How the new technology impacts the world
Ever since electricity was first introduced, the total worldwide energy consumption has been increasing each year. Relevant issues such as global warming, fossil fuel depletion and energy security arise as the result of the overwhelming energy consumption. Making homes, vehicles, businesses and electronic devices more energy efficient has been a hot research topic. Some examples include car manufacturers introducing energy efficient vehicles and technology firms that introduce motherboards which can indirectly reduce carbon emissions. Energy conservation is now integrated into our everyday life. Energy conservation may result in increase of financial capital, environmental value, national security, personal security, and human comfort.
Let’s look at how we buy electricity today it’s like sticking to a budget in a store with no prices. Your electricity company sends you a bill at the end of the month with very few details. Most people don’t know how much electricity their appliances use, where in the house they are wasting electricity, or how much the bill might go up during different seasons. Currently, there is no applicable method for domestic households to effectively monitor their energy usage. No one would have any idea how much energy they have used before the electricity bill arrives. Individuals end up not being able to control their energy consumption accurately due to lack of measuring devices. Overuse of high power consumption appliances happens repetitively due to users not acknowledging its relatively high energy consumption.
Google sets its mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” and they believe consumers have a right to detailed information about their home electricity use. With introduction to Google’s PowerMeter, energy conservation is said to come to a new generation. A famous quote from Lord Kelvin “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it” has been overwritten by Google’s “You can measure it, you can improve it”. Everyone can now make smart choices on electrical appliances, saving energy and money with minimum effort.
A wide range of access method is said to be available for Google’s PowerMeter, it can be accessed via several ways other than only on a local computer. Users can access the PowerMeter readings anywhere with internet, even on mobile phones. Action against unwanted energy spikes can now be handled and monitored in real time. Each household can effectively reduce their electricity usage by a significant amount when Google’s Powermeter is installed.
In conclusion, Google’s PowerMeter is a revolutionary product that plays a huge role in energy conservation. The employment of Google’s PowerMeter into domestic household should be implemented as soon as possible.
Sustainability of Google‘s PowerMeter
The general meaning of the term sustainability refers to the ability to maintain a certain state or process. Nevertheless, sustainability has become a complicated term that can be applied to almost every facet of life on Earth, particularly the many different levels of biological organization, such as; wetlands, prairies and forests and is expressed in human organization concepts, such as; eco-municipalities, sustainable cities, and human activities and disciplines, such as; sustainable agriculture, sustainable architecture and renewable energy. In information technology, it refers to how a technology sustains in the long run. This can include impact of waste management, recycling, future replacement, resource consumption, economy changes and culture changes on the technology. IT products with a long lifespan is said to have high sustainability and otherwise medium to short sustainability. Some products are said to be infinite sustainable because of their extra long lifespan.
Modern IT systems rely upon a complex mix of people, networks and hardware; therefore, green IT was introduce to address increasingly sophisticated problems. Green IT refers to energy efficiency regarding technology products, such as end user satisfaction, management restructuring, regulatory compliance, disposal of electronic waste, energy use, telecommuting, and return on investment. The goals are similar to green chemistry; reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product’s lifetime, and promote recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste.
Google‘s PowerMeter should sustain as long as human employs electricity as the main source of energy. However, Google ‘s PowerMeter might no longer be needed if a way to generate unlimited electricity is discovered, i.e. solar panels with each house that are strong enough to cover electricity usage of each individual households. As the energy resource never runs out, the need to measure and control energy consumption would not be deemed necessary.
The wastes produced from Google’s Powermeter shouldn’t affect its sustainability, as there’s practically no waste generated from this technology. It is a very software-based product rather than hardware. As a general evaluation, the product Google’s PowerMeter has a high sustainability and should last through out generations.