Siemens is one of the world’s most prominent companies and Europe’s largest technology conglomerate. With 430,000 employees, $77 billion in revenue and industrial manufacturing, the company naturally has a major impact on greenhouse gases emissions emitting 4.53 million tons CO2e. 

Siemens has acknowledged the importance of climate change as one of the most important challenges facing humanity, alongside world poverty and access of all people to proper sanitation and energy.  This perspective has helped the company’s manufactured products eliminate 15 times the company’s total emissions.  Investing €2 billion annually in research and development, Siemens has a hefty 30,000 environmental technology patents and offers efficient solutions that better combat climate change.  

The company’s goal is to become a leader in climate change reduction by improving the performance of customers through efficient products. In fact, it has proclaimed to media that it has the most environmentally-friendly industrial technologies portfolio.  Further, Siemens has publicly embraced the need to address climate change and energy efficiency into its operations, communications, cross functional boards, product development and its membership at non-governmental organizations.  Beyond this, Siemens has set tangible targets for the future: its leadership expects by 2011 a 20% increase in energy efficiency and a 20% reduction of global carbon dioxide emissions.  Given the company’s size, global research and industrial technology solutions, the company has a strong platform to impact climate change.

The largest international emissions trading scheme in the world began in Europe in January 2005.  Known as the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the EU ETS unified many countries and sectors into a vast carbon emissions trading mechanism.  Its goal was by 2012 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8% back to 1990 emissions levels. In 2006, there were 10,078 installations, plus Poland’s more than 1000 installations. This portfolio of installations, including chemical, energy, mineral and industrial industries, constituted nearly half of all EU emissions.  The second phase beginning in 2008 and extending to 2012 plans to go beyond by involving other industries, including commercial aviation and airports.  

Law makers in Washington are increasingly concerned with how the new stimulus package will impact the national deficit. In these discussions, Cap and Trade systems have been discussed as a way to put a price on carbon.

The Arguments Surrounding Implementing Cap and Trade Systems

Overview of the District Cooling Industry

• District Cooling (DC) is the centralized production and distribution of cooling energy.
• Output of one plant can meet cooling-demands of dozens of buildings.
• Centralized production of cooling energy is:
  • More environmentally friendly
  • More cost-effective
  • A price competitive alternative
  • Reliable and convenient for the customer
  • Space efficient

Our research

Government Perspective

Our Research on Ethanol

Ethanol is a clean burning, high-octave motor fuel that is produced from renewable sources. Normally ethanol is used as a blend with gasoline eg: E 10 - 10% ethanol & 90 % gasoline which are commonly used in the US. However there are higher blends eg: E85- 85% ethanol & 15% gasoline which is used in flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV) which has also been introduced in the US by automakers.

This could make a big difference to Ethanol business. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is leading efforts to using higher ethanol blends - 20%, 30%, 40%, etc in standard automobiles which could mean dramatically higher amount of renewable fuel.

Our research shows that Information Technology contributes a small but still significant share to global energy consumption as well as global warming, accountable for roughly 2% of global carbon emissions. Green IT is a movement to minimize carbon emissions that result from the usage or manufacture of IT. Beyond this, companies can take part in Green IT by increasing computer productivity and IT efficiency by getting rid of many old computers and replacing them with fewer efficient computers that contribute to lower energy and overhead costs in the longrun.

Computer manufacturers can learn from this concept and can attract potential customers in emerging markets and developed markets with the prospect of longterm gains from Green IT.

SIS International.  IT Market Research.  2008