The Technology Strategy Board is running a competition to encourage developers to create games that support their work in addressing power distribution and the management of demand. There are looking to support work around cognitive design and social gaming to generate novel, demand side, consumer focused technologies.

Some of the ideas they suggest as examples include;

• A multi-platform app on smart phones or tablets that talks to individual smart meters
• A Sim City style game featuring real time data
• A vertical application for smart meter data with gamers demonstrating real-world energy usage, related carbon emissions and efficiency

To explore the possibilities, Creative Industries KTN and the Pervasive Media Studio are hosting a ‘Partnering for Innovation’ event at the Watershed Media Centre in Bristol on 16 January 2012. It will bring together people from the games and design sectors with businesses and organisations in the energy supply chain to:

• Network with other organisations
• Gain an understanding of developments in Smart Energy space
• Explore the themes for the competition and the potential role of creative businesses
• Make contacts and discuss potential collaborations

If this is a challenge that interests you and you would like to take part in the event, please register your interest with anita@creativeindustriesktn.org

The Energy Saving Trust, an independent organisation that advises on saving energy and lowering carbon emissions, has reported that our increasing use of gadgets such as smartphones, tablets and plasma TV’s is offsetting energy saving activities.

The reports author Dr Paula Owen says;

“If we look over the last five years a lot has changed and a lot of progress has been made making the most energy-sapping appliances more efficient. But where we still have a long way to go is with our gadgets and home entertainment appliances, which are using more and more electricity.”

But perhaps as well as being part of the problem the gadgets that we’ve become so reliant on my also be able to contribute toward a solution. Smart phone and tablets are becoming increasingly sophisticated, integrating seamlessly with networks of monitors and sensors. Our gadgets could be used to make us much more aware of the energy use impact of our activities, alerting us to more positive actions and making energy waste transparent. The first generation of such apps are already available [http://gigaom.com/cleantech/7-iphone-apps-to-manage-energy-consumption/], but expect them to become much powerful and impactful in the next few years as universal smart metering rolls out across the country.

Bristol City Council, along with Toshiba Research Labs, IP Performance, Knowle West Media Centre, and partners in Bulgaria, Spain and Germany, are working on 3e Houses, a major European Project designed to use ICT’s, including Toshiba’s  latest Tablet PC, to help reduce energy use in Social Housing.

Leaving items on standby wastes energy, but by using a free energy saving plug you could save electricity and cut your bills by up to £20 a year.

To support the Governments Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) initiative, Grass Roots UK Ltd are distributing free energy saving plugs to households in the UK. The plugs will automatically cut off the electricity to all your connected devices, be it an individual piece of equipment such as a TV or a number of items connected via a multi way socket plugged into the unit.

The unit is controlled by your existing TV remote control (or any infra red remote control). You can select the desired button you wish to use on your remote control and the unit will learn and remember it. Simply press the assigned button on the remote control and the socket will turn off.  To restore power press assigned button on the remote control, power will then be restored to the TV and your peripheral equipment.

The offer ends 11th March 2011 so to register for your free plug visit the Free Green Gadgets website.

Bristol Green Capital is a growing community of over 120 organisations in the city committed to accelerating the pace of change towards a low carbon future. It is inviting organisations across the City to make a Pledge to help make Bristol a green capital – a low carbon city with a high quality of life.

Bristols digital community has a big part of the recent success story of the city, and is seen by many to be the key to a prosperous and sustainable future. If you would like to be part of this network please get in touch with sian.ferguson@bristolgreencapital.org, or sign up to the pledge by visiting the Bristol Green Capital website. Pledge members benefit from PR and media exposure, online resources including practical tools and signposting to support services, as well as access to training, seminars and networking events in the region.

The e-Government National Awards recognise excellence and innovation in digital initiatives in national and local government, the NHS, education and the third sector.

The Awards are supported by the Prime Minister who said;

“The e-Government National Awards recognise some of the brilliant work done by digital specialists working across national and local government. One of our big ambitions is to make government more transparent, open and accountable and digital communications will play a massive part in that. I congratulate all the nominees and encourage all digital specialists across the public sector to follow their good example and innovation.”

Connecting Bristol have been shortlisted alongside Department of Health, Ministry of Defence, Queen Margaret University, Hampshire County Council, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Southend Borough Council in recognition of work in the area of sustainable Green IT and Carbon Efficient services.

This years awards ceremony will take place at the London Guildhall on Wednesday 26 January 2011, and is being organised by local Bristol company SiftMedia.

