GreenIT – Just Big Talk or Real Opportunity for Savings?
Increasing energy prices, global warming, legal regulations and guidelines – there are already many reasons for implementing IT systems that are friendly to the environment and conserve resources.
On this page, you'll find some useful information on GreenIT and how thin clients can help you save on energy costs. This information includes studies conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) and an overview showing how much money you can actually save with thin clients, while also doing your part to help the environment!
New environmental impact study: thin clients and VDI protect the climate and save electricity
The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) has examined the climate-related impact of two virtual desktop installations and come to the following conclusion: Compared to conventional workstation PCs, the solutions with IGEL thin clients and VMware View or Citrix XenApp / XenDesktop lower the global warming potential by up to 63%.
Fraunhofer UMSICHT Study: Environmental comparison of the Relevance of PC and Thin Client Desktop Equipment for the Climate, 2008
The research of the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany into the environmental impact of thin clients and PCs revealed that IGEL Technology thin clients were 54% more eco-friendly than PCs. And if the 8.2m business PCs forecast to be sold in the European Union in 2008 were replaced with thin clients, global warming CO2 emissions would be cut by 5.3m tonnes over the next five years.
Environmental comparison of PC and thin client desktop equipment
In this project a comparison was made between the environmental effects of a PC- and a thin client-based provision of IT services. In this comparison the manufacturing phase, the use phase and the disposal phase were taken into consideration using a modified assessment instrument.
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Less Power, Pollution and CO2: Thin Clients Have a Lower Environmental Impact
With their longer service lives, desktop infrastructures featuring thin clients are easier on budgets and the environment. Throughout its lifecycle, this configuration decreases the global warming potential of IT workstations by up to 63% and power costs by up to 88%.
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Energy Star certification
IGEL series UD2, UD3 and UD5 have been accredited the Energy Star 5.2 certificate by the Energy Protection Agency (EPA). Only the top 25% of the market fulfil the criteria, ensuring the energy consumption is in accordance with the Energy Star 5.2 specifications. These specifications include: less than 15 Watt in idle mode and less than 2.7 Watt in Standby/sleep mode and Wake on LAN functionality. Also, power management is included in IGEL firmware for all operating systems.
ISO 14001
ISO 14001 is the international specification for an environmental management system (EMS). It specifies requirements for establishing an environmental policy, determining environmental aspects and impacts of products/activities/services, planning environmental objectives and measurable targets, implementation and operation of programs to meet objectives and targets, checking and corrective action, and management review. The ISO 14001 standard exists to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations.
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“Energy Efficiency Made in Germany” Initiative
The German Federal Government, under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, implemented the energy efficiency export initiative under the umbrella brand "Energy Efficiency - Made in Germany". The initiative supports German providers of products, systems and service providers in the field of energy efficiency. The umbrella brand includes an IT infrastructure across projects and manufacturers as well as extensive information in key fields of action. IGEL is a member of this initiative.
The energy efficiency export initiative is relevant to all markets. A special focus is placed on activities in countries with high economic growth, industrial markets of strategic importance for the export sector and emerging markets. Many states have recently set ambitious energy efficiency goals and want to achieve these with targeted measures – energy-efficient IT is a key component here.
Member of 'partnerschaft umwelt unternehmen'
IGEL is a member of the ‘partnerschaft umwelt unternehmen’, the environmental partnership network between the Federal State of Bremen and selected companies.
This partnership is supported by the Bremen Senator for Environment, Construction and Transport and includes currently 125 companies.
