Jonathan Koomey

10 Aug 2011 • 3 min read

Personal experience with LED downlights in our new house

A NY Times article appeared today on the effect of the new lighting efficiency regulations and it describes the complexity facing consumers as new technologies enter the market. What this article first made me realize was that the advent of the new efficiency standards is a real world example of

31 Jul 2011 • 1 min read

My new study of data center electricity use in 2010

I just released my new study on data center electricity use in 2010. I did the research as an exclusive for the New York Times, and John Markoff at the Times wrote an article on it that will appear in the print paper August 1, 2011. You can download the

24 Jul 2011 • 3 min read

Four reasons why cloud computing is more efficient

There have been a few recent analyses showing that cloud computing has significant efficiency and cost advantages. The most recent one with which I am directly familiar was conducted by Jon Taylor’s team at WSP Environment & Energy for salesforce.com, and it showed per transaction emissions reductions averaging

13 Jul 2011 • 1 min read

NYT blog post on experts and the climate change consensus

Gary Gutting just posted a well-reasoned article about how to think about the expert consensus in the climate debate. He begins by noting that logical claims based on authority only have standing if there is a recognized means of determining who is an expert and who isn’t (see also

10 Jul 2011 • 1 min read

World bank database is a treasure trove for ecological entrepreneurs

The New York Times reports that the World Bank has released huge amounts of its previously proprietary data to the general public. The Bank talks about it in a news release here and on its data page here. The key data are in the form of indicators of development and

29 Jun 2011 • 3 min read

The paper boom in shale gas: Why it shows the need for a functioning government

The New York Times just had an article about how insiders in the natural gas industry are concerned that the reserve and production estimates for recent shale gas discoveries have been significantly overestimated. The article states “Money is pouring in” from investors even though shale gas is “inherently unprofitable,” an

25 Jun 2011 • 1 min read

Interesting NYT article on the "safety myth" promoted by Japan's nuclear industry

An article in today’s New York Times discusses the “safety myth” promoted by Japan’s nuclear industry and the effect of that myth on the country’s ability to respond to the Fukushima accidents when they occurred. It’s a fascinating cautionary tale of what can happen when fallible

24 Jun 2011 • 15 min read

Was the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 the main cause of US nuclear power's woes?

It’s often stated that the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident in 1979 was the main cause of the demise of nuclear power in the United States. This line of argument posits that the safety regulations promulgated after TMI (along with associated legal wrangling) increased reactor costs and construction times

22 Jun 2011 • 1 min read

Al Gore's article in Rolling Stone today ("Climate of Denial") hits the nail on the head

Gore’s article in Rolling Stone lays out what’s going on in the climate debate with exceptional clarity. See also Joe Romm’s excellent commentary about how the media just ignore Gore’s criticisms of the media’s behavior, focusing on the Gore vs. Obama angle. Gore’s article

21 Jun 2011 • 1 min read

You've heard of paper airplanes. How about paperless airplanes?

The New York Times today reports that airlines are exploring ways to reduce the amount of paper each plane carries as a way to reduce weight and fuel costs. The article implies that each pound of additional weight costs $17,600 (=$440,000/25 lbs) in added fuel costs over

20 Jun 2011 • 1 min read

Wonderful EE Times cover story on computing efficiency trends and their implications

Bruce Rayner at Electrical Engineering Times did a great writeup on our work on trends in computing efficiency in their June 21, 2011 issue. It’s a cover story. Rayner uses our work as backdrop to tell the story of five key technologies that will have a huge impact on

19 Jun 2011 • 1 min read

Target in Emeryville, CA has LED lighting with motion controls in food display cases

I had heard of motion sensors controlling display cases before, but the Target in Emeryville, CA (which we visited this morning) has a particularly nice implementation of that technology. The display cases are lit with LEDs (see below). And here’s a closer shot of the motion detector: There were

19 Jun 2011 • 1 min read

NYTimes.com today on data center cooling

James Kanter has a very nice article on NYTimes.com today on data centers and the search for ever better ways to cool those facilities. Typical “in-house” data centers nowadays devote one kWh of electricity to cooling, pumps, fans, and power systems for every kWh of electricity used for servers

17 Jun 2011 • 2 min read

An interesting new technology trend: Internet in a suitcase!

On June 12, 2011, The New York Times reported on something novel in an article titlted “US Underwrites Internet Detour Around Censors”. The first two paragraphs read: “The Obama administration is leading a global effort to deploy “shadow” Internet and mobile phone systems that dissidents can use to undermine repressive

5 Jun 2011 • 1 min read

An important recent development in institutional design and corporate governance

On June 3, 2011, Climate Progress reported on the development of a new type of corporation, the B-corp, “which modifies governance so that managers respond to long-term interests of investors, stakeholders, and the environment, rather than just focusing on short-term profits.” This is an important development because it changes the