Last year's power outages were a warning to local businesses to address their consumption. However, vendors say organisations are not interested in investigating energy-efficient technologies.
SA's power utility Eskom is running out of generation capacity and has warned that last year's widespread power outages could recur as demand outstrips supply. Winter places further pressure on the system.
Despite these warnings, Sun Microsystems' regional director for sub-Saharan Africa, Vito Bonafede, says few companies are considering their role in addressing the shortages.
"It appears to be a cultural problem. In general, South Africans have not recognised this is a problem that the whole community should be doing something about. The business community is the same - most feel it just isn't their problem," he says.
Eskom spokesperson Fani Zulu agrees that past conditions did not require the layman to consider power as a scarce resource.
"However, the electricity supply challenges are not just a problem for Eskom. It's a national challenge and all sectors must respond in order to overcome short-term challenges. We have various programmes in place - including one around technologies in organisations - and we are working on building awareness," he says.
All the same, international vendors find their messages of energy-efficient technologies often fall on deaf ears.
"The response to discussions about energy-efficiency is disappointing. Nobody really cares. Even when you look at the large infrastructure tenders that come onto the market, parameters for power consumption are hardly ever included. It's one thing waiting for end of lifespan, but a fair amount of the new technology being procured today could be considered less efficient than what would be acceptable in other countries," says Andrew Tsobanoglou, product manager for Fujitsu Siemens Computers.
Technology readily available
Elsewhere in the world, power consumption has become a matter of serious concern, with some utilities imposing penalties and other restrictions on those companies considered to be overly power-hungry.
Companies like Intel and AMD have spent a considerable portion of their research and development funding on designing processors that reduce power consumption and cooling requirements.
Hardware manufacturers like IBM, HP and Fujitsu Siemens Computers have added to these efforts, reducing power drain from their systems and ultimately improving overall performance.
Intel SA country manager Devan Naidoo explains: "Internationally, power consumption is a priority concern and pressure has been placed on manufacturers to provide appropriate technology. The technology is here, it's been tested and it's ready for use for the private and public sector."
IBM business development manager Bevan Locke agrees: "The technology is receiving some attention from the marketplace, particularly from the financial services sector and the likes of data hosting centres. Today, when signing a hosting agreement, you are likely to find that it is subject to power and heating limitations. It's a product of the times we live in."
If power is not motivation enough, Bonafede says companies should consider the knock-on effect of this technology. "It's not just about saving on your electricity bill - it's about accessing more computing power, requiring less cooling and making better use of the physical space at hand."
The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) confirms it specifies energy-efficiency technologies as a requirement.
"SITA started engaging the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on energy-efficient standards in 1999. SITA also engaged the EPA's Andrew Fanara, while he was in SA, to advise the company in this regard," says SITA communications GM Elton Fortuin.
SITA's biggest tender to date, the seat management services tender, which is worth R2.5 billion over three years for PCs, monitors, notebooks and printers, specifies power supply and consumption figures, as well as the certifications and conditions such equipment must comply with, he adds.
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