Sean Kenny of Voscur

I’ve been working with Voscur members over the last year to help them to look at how they use IT and how they can plan future use to maximise their effectiveness without spending huge amounts of money or wasting resources by developing Green ICT strategies for their organisations.

In 2009 I asked our members to tell us about their ICT usage and was able to calculate using methods developed by the Carbon Trust for Bristol, City Council that the Carbon Footprint of just computer and associated technology use among our 700 member organisations was 2000 tonnes per year – http://www.voscur.org/ict/greenict/2000tonnes .

With the Voluntary sector often playing catch up in the technology arena, Voscur could see that action was needed to combat this as this could only be an upward trend without some sort of intervention.

Using the Green ICT solutions database at http://www.greenaddict.eu Voscur ran group and one to one planning sessions with members, highlighting refurbishing equipment, more collaborative working methods and using open source to create Green ICT initiatives that specifically addressed issues of access and budget that are common across the Voluntary sector.

We’ve also collected resources in to a Green ICT Pack for groups to learn more about the issue and put to use at http://www.voscur.org/ict/greencomputing

In the current climate Green ICT may not be at the top of most struggling charities and community groups agendas, merely defending the services they provide from massive income shortfalls has to be the priority. Green ICT planning though can contribute to cutting costs in IT and utility bills while improving efficiency and future proofing the skills and the infrastructure of organisations.

It’s only been three weeks since we launched our low cost recycled computers scheme and we already have almost 200 applications on our system. We are working hard with our partners Redemtech and Byteback to prepare the PC’s for use and hope to have the first batch available for collection in the next couple of weeks. We will be receiving further batches regularly after that. If you have filled out an application you should receive a letter telling you that it has been processed and that we are fulfilling all of the applications, as quickly as we can, in the order they were received .

Nathon from Byteback with 200 PCs

Spread of Recycled Computer Applications

37 free Wi-Fi hotspots are being launched by Bristol City Council tomorrow (22nd October) as part of its Connecting Bristol programme.

As well as libraries and council buildings, there will also be Wi-Fi hotspots in public areas such as St Nicholas Market and parts of Ashton Court  have also been Wi-Fi enabled, so residents can go online when they’re out and about around the city.  A further 15 hotspot areas are also in the pipeline for the next few months.

The council is also launching a scheme to ensure that homes that want a low cost PC can get access to one. The Bristol Computer Re-use scheme, which is a partnership between the council, ByteBack and RedMTech will see surplus council computers being refurbished and made available at a low cost to residents who couldn’t otherwise afford to buy a computer.

The council is aiming to supply around 1,000 computers in the first year. The scheme will be building on the success of the previous government-funded Home Access Initiative, which helped 2,500 low-income Bristol households with school-aged children to access the internet at home.

Research commissioned by the Government Digital Champion, Martha Lane Fox, highlights that poorer households can save money by being on line and that Government and Local Authorities can also achieve efficiency savings by maximizing take-up of on line and digital services.

To register for a Recycled Computer, visit www.connectingbristol.org/recycledcomputers or send your name, address and telephone number to Recycled Computers (CH/404), FREEPOST SWB535, Bristol BS1 5BR.

Innovate 10 is a networking conference event with the aim of making innovation happen – creating opportunity and growth for the future.  It is being held today at the Business Design Centre in London, but you can follow proceedings online at http://www.innovate10.co.uk/live/.

Hosted by the Technology Strategy Board, Innovate 10 will address all aspects of technology innovation, with a special focus on the commercial exploitation of the Digital economy, Healthcare markets of the future, Energy generation and supply and the Sustainable economy.

The Council has recently launched it’s Green ICT Strategy which is intended to help reduced fuel bills, lower carbon emissions, cut carbon bills (under the Carbon Reduction Commitment) and encourage more sustainable outcomes from its spending.

Some of the benefits to Bristol outlined in the strategy go beyond purely environmental issues. One of the initiatives will see the Council’s  refurbished ICT equipment made available to disadvantaged Bristol families, and voluntary and community groups. By doing this the Council hopes to support digital inclusion across the city as well as reduce the amount of redundant ICT kit entering the waste stream.

The strategy looks both to to reduce emissions associated with the use of ICT and to use ICT to reduce emissions elsewhere within the city and the council. Some of the key areas of focus include;

• cost savings associated with reduced power consumption.
• more effective handling of redundant and waste ICT equipment.
• more environmentally sustainable behaviour.
• meeting an increased level of corporate social responsibility.
• enhancing the city’s reputation as a leading green and digital city.