The European Commission (EC) has begun a major consultation to figure out how IT can help to cut energy use 20 per cent in the EU by 2020 according to Computing.co.uk
Academia, industry and governments are all involved in the consultation to find ways to minimise energy use through technology. Some of the options include the use of smart buildings, metering, lighting solutions, online services and remote working.
“Research and rapid take-up of innovative energy efficient ICT solutions will be crucial to lowering emissions across the whole economy,” said Viviane Reding, commissioner for information society and media.
Reding proposed last month to increase the budget for IT and energy efficiency in the 2009-2010 work programme. The proposed increase was 48 per cent to €40m (£31.5m).
The driving force behind this initiative are forecasts that energy use in the EU will double by 2030 if no action is taken.
According to independent research conducted last year by AeA Europe, 50 per cent of the reduction targets could be directly enabled by IT.
Source:
Computing.co.uk