Enterprise Carbon Accounting - Only the Beginning

Written by Adrian Bowles

Enterprise Carbon Accounting (ECA) systems are in vogue, and with good reason. Modern ECA solutions can help an enterprise track and measure their carbon output (or, more accurately, the carbon equivalent as used in greenhouse gas (ghg) computations). That makes them invaluable for meeting emerging government regulations to report, manage, and reduce ghg. However, an enterprise that installs an ECA system in isolation is missing the big opportunity. In keeping with SIG411’s overriding theme of going green while staying in the black, ECA installations should be part of an integrated solution that includes Enterprise Energy Management.

Read more: Enterprise Carbon Accounting - Only the Beginning

See You in September…

Written by Adrian Bowles

I thought I'd take a minute to let casual observers know why we've "gone dark" on this site for awhile. In late September, SIG411 will formally launch the Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC) and preview GreenPages, so all of our attention is focused on those projects and client support for the moment. Here's what you have to look forward to in a few weeks:

SLC Mission

The Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC) is a collaborative research group comprised of information technology (IT) end-users, academics, service providers and product vendors, committed to improving enterprise sustainability efforts.

The SLC will identify, develop, and share processes and resources that help members leverage IT to become more sustainable businesses - in the black and going green - and help vendor members improve their commercial technology offerings to support these goals.

Tactics

The SLC will provide:

• A Moderated Community - Open and ongoing exchange of information is critical to achieve the goals of the SLC. Electronic and in-person exchange of ideas and experiences is critical, and the role of a moderator to introduce new topics and keep discussions relevant to the audience is important.

• Research & Insights - SLC members will benefit from early access to SIG411 research, and the ability to participate in peer research/benchmarking studies.

• A Voice - The SLC is uniquely positioned as a unifying force in the IT-enabled sustainability arena. As such, it will produce and disseminate research findings in the form of webinars, white papers, and events to educate and shape public and government opinion based on the experiences of its members.

• Resources - SIG411, LLC is developing GreenPages - a global reference guide for executives interested in leveraging IT to improve sustainability. GreenPages is a repository of information and reviews on IT-enabled sustainability products, services, and their vendors. SLC members will get early access to GreenPages and influence its development. GreenPages will launch with an overview of approximately 20 enterprise carbon/energy management solutions providers.

Welcome, Joe Clabby

Written by Adrian Bowles

I'd like to welcome Joe Clabby as an associate of SIG411.  Joe is one of the most prolific analysts focused on systems, storage, networking and infrastructure issues, and we look forward to featuring his insights and collaborating on custom projects together.  Joe is President of Clabby Analytics.  Check out his bio here.

Welcome, Srini Chari

Written by Adrian Bowles

I'd like to welcome Srini Chari as an associate of SIG411. Srini is doing some very interesting work in high performance computing (HPC), cloud computing, and Linux.  We're happy to have him working with us as he continues to build his own firm, Cabot Partners.

Center for Autonomous Solar Power Update (Binghamton University)

Written by Adrian Bowles

In March of 2009, I wrote to President Lois B. DeFleur of Binghamton University (SUNY) to support important energy research programs at the TJ Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, where I proudly serve on the Dean's Advisory Board.  Among other things, I noted:

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I am writing today on behalf of myself and my firm - SIG411, LLC, a clean/green tech research firm - to express support for Binghamton University's "Supercapacitors for Integrated Power Sources" (SIPS) program at the Center for Autonomous Solar Power (CASP).  The SIPS program is at the forefront of research that will improve productivity and security in New York State and around the world, and it deserves your support.

SIPS will conduct leading edge research on high energy-density supercapacitors and will collaborate with Binghamton University's Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM) to integrate this technology with solar cell modules into new large-area, flexible formats. In partnership with industry and academia, SIPS will develop new materials, processes, and technologies to meet scientific challenges in solar electricity storage at low cost and with enhanced energy efficiency. SIPS will develop a unique systems approach for integrating solar electricity generation with storage capabilities for autonomous power systems. SIPS will bridge the technology and commercialization gap needed for large scale expansion of solar electricity.

We at SIG411 believe that support of the SIPS program at the Center for Autonomous Solar Power at Binghamton University is an important step the Federal Government and New York State should take for energy independence.  Widespread deployment of new solar technologies will bring well-paid high tech jobs to New York State and the CASP's revolutionary large-area, low-cost autonomous solar power modules will meet the specialized energy needs of defense, aerospace, homeland security, industrial and commercial applications.

We look forward to the continued success of this initiative.

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Since then, my colleague and new friend Seshu Desu has stepped down as Dean to become Executive Director of CASP.  In August, CASP received a $5M federal grant to further their research mission. If you follow advances in the fundamentals of energy storage and mangement, I encourage you to keep an eye on CASP under Prof Desu, and the other energy projects in the SUNY system.  I have a feeling we're in for some exciting results in the coming years.

If Irony Were Currency...

Written by Adrian Bowles

... Confessions by Adrian Bowles 10.10.09

I have a lot of half-finished writing projects. Actually, I'm not sure if any of them are half-finished or 80% finished, or even 10% finished, because I have never tried to measure their progress accurately. None of them had deadlines because they were things I was once passionate about, but hadn't sold as projects. Ironically, one of them is a book that teaches managers to help their teams understand project progress using a derivative of the characteristic curve technique long taught by my friends at Ethnotech.

Another project is a book on collaboration. However, as I was writing it alone, it stalled. If irony were currency, I could quit my day job and finish all those projects and a few around the house, too. At my current pace, I will have dozens of similar projects in process by 2015, and none will be complete by 2020. It's time to re-think my strategy, and I'm happy to announce that I have a plan. It's my nights and weekend plan, and I pledge to reward myself with personal time for entertainment - motorcycling, music, sports, etc - only after I have completed my assigned writing task for the day. I'll turn off AIM, Yahoo chat, Facebook and Skype, and not tweet until I am done. If it appears that I am ignoring you between 9pm and midnight, then it's working.