February 8, 2008—A new study has found that technology leads to a dramatic increase in energy efficiency and is actually a net saver of energy by a 10:1 ratio across the economy. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found a direct correlation between gains in energy productivity and investments in information and communications technology (ICT).
The ACEEE found that today it takes less than half the energy to produce a dollar of economic output as it did in 1970 and that energy efficiency gains have increased significantly since 1996. The report was published as leading technology CEOs laid out a new energy initiative and called on policymakers to better leverage technology to solve the nations energy challenges.
Whether it is making our buildings smarter, reducing heating and cooling costs, harnessing the power of the sun, virtualization or enabling telecommunications, technology is a driving force in making our country more energy efficient, said Mike Splinter, the President and CEO of Applied Materials, Inc. and Chair of the Technology CEO Council (TCC).
The ACEEE report, entitled, Information and Communication Technologies: The Power of Productivity, was commissioned by the TCC.
In tandem with the ACEEE report, the TCC released its own report, entitled, [ital]The Smarter Shade of Green: How Innovative Technologies are Saving Energy, Time and Money, [unital]focusing on specific technology initiatives that are making the US economy energy efficient.
To view a copy of the reports, go to the TCC Web site.
