February 2010

Let There Be Light

Lighting Haiti One Flashlight at a Time:

Are you afraid of the dark? Probably.  If you live in Haiti- Definitely.  Besides needing food, water, shelter and medical supplies, when the sun goes down, Haiti is in the dark.  Given the overwhelming obstacles and destruction from the earthquake, the Haitian people will not only need ongoing assistance, they'll need illumination to light the way.  "The quake cut electricity to most of Haiti's capital.  Without power, residents and aid workers are struggling to maintain basic communication, lighting and water purification systems..In the aftermath of the quake, Reuters reported that at night, the only lights visible over the city came from solar powered traffic signals.

Now there is a push to roll out more solar.  The Light Haiti Project has teamed up with partners, most notably the Clinton Global Initiative, to "roll out more solar."  There's just one caveat- they need financial help.  Light Haiti is prepared to distribute solar-powered flashlights to Haiti.  These lights will have long lasting benefits beyond the immediate crisis.  Since lights can be used to improve night time security in the streets of Port-au-Prince, or provide extra light for emergency clinics, giving as many people as possible a solar flashlight is the goal of Light Haiti.  Before the quake, people relied on kerosene lanterns, candles and single-use batteries for light at night.  These options are both dangerous harmful to the environment.  Light Haiti is committed to providing 500,000 lights to help sustain Haitians through this tragedy and beyond.  Donate a BoGo Light.   

Source: Planet Green

More on Solar Panels boosting Haiti Relief Effort:

Sol Inc. is making good on its commitment to help power Haiti relief efforts with solar energy.  The company said in January that it planned to send about $400,000 worth of photovoltaics to the earthquake-ravaged country to help with round-the-clock relief efforts.  Electricity was scarce in Haiti following the January 12 quake, but sunlight was not.  The panels charge during the day and illuminate the night.  

Sol officials say about 40 lights have made it to Haiti, and a shipment of another 90 are planned.  The equipment that's been installed has reportedly helped expanded relief efforts at several sites in Port-au-Prince.  There are ongoing problems with getting supplies to the country, according to Sol Inc. staffer Mario Gonzalez, and they're looking for help with logistics.
 Mario has been sending daily dispatches from Haiti on how the efforts are progressing.  "The huge medical camp near the Port-au-rince airport where Doctors without Borders, Partners in Health, the Red Cross and many other volunteer doctors are working, does not have adequate night time light," he said in a January 23 progress report. "We worked with the team on the ground to install lights at this camp and the results are tremendously helpful for medical care and security."   

Jeff Kart, Science and Technology 1/31/10

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Facebook is Making a Priority of Energy Efficiency at its Forthcoming Data Center:  

The Prineville, Oregon data center will feature an evaporative cooling system, which Facebook says uses less energy than traditional chiller-style systems.  Prineville has a dry climate, reports OregonLive.  An "airside economizer" brings cool air in from the outside, while heat generated by the servers will be used to keep the adjacent offices warm.  

Finally, Facebook has developed a proprietary system for maintaining uninterrupted electricity supply that uses 12 percent less energy than other systems.  The 147,000 square foot facility is costing up to $215 million to build, reports OregonLive in a separate article.  This will be Facebook's first date storage facility.  Until now it has leased storage from others.  Facebook says it is pursuing LEED Gold status for the data center.  The Prineville data center has its own identity on the social networking site, with more than 700 fans.  

Data centers are seeking energy savings by going to a range of techniques.  For instance, by eliminating vibrations, a server can read hard disks more efficiently, using less energy.  At the same time, data centers can benefit from converting to DC power systems to eliminate the energy loss inherent in AC systems.  Another trend is the use of free-cooling.  
Mike Rogoway, The Oregonian  January 2010

IBM "Cloud Computing" Data Center

IBM has launched a new energy efficient data center that lowers the carbon footprint of clients who use it for "cloud computing."  The data center, in Research Triangle, N.C., can continuously read temperature and relative humidity throughout the operaiton, adjusting cooling in response to changes in demand.  This reduces annual energy costs by 15 percent, acording to a company spokesman.

The data center uses about 6 megawatts of power with 60,000 square feet of raised floor space.  At full capacity, it will be able to handle the needs of 40-50 clients.  The data center takes advantage of free cooling about half of the year, with a mechanical system design that is 50 percent more efficient than one without heat exchangers for free-cooling or chillers.  This equates to a reduction of about 31,799 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. 

The data center, which is of modular design, has some other eco-friendly features, such as:

-A reflective roof that reduces solar heat.

-Rainwater collection system.

-Use of low-sulfur fuels to reduce emissions from backup generators.

-Energy efficient lighting technology on timers.

IBM has applied for LEED Gold certification for the facility, which was constructed using 20 percent new materials from recycled products.  During construction, 95 percent of the original building/shell structure was reused and 92 percent of construction waste was recycled. The data center can provide its own backup power in case of an outage, and it has tanks to hold 150,000 gallons of chiller water to keep equipment cool in such situations.  

Source: Environmental Leader 2/10