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April 25, 2006
WorldChanging on Green Computers
An exhaustive posting over on WorldChanging on greening computers.
While they do a good job on flagging most of the major problems with computers, I think they give short shrift to one really big one—the fantastic amount of energy it takes to manufacture a computer. All that advanced chemistry, die-cutting, silicon-etching, etc., takes a huge amount of energy, and even though computers seem relatively efficient in the household (our iMac draws less than 180 watts), they are not efficient products when you look at the big picture. According to one recent study, when you take the cost of production into account, then over their lives computers are “probably the most energy intensive of home devices aside from furnaces and boilers.” Williams, “Energy Intensity of Computer Manufacturing,” 38 ENVTL. SCI. & TECH. at 6173 (2004).
This kind of energy profile can also dim the allure of hybrids. All those exotic materials and advanced construction aren’t cheap, and a “dust to dust” energy analysis reveals startling things.
There’s no easy fix to this kind of distortion in energy economics. The fact of the matter is that energy is very cheap—probably cheaper than it should be—so costs of production can be “hidden” even from the most eco-minded purchaser. Prius owners should be aware of it, though, before crowing too loudly.
Posted by Rob Courtney at April 25, 2006 01:34 PM
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