Johnson Controls has recently been lauded for its management and understanding of climate change related issues in the Carbon Disclosure Project ‘s “Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index” which highlights companies that have displayed transparency in carbon and energy management. Other companies doing well for the environment are Intel and HP, who have been commissioned by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to build the world’s most energy-efficient data center, setting a new benchmark for sustainable computing. Read more

Johnson Controls’ Climate Change Disclosure Practices Recognized by Carbon Disclosure Project

After Market News (14 September 2012):

MILWAUKEE — Johnson Controls, a global diversified company in the building and automotive industries, has been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for its approach to the disclosure of climate change information.

For the fourth year, Johnson Controls is featured in CDP’s “Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.” This index, a key component of CDP’s annual S&P 500 report, highlights companies within the S&P 500 Index that have displayed a strong approach to information disclosure regarding climate change. Companies are scored on their climate change disclosure. High scores indicate good internal data management and understanding of climate change related issues affecting the company.

The index, compiled by PwC on behalf of CDP, provides an evaluation tool for institutional investors and other stakeholders. In 2012 it comprises 53 companies from the S&P 500 based on analysis of the responses to CDP’s questionnaire, which focused on greenhouse gas emissions, emissions reduction targets and the risks and opportunities associated with climate change.

“As a member of the CDP Supply Chain program, Johnson Controls maintains the highest level of sustainable practices by involving our suppliers in efforts to measure and improve environmental sustainability metrics,” said Charles A. Harvey, vice president, diversity and public affairs for Johnson Controls. “Our history embraces both shareholder value and environmental responsibility. We are honored to be named to the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.”

Paul Simpson, chief executive officer of CDP, said, “Companies that make the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index have demonstrated strong internal data management practices for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.  They are also giving clear consideration to the business issues related to climate change and their exposure to climate-related risks and opportunities. This is vital to realizing greater efficiencies, protecting the business from risk and capitalizing on opportunities.”

The S&P 500 report including names of companies featured in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index can be found at www.cdproject.net.

Source: www.aftermarketnews.com

NREL PARTNERS WITH HP, INTEL TO BUILD ENERGY-EFFICIENT DATA CENTER

By Tom Schueneman for Clean Tech Revmodo (14 September 2012):

In an effort to expand its modeling and simulation capabilities for advanced energy systems research, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has announced plans to partner with HP and Intel to build a high-efficiency, high performance computer (HPC) system for NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility under construction in Golden, Colo.

The $10 million HPC will advance the lab’s work in materials research and serve to develop a better understanding of biological and chemical processes. The ability to use high performance computing for modeling and simulation will allow research into fully integrated energy systems that otherwise would be too costly, if not impossible, to study directly. The petascale capability of the HPC means the system can perform 1 million billion calculation every second, making it the world’s largest computing capacity dedicated solely to renewable energy and efficiency research.

NREL’s new HPC will not only be the world’s biggest, baddest HPC data center for energy research, it will be the most energy-efficient one as well. Data centers typically consume vast amounts of energy, producing waste heat in the process. According to 2009 data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, the average data center runs at a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.91. The NREL HPC is designed for an annualized PUE of 1.06 or better. Efficiency is further enhanced by the facility’s compact design, which results in shorter electrical cable and plumbing lines, as well as a new technology that uses warm water to cool the servers.

“This unique capability sets NREL apart in our ability to continue groundbreaking research and analysis,” said NREL Director Dan Arvizu. “In partnership with HP and Intel, NREL is acquiring one of the most energy efficient, high performance computer systems in the world for our research.”

Much of the waste heat that is produced will be used to heat the offices of the Energy Systems Integration Facility and other buildings on the NREL campus. Overall, the HPC data center is expected to provide a significant reduction in both energy consumption and operating cost.

“The industry is more and more cognizant of the amount of energy being used in our nation’s data centers,” said NREL Computational Science Center Director Steve Hammond. “NREL’s new HPC data center in the ESIF will set the standard for sustainable and energy efficient computing. The data center will have a world-leading PUE and reuse nearly all waste heat generated. Most data centers do only one or the other, not both.”

The new HPC system will be deployed in two phases based on HP ProLiant SL230s and SL250s Gen8 servers with Intel eight-ccore Xeon E5-2670 processors. The first phase will begin in November 2012 and reach full petascale capacity by summer 2013.

Revmodo is a new platform created by SEFE, Inc to engage the public on clean energy innovations and help foster new business relationships and ideas. By leveraging the power of social media and thought-provoking content, Revmodo.com will provide opportunities to raise awareness on sustainable energy – and the technology making it a reality.

Source: www.revmodo.com