Articles about Green Technology

Supported by IBM, The Linux Foundation and the UNHCHR, the 2022 Call for Code Global Challenge wants to bring together developers and problem solvers to use open innovation to help accelerate sustainability and combat climate change.

Now in its fifth year, Call for Code has galvanized a community of more than a half million developers, students, and problem solvers from 180 nations to design cutting-edge open source-powered hybrid cloud and AI solutions that can tackle some of the world's most pressing issues.

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The United States has been heavily under attack from Mother Nature lately. Hurricane Harvey caused horrific devastation in Texas, and now Irma is headed for Florida. During these disasters, it is not uncommon to lose electricity. This can be a huge pain point, as people need devices such as cell phones to call for help -- a device with a depleted battery is pretty much useless. Not to mention, some folks have medication that requires refrigeration, so a loss of power could actually lead to death or sickness.

Thankfully, companies sell generators to keep the power flowing during an electricity outage. For prolonged outages, there are even models with solar charging capabilities. Today, a company called Renogy unveils a heavy-duty battery backup generator that can be charged using the sun. Impressively, the company claims it can keep a refrigerator running for about 8 hours! It is even on wheels so it can be easily transported. The fact that it has so many connection types, including USB Type-A , should make it indispensable during a hurricane or simply on a family camping trip.

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2016 was the warmest year on record -- around 1.2 degrees C warmer than pre-industrial levels to be exact. Whilst this doesn’t sound very much, evidence has already shown that an average rise of 1 degree C across the whole of the Earth’s surface would result in huge changes to the climatic extremes we see today.

Meanwhile, our forests and oceans aren’t faring much better. The significant decline of the planet’s rainforest has been documented throughout my lifetime and, according to a report last year by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, by 2050 there could be more plastic by weight in our oceans than fish. Add to this the recent findings that the Earth is on track to lose two-thirds of its wildlife by 2020 and it’s easy to see that we are already in a pretty dire state.

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Greenpeace has crowned Apple the most environmentally-friendly tech company for the third year in a row. The Cupertino, Calif.-based giant is well ahead of most of the big players in the field, being one of just three companies to get an "A" grade from the NGO, alongside Facebook and Google.

With a score of 83 percent, Apple has the highest clear energy index, using little natural gas, coal and nuclear energy. Facebook comes second with 67 percent while Google takes the last place on the podium with a score of 56 percent. Both companies rely more on natural gas, coal and nuclear energy than Apple.

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Big companies like to be seen to be doing their bit, particularly when it comes to the environment, and tech companies are no different. Google -- being one of the biggest companies in the world -- has huge energy requirements, and it's looking to help address the problem of climate change.

The company has already done a lot to increase the energy efficiency of its data centers, but in 2017 it is going further. It says that it will be fully powered by renewable energy from next year, and that includes both data centers and offices.

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The folks over at Microsoft seem to be very committed to doing "good". Not only does the company produce products that make the world better (Windows, Skype, and Office to name a few), but through its noble Winsiders4Good initiative, Dona Sarkar and other Microsoft employees are aiming to improve people's lives using technology.

Today, Microsoft announces yet another way that it is helping humanity. The Windows-maker makes its "largest ever" purchase of wind energy -- 237 megawatts. In other words, the company will be using less fossil fuels, and reducing its overall carbon footprint.

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The environment is news these days with phrases like "climate change" and "carbon footprint" appearing regularly in the news. It's important stuff, given we don't yet have another planet to flee to -- "Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves", said Carl Sagan.

That means we have to be kind to our home. The Environmental Protection Agency hands out awards to companies who work to protect our planet, and Microsoft is a recent recipient.

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The U.S. Energy Department has announced it will invest more than $20 million (£12.9m) in the fuel cell and hydrogen technologies industries, following the revelation that the industry is basically exploding.

A total of 10 projects will be funded, aiming to advance fuel cell and hydrogen technologies and to enable early adoption of fuel cell applications such as light-duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV).

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If you thought cars were the only means of transport being pressed hard by the "green" idea of lowering CO2 emissions, you were terribly wrong.

Even though they’re not exactly the center of attention, airplane makers are also looking for ways to switch to electric-powered engines, and now Airbus has unveiled an interesting two-seater.

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) is about to become a lot more environmentally friendly after announcing the construction of an 80 megawatt solar farm.

The green proposal will generate 170,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of solar power each year, the equivalent of approximately 15,000 US homes.

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Apple is not just a company concerned with boosting its profits, it's also interested in image and -- as its latest pledge shows -- the environment. Today Apple announces that it is setting its sights high when it comes to reducing the environmental impact of its operations. The ultimate goal is to switch worldwide operations to 100 percent renewable energy sources.

The company is teaming up with World Wildlife Fund to protect areas of responsibly managed woodland, and is also investing in renewable energy projects in China. Investments are also being made in solar energy projects that will produce more than enough electricity to power Apple's entire collection of Chinese offices and stores.

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A new way of powering your smartphone has been released that can provide a week’s worth of charge using renewable energy sources.

Upp is a portable power solution utilizing hydrogen fuel cells that should charge any USB-compatible device.

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There are many great ways to generate energy, such as using oil and coal. However, as society trends towards going "green", we see renewable energy being embraced too, such as solar, ocean waves and wind. Wind in particular is interesting, as it has been used for over a thousand years. Many people associate windmills with the Dutch, but many societies, including the USA, use modern versions today.

Google is one of the most forward-thinking companies, on the forefront of technology, and surprisingly, it too will be harnessing the power of wind for a new Dutch data center. In other words, even though the wind blows, Google's use of windmills does not.

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Google has announced it is investing $145 million into its latest renewable energy project.

The search engine giant is helping to finance the 82 megawatt solar power plan, which will be the company's 17th renewable energy project, alongside SunEdison.

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Earth Day might be over but Google has announced another eco-friendly program to go along with yesterday’s news of a renewable energy purchase. This time, the company is partnering with SunPower Corporation for a new deal intended for homeowners.

"Together with SunPower Corporation we’re creating a new $250 million fund to help finance the purchase of residential rooftop solar systems -- making it easier for thousands of households across the US to go solar", says Google’s Rob Parker.

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