Jonathan Koomey

9 Sep 2011 • 1 min read

Google's announcements this week on efficiency, electricity use, and carbon emissions

This week Google announced more details on their efficiency, electricity use, and carbon emissions. This is a big deal because it will give much of the rest of the industry efficiency targets to which they can aspire. Most of the other cloud computing companies have figured out clever tricks to

31 Aug 2011 • 1 min read

NYT op-ed linking saving money to adopting cloud computing

Vivek Kundra, formerly the Chief Information Officer in the Obama Administration, argued today in a NYT op-ed that the economic benefits of cloud computing for government agencies will encourage more and more of them to adopt this innovation instead of running their own IT facilities (except in special cases). As

24 Aug 2011 • 4 min read

CBS news study on the national debt shows appalling innumeracy

TPM DC reports on a CBS news study that made the following claims: “The debt was $10.626 trillion on the day Mr. Obama took office. The latest calculation from Treasury shows the debt has now hit $14.639 trillion. It’s the most rapid increase in the debt under

22 Aug 2011 • 1 min read

Statistical Abstract of the US on the chopping block!

This is an outrage to data lovers everywhere: The Statistical Abstract of the US (as well as other compendia of statistics created by the census department) is on the chopping block and will be eliminated after the 2012 edition is published. Robert J. Samuelson, economics columnist for the Washington Post,

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