HOT AND GREEN

Log in: Environment. Password: Green. With the fear of an apocalyptic meltdown due to global warming ingrained in our systems, people are looking at ways in which individuals can contribute their mite to ushering in Earth-friendly practices. Well, what is the most ubiquitous device in people’s lives now? The computer, of course. An eco-conscious executive will, therefore, want to balance the need for energy-consuming computers against the necessity of being eco-friendly.

Fortunately, it is not only individuals but also Corporates who have taken up the call to manufacture products that have significantly lower adverse effects on the environment. Hewlett- Packard, for one, has come out with what it says are green computers. Says Nitin Choudhary: “The IT industry is working towards adopting a system called Green Computing and innovating products along this line.” Choudhary, director, commercial products, HP India, says this means focusing on three aspects: choosing a more environment-responsible product; using it most effectively; and disposing of it in an eco-friendly manner.

Then, the innards. An efficient PC has an internal design that produces little heat. There are two sides to this. Not only does an energy-efficient computer minimise the transformation of electricity into heat, but production of less heat also ensures that additional cooling costs can be decreased. “There is a lot of heat that is generated and lost during the conversion process from alternate current to direct current,” explains Choudhary.

While power supply in India is AC (220V), the internal power supply unit of a computer requires DC (5v-12v). The conversion from one to the other results in heat and magnetic radiation. The better the PC, the better the conversion rate—i.e. it generates more DC power, less heat. Among the HP products with higher power conversion are the DC-class models such as the ultra slim dc 7800, which has an efficiency of 80 per cent (which means 80 per cent of the AC power is converted to the needed DC current). Other DS-class models have efficiency in the 60-70 per cent range. “A thousand PCs with 80 per cent efficiency can save the equivalent in CO2 emissions generated by the burning of over 4,500 gallons of gasoline,” says Choudhary.

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