Electric idea garners fresh support in Europe's ICT industry

Several major European ICT (information and communication technologies) companies have joined their peers in a shared voluntary commitment to promote energy savings in Europe's ICT sector. The recent 'ICT 2010: Digitally Driven' conference in Brussels provided an ideal opportunity for more businesses to add their names to the long list of ICT companies which had already signed up to the relevant codes of conduct. A high-level signatory event on 28 September 2010 marked the occasion.
This endorsement adds further momentum to the implementation of the Digital Agenda for Europe. Adopted in May 2010, the Digital Agenda notably encourages Europe's ICT sector to play a prominent role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The voluntary codes of codes of conduct, which are managed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), enable Europe's ICT stakeholders to define actions that can help reduce ICT-related power consumption and improve energy efficiency throughout the sector. There are five codes of conduct in total, respectively related to broadband equipment, data centres, digital TV (television) services, efficiency of power supplies and AC (alternating current) uninterruptible power systems.

The signatory event firmly placed the first two codes at the centre of attention. The code of conduct on broadband equipment, which was launched in 2007 for an activity that represents around 15% of the sector's total energy consumption, sets limits for the maximum power usage of various types of equipment used in consumer premises and in telecom operators' substations. These devices notably include modems, switches, routers and home gateways.

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