Green power, low-carbon employee commuting and energy efficiency are helping the business software giant shrink its carbon footprint.

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SAP Report Confirms Decoupling of Emissions and Revenue

The Centre for Sustainable Communications , (CESC), part of Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology, has released the beta-version of an online application that can calculate the carbon emissions of a website. The program, called Greenalytics, calculates the carbon impact of websites by matching Google Analytics statistics with pools of environmental research data and then making appropriate calculations and assumptions that are known about the energy mix in the users’ locations. ”In my research, I want to illustrate the options available when databases are opened up and provide data in a standardized format, which in turn can be linked to environmental data. If you are aware of the climate impact a product has, you can also reduce it,” says Jorge Zapico, the CESC researcher who developed application. For example, to calculate the electricity use of servers, data storage and network infrastructure , Greenalytics looks at the total data traffic generated by the site and an approximation of the energy used by internet per data unit. The total data traffic is an approximation calculated by aggregating the total traffic per page (the size of the page per the number of visits it has), multiplying with a so-called “Weber unit,” a value associated with energy use per gigabyte of data (3.5 kWh/GB), and finally multiplying with the electricity factor of the country where the server is situated for getting the CO2 value. Using Greenalytics, Zapico found that the institute’s website causes the emissions of seven tons of carbon dioxide each year.

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Greenalytics Measures Carbon Impact of Websites

Italian police authorities raided about 150 companies in eight different regions of Italy earlier in December related to as much as $662 million in VAT tax-evasion scams; operations that came a few weeks after Italian Power Exchange (G.M.E), as well as other European registries , halted all trading in carbon credits due to a high number of abnormal transactions, according to EuroWeeklyNews.com. Europol issued a warning in 2009 about the VAT-fraud that is draining from European taxpayers an estimated $6.62 billion. Basically, the credits are purchased in a VAT-free zone, and then sold in a transaction that calculates VAT, but the tax is never paid to the host country. Law enforcement authorities around Europe have made more than 100 arrests in 2010. The actions are part of ongoing investigations into carbon trading scams within the EU ETS . The suspicious trading activities were noted in late 2008, and EU states were authorized to change their taxation practices in September 2009, and many did that. Europol is now investigating the potential that the same scheme has moved in other energy markets, according to the EuroNewsWeekly report. Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol said: “Organised VAT fraud remains a significant criminal activity in Europe. It is responsible for draining huge resources from central government revenues and undermining the objective of transforming Europe into a competitive and greener economy. … Europol is also currently monitoring apparent new trends in this criminal activity, including possible organised crime infiltration of the gas and electricity markets.”

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EU Still Fighting Carbon Trading System VAT-Fraud

For many years car companies have brought out “green” cars which they claim are the big revolution, which will reduce our usage of fossil fuels. The majority of these have been false dawns which have only served to damage the image of the green car industry as consumers become sceptical of anything which claims to be environmental. Another issue has been that being environmentally conscious has tended to come at a price. My firm estimates that getting insurance with a car insurance firm which claims to be environmentally conscious could result in premiums which cost up to 146% more than with conventional insurance firms. The effectiveness and cost of “green” offerings have therefore hindered their adoption. However, all this could be about to change as Nissan launches the first mass produced all electric vehicle. The Leaf is set for a full scale roll out in the USA in 2011 with 20,000 reservations having already been made. This interest stems from the fact that the car is actually environmentally friendly as it doesn’t require fossil fuels and therefore doesn’t emit carbon dioxide gases into the atmosphere. Despite this the car is much quicker than expected, with a top speed of 92mph. The Leaf therefore does what it says on the tin and is not a marketing gimmick. The second impediment to environmental car adoption has been costs. However, Nissan has priced the innovative technology “aggressively” and it is therefore available to buy from $32,780. A number of tax breaks will be offered as an incentive to buy the car, which results in it being available from as little as $25,280. This does still seem a lot when you consider that you can buy a new Ford Focus for $18,790, but isn’t quite so bad when you consider the savings which come with running it. It is possible to save over $1500 per year on fuel alone with the Leaf, with it costing just $220 to do the average 12,000 mile per year average. There are other incentives being planned in different states, with New York governor George Pataki planning an “energy reduction plan” which it is alleged could save drivers of electric vehicles $2000 per year in tax breaks. However, there are two big problems with the Leaf. The first is practicality, with it only being capable of doing 100 miles between charges. This problem is exacerbated by the second problem, which is the availability of recharging outlets around the country. The car is equipped with a quick charge function which allows the batteries to recoup 80% of their power within 30 minutes, but this isn’t an option if there is nowhere to charge it. Plans are in place to change this situation, with the U.S. Department of Energy providing a grant of $114.8 million to a company called ECOtality, which is planning on installing 15,000 charging stations across sixteen states within three years. Even with plans to introduce a second edition Leaf capable of 200 miles between charges in 2015, this still isn’t sufficient to make owning an electric car commonplace. Technological advances are relentless. The Nissan Leaf would have been unthinkable just ten years ago but now the improvements being made to the efficiency of lithium batteries and electric engines are truly remarkable. This is something which will only improve as competition in the green car market increases, with Chevrolet, Renault Mitsubishi and Ford all planning on introducing fully electric vehicles in the coming couple of years. The technology is there; it is the infrastructure which isn’t. It’s all well and good that the government is providing tax breaks to people who own environmental vehicles in order to encourage their adoption but it is not the biggest issue. The government needs to instead channel these funds into the development of an electric charging point infrastructure around the U.S. Oil supplies are dwindling and prices are rising, and the time has come for a viable alternative and people are beginning to realise for the first time that owning an electric car is a viable and realistic option. The government must act; otherwise the country could be crippled when the cost of filling up a vehicle becomes unsustainable. Mark Martin is a marketing specialist at finance price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com .

