Introducing SupraNet — A Pioneer for a Greener Internet.
Madison-based
SupraNet Communications, Inc. is creating a model for a “Renewable
Internet” by becoming one of the first green Internet
Service Providers in the country.
Why Green?
The IT industry is one of the largest consumers of electric
power in the United States. SupraNet recognizes the negative
impact the IT industry can have on the environment and is determined
to do their part to reduce their drain on the power grid. The
following statistics help put into perspective the role IT plays
in our current energy crisis.According to the EPA...
• Electricity consumed by servers accounted for 1.5% of
national electricity
(61 billion kilowatt hours)
• In the last 5 years, electricity use has more than doubled
and is expected to double again by 2010
• Energy consumption by servers now exceeds that of color
televisions in the U.S.
• Data centers can consume 40 times more energy than conventional
office buildings
• 80-90% of the energy consumed by a data center is used
for cooling; only 10% is actually used to power servers
Most of the energy consumed by a data center is devoted to cooling
needs created by servers that generate significant amounts of
heat. An end product to technology advancement is heat, since
there is a direct correlation between the increase in the processing
speed of computers and the heat that it generates. Given Moore’s
Law, which states that computing power doubles every 18 months
more heat is guaranteed to be generated with each successive
product generation and ultimately more energy will be consumed.
Environmental crisis
Of the total energy consumed in America, about 39% is used to
generate electricity. The problem with this lies in the fact
that most of the electricity generated in the United States
comes from fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and natural gas, all
of which have a negative impact on our environment and contribute
to greenhouse gasses and global warming. In fact, the Internet
we use today mostly runs on coal. Therefore the paradigm shift
in our industry will occur when Data Center providers like SupraNet
move from charging for Internet bandwidth and rack space to
charging for power.
The generation of electric power produces more pollution than
any other single industry in the United States. Recent data
shows the U.S. electricity industry is responsible for:
• 63% of Sulfur Dioxide emissions that contribute to acid
rain
• 22% of Nitrogen Oxide emissions that contribute to urban
smog
• 39% of Carbon Dioxide emissions that contribute to global
climate change
• 33% of Mercury Emissions that pose significant health
risks
Among the other major environmental issues linked to electricity
are water impacts, generation of wastes, and the disruption
of land uses. Electricity-powered computer and communication
systems are becoming more and more important parts of our lives
and our economy. Due to this demand for energy, we must avoid
increasing the damage to our environment by using electricity
efficiently and by obtaining it from the cleanest sources available.
Progress is being made
SupraNet is in the process of constructing a green data center,
scheduled to be completed in the next 18-24 months. The ultimate
goal: Creating a Renewable Internet with a zero carbon footprint.
SupraNet has already made significant progress with their Renewable
Internet initiative by:
• Installing a biodiesel generator to help power their
existing data center. (Biodiesel is favored because it is environmentally
sustainable. It is a natural substance, mostly derived from
Soybean and other oil seed crops, making it renewable and biodegradable.
Biodiesel also helps reduce the emissions of carbon monoxide
and carbon dioxide by 50-78 percent)
• Working towards a goal of reducing power usage by 25%
by the end of 2007 by moving internal servers to a virtualized
environment
• Striving towards a model that combines the best green
building practices with the natural benefits of cold Wisconsin
winters in order to cool their data center
How can you make a difference?
The bottom-line for SupraNet and their clients is that everyone
needs to be responsible for the environmental crisis facing
this planet. The challenge is only becoming greater with the
ever-increasing dependence on technology and computers. By developing
a Renewable Internet, SupraNet makes it easy for any business
to help the environment with no consequence to their Internet
or data services. In fact, a Renewable Internet is not only
energy-efficient, but is also cost efficient for their clients.
By partnering with a green Internet Service Provider, companies
can improve their business, their bottom-line and the environment.
Now that is a win, win, win situation. |