Dell has became the first in its industry to achieve 80 PLUS Gold-certification for a server power supply, the latest sign that the company is meeting its goal of becoming the “greenest” technology company on the planet and strengthening its position as an energy-efficiency leader.

The 80 PLUS Gold-certification enables manufacturers and customers to compare and contrast power supplies based on established criteria from Energy Star and the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. Dell’s new 80 PLUS Gold power supply meets July 2009 Climate Savers targets for servers more than a year ahead of schedule, which require 92 % minimum efficiency for the power supply unit at 50 percent of rated output.

Servers, personal computers and monitors account for more that 60 % of global ICT-related carbon emissions.

In May, Dell said it plans to reduce the energy consumption of its products and avoid millions of tons of CO2 emissions worldwide by designing its laptops and desktops to consume up to 25 percent less energy by 2010.

[ Dell First to Achieve 80 Plus Gold Energy Efficiency ]

By diverting grain and oilseed crops from dinner plates to biofuels, world is confronting a dangerous new bubble called food inflation. (What Is Inflation? - explained here)

Rice, wheat and corn - the price of the world’s three main grains, have all more than doubled in the past year.

• The grain it takes to fill an SUV tank with ethanol could feed a person for a year.
• By diverting grain and oilseed crops from dinner plates to fuel tanks, biofuels are jacking up world food prices and endangering the hungry.
• An explosion in demand for farm-grown fuels has raised global crop prices to record highs.
• Brazil now ranks fourth in the world in carbon emissions, and most of its emissions come from deforestation.
• Studies show the biofuel boom is doing exactly the opposite of what its proponents intended: it’s dramatically accelerating global warming, imperiling the planet in the name of saving it.

Full article at TIME - The Clean Energy Scam

The Boeing 747 operated by Virgin Atlantic Airways flew from London to Amsterdam with one of its four engines using fuel derived from plant-based oils.

The fuel used by the plane is a combination of regular kerosene-based jet fuel and a biodiesel from Imperium Renewables composed of babassu oil and coconut oil. Babassu comes from a tree in Brazil.The oils came from existing plantations.

Addressing the media before the flight took off, the President of Virgin Atlantic, Sir Richard Branson, said no modifications were made to either the aircraft or the engines for the flight to be operated.

The results of the flight will be shared with other airlines seeking to cut carbon emissions in the rest of the industry.