I'm not sure what kind of pc's you are using, but I suggest if you want to contribute and are concerned about the environment, you should do it with more energy efficient computers.

I have two laptops, both Core duo 1.8, and the power supply cords for the laptops are both rated at 65 watts. So, with my 4 cores running I'm not using more than 130 watts for sure. Thats for the WHOLE computer, including screen and hard drive use, along with GPU, not just CPU. So you must be in the dark ages with computers that are pulling 650 watts.

Let's face it, no matter what we do right now, we are bad for the environment. So, we just need to try and do the best we can with what we've got, and we can work toward the day in which we will have 100 million PC's working on these complex problems using only alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. We should all look to the future, but in the meantime do as much as we can to make that a reality. I know I'm doing the best I can right now by using only the most efficient computers available to help with the effort. :)

but you haven't calculated the work done - which is the main thing here! and several BOINC app are clinate related...

so here is my calculation:
23W in idle mode divided by 0 work done is INFINITE POWER CONUMPTION PER WORK!

650W/day in powered BOINC work by (my guess is) 2 jobs completed (and that is underrated) gives 325W/day for JOB DONE!


so given these calculations, 325W is much less than INFINITE!

Some Ideas

Manually turn your monitor off with the power button when you’re not at the computer.

Seasonally adjust your BOINC-ing. Leave your computer on in the winter when the computer by-product (heat) offsets other heating methods, and then use it less when you have to pay to get rid of the heat (air conditioning).

If you have enough memory, set your computer’s power saving settings in BIOS to allow for the harddrive to power down during periods of inactivity.


Upgrade processors to the ultra energy efficient versions, in the AMD Opteron family, those would be the HE series.

Some replies to various comments in this thread...

Great advice. I only wish that I were to follow it myself. It's just that once, even after decades of using public transportation, you have a car, you can't quite figure out how you lived without it? On an unrelated topic....studies show that if you are guaranteed only have to wait 6 minutes for the next bus, people will prefer public transportation. But I doubt that public transportation will be funded at that level; thus, most of us will keep driving.

I think this is a great point. There are several advantages to using a supercomputer:

• Running all work units on the same platform guarantees comparability of results.
  
• A dedicated professional staff controls the operation of a supercomputer, thus reducing the possibility of errors, not to mention malware.
  
• 1 well-designed supercomputer may consume less energy than 100000 personal computers.
  

The consumption of energy should be justified by accuracy of results. Have I just dissuaded myself from participating in the project?

Although resources may be optimized if most users run World Community Grid without changing their usage habits, I think there are many users similar to myself: my earlier habits were to shut off my computer when I was not using it, so my computer was off more, perhaps far more, than it was on. On infrequent occasions the computer may have been off for days on end, or even longer. Now, however, I keep the computer running overnight, and also during most of the day, which probably results in the consumption of an additional 62 kilowatt hours per month than what I would do otherwise.
I think that both patterns (people making minimal or no changes in computing habits, and running WCG on the side, and people leaving their computer on all day or all night to run WCG) are common; as fred456 so eloquently pointed out, however, the former pattern is to be encouraged.

This is a good point as well. I don't think that BOINC makes a sizeable dent in the total CO2 footprint either. But where's the proof? To prove it, you'd have to crunch more. Ironic, isn't it?

Can I jump back into this thread?

Crunching uses power that would otherwise not be used - fact
That's your contribution to this project
Super Computers use it by the bucket load ours is distributed around the globe instead of contained in just one building.

Producing power by non-renewable means causes various types of pollution - fact

The sight of a child with no hair on account of chemo wearing her hat to cover up her embarrassment sat on Mum's knee because she didn't have the strength to join in with the other kids with the hugest of scars down her torso.

Think about that little girl before you press the off switch tonight

Dave