Green ICT to debate among researchers, authorities and the industry

Posted: November 25, 2010

Green Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of most interesting topics when it comes to technology and service developments – in fact so interesting that people from several continents will gather in Ballerup to be updated on the latest knowledge on green ICT.

- There are two major aspects. First, there is the industry, which mainly focuses on how to produce equipment and services, more green, and secondly, there is incredibly much talk about how the information and communication technologies can be used in other sectors to minimize energy consumption in society as a whole. And we will look at both, says Knud Erik Skouby from the research group CMI (Center for Communications, Media and Information Technologies) at Aalborg University's department at the University of Ballerup Campus.

"Green ICT" is CMI's third international conference and is an extension of the research team's general work on how mobile and IT technologies interact with the rest of society. It is about developing new services and generate ideas that can be used, and here is Green ICT a major development area because there is virtually inexhaustible many ways to use ICT to improve efficiency and environmental assessments.

- You can for example look at the life cycle of the mobile industry, both in products and in environmentally friendly packaging, instruction manuals for download instead of paper books and so on. In our research, we deal with products for the industry, with regulation and with the underlying policy, and I am looking forward to get new input on how different sectors can become more dynamic, Knud Erik Skouby before the conference.

From his ongoing collaboration with the industry, the professor knows that many places are in the process of formulating policies and guidelines for the use of green ICT. The same goes for Danish National IT and Telecom Agency, which has worked to make Denmark a front runner in the field, also in the view of OECD's international recommendations. During the conference there will be presentations and debates on energy-saving technologies like intelligent traffic systems, ICT's impact on the environment, business models for green ICT and the relationship between national policies and practical approaches.

- Our hope is that this conference will lead to better understanding and new collaborations between the industry, researchers and authorities. In the long run we also work on creating an interest group and get new input for the development of teaching in our programs, Knud Erik Skouby.

Source: Aalborg University