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The Future of the Green Car Industry

Data centers across the nation are implementing a host of initiatives aimed at energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, ranging from HVAC optimization to being powered by renewable energy sources. As an example, Georgia Data Center, an 80,000-square-foot data center located in Atlanta, Georgia, was designed to use 40 to 50 fewer air conditioning units than typical data centers.  The data center worked with WayPoint Systems to integrate an efficient building system and to ensure that the HVAC system operates efficiently to maximize its energy performance. The Georgia Data Center also features an Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard from QA Graphics. The interactive application is used to showcase the organization’s sustainability efforts including how efficient the building’s performance is and what “green” features are used throughout the building. To display the real-time building data, QA Graphics worked with WayPoint Systems to integrate the Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard with the data center’s control system, which allows the application to “talk” to the building automation system. This lets staff and visitors see the building’s real-time chilled water system, electric use, and CO2 levels. It also shows how these initiatives help reduce the building’s operating costs and improve the environment. The data center is seeking gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED for New Construction Rating System. In the northeast, MetLife’s Troy, N.Y., data center claims carbon neutral status based on its 2009 indirect electricity consumption. The facility achieved carbon neutrality by purchasing a diverse mixture of electricity, comprised mainly of hydro, nuclear and gas. MetLife also purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset the property’s electricity generation through Native Energy, which was verified by energy consultant MCEnergy. The purchased wind energy through Native Energy has reduced the data center’s greenhouse gas footprint by more than 6.3 million pounds since 2007. The property offset its electricity use through energy-efficient enhancements and virtualization and server consolidation, which compensated for approximately 14 percent, or 4.1 million kilowatt-hour (KWh), of the facility’s total electricity reduction since 2007. The Troy office is the company’s primary data center and houses MetLife information technology (IT) operations and systems. MetLife was named to the Uptime Institute’s Global Green 100 list for its energy-efficiency achievements in the operation of its enterprise IT and data centers in 2009. In Hunt Valley, Maryland, System Source’s data center is powered by a solar power system that is already exceeding revenue and output estimates by 14 to 17 percent after only three months in service. Distributed Sun LLC (D-SUN), the project’s developer and services provider, says the installation will deliver approximately 70 megawatt hours (MWh) of electric power per year, and 3 gigawatt hours (GWh) over its lifetime. The system is estimated to reduce millions of pounds of CO2 emissions. On the west coast, Digital Realty Trust , a wholesale data-center provider, has conducted an energy efficiency audit of its San Francisco and Silicon Valley properties, which indicates that the company’s energy-efficiency initiatives are producing significant cost savings for its customers . The provider estimates its saving customers about $6 million to $10 million in power costs annually. The analysis of energy efficiency across all of Digital Realty Trust’s Bay Area “Turn-Key Datacenters” showed a PUE of 1.6 at only 53 percent utilization, and an estimated savings of 10,000 kW a year in electricity use. The data-center facilities surveyed in this audit use a wide range of energy-efficiency technologies and best practices, including hot and cold aisle containment, outside air economization with differential enthalpy control, higher operating temperatures in the data centers, PowerVu monitoring software, and variable frequency drives on fans, pumps and chillers. Some are also LEED Platinum buildings. Digital Realty Trust says its new energy management tool, PowerVU, will help businesses increase energy efficiency in their data centers and reduce power costs by allowing them to monitor actual power demand and use.

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Data Centers Target Higher Energy Efficiency, Lower Carbon Footprint

