Universities Join a Contest to Power Down Computers

A handful of universities are gearing up for a contest to reduce power use among computer users on campus, and there is still time to join the contest if you are interested in participating. The contest, called Power Down for the Planet, is sponsored by the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a nonprofit group devoted to reducing energy use in computing.

Pat Tiernan, executive director of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, says that information-technology devices consume up to 3 percent of the power generated in the United States. Personal computers make up some 40 percent of the total power draw from technology. There are a billion personal computers on the market today, and that number may grow to 2.5 billion within six years. “The need to focus on the problem now is immense,” Mr. Tiernan says.

Through the contest, universities will try to get students, faculty members, and staff members to pledge to use power-management tools on their computers — the winning university will be the one that gets the highest percentage of the campus to take the pledge. There is also a video contest, in which students can illustrate the problem of energy use in computing. There is a $10,000 prize at stake, along with various other prizes, like laptops and bicycles. But Mr. Tiernan says the real reward would come through the efficiencies, which can add up to millions on big campuses that have tens of thousands of computers running.

The deadline to enter the contest is March 13, but Mr. Tiernan suggested he would take some stragglers. The pledge drive will begin on March 23. Winners will be announced on Earth Day. Institutions that have already signed up for the contest include California State University at Chico, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, the University of California at San Diego, the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, the University of Maryland, and the University of Maine at Farmington. —Scott Carlson