Updates from Asia-Pacific. Click here for regional Green ICT updates from around the globe. Click on 'Asia-Pac' tag above for all news about the region. (Information about the ICT implications of Japan's earthquake and tsunami have been moved to its own post.)

2012

The deadline for entries in Hong Kong's 2012 Best Green ICT Award. The deadline for entry into the four categories is 6 February 2012. This is the first Green ICT award in China of which I am aware.

Most ICT gear - core facilities, communications infrastructures, and edge devices - runs on DC power. Converting AC to DC within a building is inefficient, on-site renewable power generation is usually DC to begin with, and super-efficient LED lighting is also DC. So DC power distribution has been a attractive option, but there have been vigorous arguments for and against. Recent events suggest the tide is turning in favor of DC distribution.

Image courtesy IEEE Spectrum

Japan's recent earthquake and tsunami had a huge impact on the country's electricity grid and ICT infrastructure, much of which is still being felt. Here are some insights about data centers, communications networks, edge devices, and other ICT topics.

Fuel cells, including those powered by biogas, are a growing part of sustainable ICT infrastructures.

We have been tracking the adoption of the Bloom Energy Server for ICT over the past two years. We've noted Bharti Infratel's use of fuel cells to replace diesel generators at off-grid telecom sites India.

IdaTech is a company whose fuel cells can consume a mix of bio-methanol and de-ionized water. T-Moblie is using the IdaTech fuel cells in California, which has significant incentives for bio-fuel use.

Innovative field trials in Afghanistan's war zones could be yielding technologies to provide more reliable and greener power for ICT infrastructures in remote areas and in emergency response situations.

Photo courtesy U.S. Marine Corps

Updates from Africa and the Middle East. Click here forregional Green ICT updates from around the globe. Click on 'Africa-ME' tag above for all news about the region.

(Information about the US military's Afghanistan field trials of smart microgrids and solar energy have been expanded and moved to a new post.)

Nigerian e-waste challenges and solutions: 8 million mobile phones

GSMA's Global Mobile Awards' Green Mobile Awards are for "mobile industry organisations that are focused on the reduction of environmental impacts through eco-friendly, innovative policies, products, programmes or initiatives, as well as organisations outside of the industry that utilise the mobile platform to communicate, innovate or drive eco-friendly programmes, services and initiatives." Here's a look at the 2009-2011 winners and at the trend toward greener mobile base stations.

According to Pike Research, "capital investment in energy-efficient network equipment will reach $122 billion by 2014, representing 46% of the total network infrastructure market...The opportunity is largest for mobile network operators, which we expect will represent almost two-thirds of the green telecom market. This focus is especially relevant as mobile operators deploy 4G networks at scale over the next few years."

Click here for recent regional posts.

French start-up Hedera Technology offers "open source" servers. The company touts the energy, CO2e, and e-waste benefits of its products, but, most intriguing is the claim that "Designed to be produced from basic materials, Microclusters are easily manufactured. All the components can be made by small industrial structures, present everywhere around the world, even in remote areas." We will be following the company to see if they succeed in licensing production in areas of the globe not traditionally associated with server manufacturing.