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new standards for sulfur dioxide (SO2) yesterday in a ruling that is likely to raise costs for some utility companies, according to an Associated Press report. The new guidelines lower the level of SO2 exposure that the EPA considers safe for the first time since the agency began regulating the gas in 1971. According to the EPA, exposure to SO2 can aggravate asthma and cause other respiratory difficulties. People with asthma, children, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to the effects of SO2. The EPA estimated the new rules will prevent 2,300 to 5,900 premature deaths and 54,000 asthma attacks a year. The estimated cost in 2020 to fully implement this standard is approximately $1.5 billion. According to the AP report, the ruling could mean utilities will take some of their coal plants offline rather than invest in new emissions scrubbing equipment . Progress Energy has said it intends to close 11 plants in North Carolina that are more than 50 years old, because the company believes it will not be cost effective to bring them in line with the new requirements. Duke Energy was recently forced to pay $93 million in a court settlement for violations of the EPA’s Clean Air Act as the result of SO2 emissions at its coal plant in New Albany, IN. The American Lung Association (ALA) and Clean Air Watch applauded the move , which they say will help protect communities near coal-fired power plants, industrial boilers, petroleum refineries, metal processing plants and diesel exhaust, although according to a report in the Miami Herald the new standard is less strict than the ALA had advocated. The ALA had previously sued the EPA to force it to focus attention on SO2 levels. The Herald quoted a spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute , a utility industry association that had fought the new regulations, who described the new rules as “a very stringent standard,” though it was too early to estimate how many plants would require new scrubbing equipment. The new guideline sets the one-hour SO2 health standard at 75 parts per billion (ppb), a level designed to protect against short-term exposures ranging from five minutes to 24 hours. The EPA is revoking the current 24-hour and annual SO2 health standards because it says evidence indicates that short-term exposures are of greatest concern and the existing standards would not provide additional health benefits. The EPA is also changing the monitoring requirements for SO2. The new requirements assure that monitors will be placed where SO2 emissions impact populated areas. Any new monitors required by this rule must begin operating no later than Jan. 1, 2013. EPA is expecting to use modeling as well as monitoring to determine compliance with the new standard. Annual average SO2 concentrations have decreased by 71 percent since 1980, according to the EPA.

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EPA Issues New SO2 Guidelines

photo via flickr While scientists say we need to peak our emissions by 2015 and then dramatically reduce them thereafter, the US is projected to actually increase our greenhouse gas emissions through 2020, according to estimates from the government submitted to the United Nations. CO2 emissions are expected to rise about 1.5 percent and overall climate-warming pollution could go up by 4 percent. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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US GHG Emissions Set To Increase Through 2020

Photo via Sulekha Temperatures Could Rise to 122 F India is currently facing the hottest season ever recorded in the nation — the hottest since record keeping began in the late 1800s. And the heat has been disastrous: Hundreds of people have died already, and many more are seriously ill. Hospitals in one region in the north have been receiving 300 people a day. And it looks like it’s going to get worse…. Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Hundreds Die in Heatwave as India has Hottest Summer on Record

In separate moves to reduce carbon emissions in Canada, the Ottawa Police Service is installing anti-idling technology on its vehicles while Toronto’s Board of Health votes to limit the maximum time motorists can idle their motors to one minute. By installing anti-idling technology on its vehicles, the Ottawa Police Service expects to save 1,764 liters (465 gallons) of fuel a year per car , which is enough to drive across Canada four times, reports Ottawa Citizen. The technology — which includes auxiliary batteries to run electronics, a small combustion motor to provide heat, automatic vehicle start-up and shut-off and idling monitoring and recording equipment — was installed in two patrol cars in 2009, according to the article. Test results showed that idling decreased by more than 10 percent and carbon emissions dropped by 4,235 kilograms. The anti-idling equipment including installation costs around $2,000 per car, which means it will take about 18 months to pay for itself on each car, reports Ottawa Citizen. In the U.S., a new power management system, launched last year, which allows police cruisers to have full electrical capability without running the engine, could save more than $3,000 a year per vehicle . In Toronto, the city’s Board of Health has voted to reduce the maximum time motorists can idle their motors from three minutes to one minute without risking a $125 fine, reports the Toronto Star. Approval of the no-idling limit now heads to the city council for approval. If approved, the city will ask the province to amend legislation to step-up, according to the article. The newspaper also reports that the health board recommended eliminating the exemption for idling on very cold or very hot days, and replacing a clause that allows TTC (transit) vehicles to idle for up to 15 minutes with one that says transit vehicles can only run while stopped for “an identified need.” In response, TTC says anti-pollution devices on its diesel buses require that the engine run for two or three minutes after the vehicle stops, and in extreme cold, TTC periodically turns garaged buses on and off to ensure they’ll start, reports the newspaper. A report (PDF) from Toronto’s medical officer of health finds that idling wastes 90 million liters (23,775,484 gallons) of fuel per year and emits 215 million tons of carbon dioxide, almost half of it in Toronto. The emissions also contribute to 1,700 hospitalizations in Toronto each year and 440 deaths.

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Anti-Idling Tech Saves Ottawa Police 465 Gallons of Fuel Annually per Car

China may launch a carbon trading market as soon as 2014, according to a Bloomberg report . According to the report, the government may ask companies to reduce carbon emissions per yuan of profit earned, rather than providing them with hard targets. To reach these goals, companies will be allowed to trade carbon credits in a market overseen by the government. The market will initially be limited to Chinese companies. It was also recently reported that China could launch a carbon tax as early as 2012. Meanwhile, carbon cutting initiatives in several more developed economies have stalled. President Obama’s climate bill is held up in the Senate , while Australia has halted progress on its climate goals in order to wait for action from other countries. The European Union also said this week it would only increase its carbon cutting targets if other nations moved first.

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China May Launch Carbon Market by 2014