a new line of environmentally conscious and efficient personal computers called Z. Aside from the standard gains in performance and aesthetics, including physical size, that typify a normal PC line upgrade, the Z series delivers improved energy efficiency and serviceability.

The new Z series computers will be the first to use Intel Nehalem processors including the Xeon 5500 series which represents a substantial boost in performance. In order to support the gains in hardware performance the Z series is built on a completely new line of chassis created by BMW DesignWorks. These new computer cases offer more than visual appeal, aluminum housings disipate heat more easily and are lighter and more durable than plastic. The aluminum case is also more recyclable. Inside the case components have been laid out in modules which can more easily be serviced. This design choice eliminates the need for bundles of wires and in our opinion is more forward looking than older "disposable" designs that were less easy to upgrade and fix. The Z line was designed with elegance and simplicity in mind and can be serviced tool free primarily with the user's fingers (instead of screw drivers), although the concern of electro static disscharge ESD may still be an issue.

In terms of efficiency gains the new Z series is said to run two decibels quieter at idle than older PC's and 1db quieter while loading. All of the new Z models are EPEAT certified at the silver or bronze level which means they meet a set of performance criteria to reduce environmental impact. They also meet the new Energy Star 5.0 qualification which puts them ahead of industry standards. One way they accomplish this is in using an HP exclusive feature called WattSaver that manages power when the computer is sleeping or turned off. Additionally, new power supplies used in the Z lineup are between 85% and 89% more efficient and produce significantly less heat. At end of life the workstations are 90% recycleable by weight. To learn more visit the official HP workstation page here.

While studying at the California Institute of Nanotechnology under Dr. William Kao, once a professor at UCLA and employee of both Xerox and Cadence, I was presented with a list of the top ten challenges facing humanity in the coming decades. To my surprise, energy was the number one challenge followed closely by water. A bit lower was terrorism and war. Considering the change in focus (from war to energy) that the current Obama administration has set out, I feel optimistic that we can rise to the challenge that energy presents. Unfortunately I am unable to cite this list and may have to defer to Dr Kao directly.

Humanity's top ten problems for the next 50 years:

1. Energy - the largest projected source of clean energy in the next 50 years is geothermal. In the USA more than 90% of energy used comes from fossil fuels with less than 8% from renewable resources. If world energy consumption continues to grow at 2.8% consumption of energy will double from 336 trillion BTU's to 672 BTU's in 25 years. 66% of the world's fossil fuels are located in the middle east. Following is an estimate of fossil fuel use and depletion: Gas fuels ie. propane will be depleted in 60 years. Petrol fuels such as oil will be depleated in 40 years. Coal will be depleated in 200 years but is the most harmful fuel on our environment and will definitely increase global warming.
2. Water
3. Food
4. Environment - so far the Earth's temperature has risen one degree as a result of increased greenhouse gasses. As polar ice caps melt and ocean levels rise a one foot vertical increase is the equivalent of ten horizontal feet of reclaimed land (due to tides and storms).
5. Poverty
6. Terrorism and War
7. Disease
8. Education
9. Democracy
10. Population

Population data and trends projected to 2050:

• 2003 World Population 6.3 Billion People
• 2009 World Population Estimated at 6.8 Billion
• 2050 World Population 9.5 Billion People

While this isn't exactly clean technology news, we feel that it's an important announcement and want to offer our support to the natural parks in California where the CleanTech Authority Network is based. After all, part of the reason we care so much about clean technology is that we enjoy the natural wonders of wilderness and state parks that it helps preserve.

This past Monday we received a note from the California State Parks Foundation describing the struggles and hardships they have endured over the past several years. Budget cuts causing backlogs in maintenance worth $1.2 billion and a recent funding cut of 10% proposed by Governer Schwarzenegger. The proposed 10% cut would force the closing of 48 parks over the next year and a half. Even as parks remain open, facilities, trails and resources are becoming increasingly strained as funding wanes.

The proactive solution that has been worked out is to attract more attention and funding for the parks by lowering the introductory membership rate from $40 to just $25. This emergency membership drive seems like a great deal to us and we encourage everyone in California who loves camping and hiking to visit the CSPF website at http://www.calparks.org/join/newmember.html and join up.

The $25 membership includes free day-use passes to over 200 parks, an official map of all state parks, the California Parklands newsletter, and a subscription to Sunset Magazine (which you can choose to waive in order to allocate more money and resources to the State Park Foundation).

In addition to the membership offer outlined above, the letter we recieved also included a petition form addressed to the Governer urging him to maintain funding for the parks which are the largest provider of educational programs outside of the public school system in California. That's quite an amazing statement considering the number of private schools and other training centers across the state.

The funding from new memberships will be shared between the parks themselves, the restoration and protection of cultural and historical assets within the park system, and educational programs curently in place. One such program, Coast Alive! brings thousands of children to coastal parks to learn about marine ecology each year.

To become a member of California State Parks go here