Thin
client technologyhas reducedcarbon emissionsin Western Europe by
166,000 tons in 2007, according to theFraunhofer Institutein
Germany.
Fraunhofer calculated the reduction by combining IDC figures for
the number of thin clients sold in Europe with research that found
that the energy consumption of the thin client devices was 50%
lower than that of conventional PCs.
Last year the researchers said
British businesses could save £78m in electricity bills and
slash carbon emissions by 485,000 tonnes a year by switching from
PCs to thin clients.
Hartmut Pflaum, Fraunhofer researcher, said, "While PCs consume
85 watts on average, thin clients and their server get by with 40
to 50 watts. In view of climate change and the need to reduce
carbon emissions, this is an important factor."
Fraunhofer said the carbon reduction through the use of thin
clients in just one year alone was equivalent to the emissions of
more than 540 return flights from London to New York.
Stephen Yeo, director of marketing for IGEL Technology, the
world's third largest supplier of thin clients, said, "This
analysis proves that businesses are reducing their carbon footprint
by simply switching to thin client."
He said Europe could make even bigger carbon savings by
increasing the proportion of thin clients from the current level of
around 10%.