Calculating and communicating level of carbon offsetting required to compensate for performing a computing task

• US 8,214,841 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PDI Merger S2 LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Amsterdam, Jeffrey D., Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alrobaye, Idriss N
• Application Number:
  US12/257,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20100107171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

Methods, systems, services and program products are provided for implementing carbon offset computing. During performance of a specified computing task data concerning resource consumption regarding that specified computing task is gathered and stored. Upon completion of the specified computing task, the amount of carbon offset required to compensate for resource consumption associated with performance of the completed specified computing task is calculated based upon stored or known resource consumption data. The calculated amount of carbon offset information may be transmitted to a carbon offset function provider, and a carbon offset function provider implements the specified amount of carbon offset based upon the calculated amounts communicated for the completed specified computing task.

Claims

1. A method for carbon offset computing, comprising:

gathering and storing resource consumption data related to embarking on a specified computing task by a computational device;

completing by the computational device the specified computing task;

calculating an amount of carbon offset required to compensate for resource consumption associated with performance of the completed specified computing task by the computational device as a function of stored resource consumption data by;

invoking a user-selected carbon offset level provided through an interface of the computational device prior to the performance of the processing task by the computational device;

querying a policy table containing a plurality of possible computational device resource considerations as a function of the carbon offset level invoking;

displaying an available subset of the plurality of possible carbon offset levels to a user as a function of the querying of the policy table;

the user selecting at least one of the available subset possible carbon offset levels;

implementing the at least one selected carbon offset level for the computational device to perform the specified processing task; and

displaying a carbon offset function performed by the at least one selected carbon offset level;

transmitting the calculated amount of carbon offset to a carbon offset function provider; and

implementing the carbon offset function based upon the calculated amount of carbon offset for the completed specified computing task.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering and storing resource consumption data related to the specified computing task further comprises measuring a level of power consumption required for the specified computing task.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering and storing resource consumption data related to the specified computing task further comprises determining a time of day and an external environmental temperature during which the specified computing task is being performed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering and storing resource consumption data related to the specified computing task further comprises:

determining a geographic location where the specified computing task is being performed; and

determining at least one of a form of power generation provided at the geographic location, an excess power capacity at the geographic location, an external environmental temperature at the geographic location and a proximity of the geographic location to another computer network to which connection is required.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering and storing resource consumption data related to the specified computing task further comprises measuring a change in an internal temperature of a computer performing the specified computing task during performance of the task.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering and storing resource consumption data related to the specified computing task further comprises determining how many pages of paper were printed during performance of the specified computing task.

7. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer-readable tangible storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer system processing unit, cause the computer system processing unit to;

gather and store resource consumption data related to embarking on a specified computing task by a computational device in a memory;

calculate an amount of carbon offset required to compensate for resource consumption associated with performance of the specified computing task by the computational device based upon the stored resource consumption data by;

invoking a user-selected carbon offset level provided through an interface of the computational device prior to the performance of the processing task by the computational device;

querying a policy table containing a plurality of possible computational device resource considerations as a function of the carbon offset level invoking;

displaying an available subset of the plurality of possible carbon offset levels to a user as a function of the querying of the policy table;

implementing at least one selected carbon offset level selected by the user from the displayed available subset of the plurality of possible carbon offset levels for the computational device performing the specified processing task; and

displaying a carbon offset function performed by the at least one selected carbon offset level; and

transmit the calculated amount of carbon offset to the carbon offset function provider via the network interface for implementation of the carbon offset function based upon the calculated amount of carbon offset for the completed specified computing task.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system processing unit, causes the computer system processing unit to gather and store the resource consumption data related to the specified computing task by determining a time of day and an external environmental temperature during which the specified computing task is being performed.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system processing unit, causes the computer system processing unit to gather and store the resource consumption data related to the specified computing task by:

determining a geographic location where the specified computing task is being performed; and

determining at least one of a form of power generation provided at the geographic location, an excess power capacity at the geographic location, an external environmental temperature at the geographic location and a proximity of the geographic location to another computer network to which connection is required.

10. A system, comprising:

a processing unit

a tangible computer-readable storage device in communication with the processing unit;

a memory in communication with the processing unit; and

a network interface in communication with the processing unit, the memory and a carbon offset function provider;

wherein the processing unit, when executing program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory;

gathers and stores resource consumption data related to a computational device embarking on a specified computing task for storage in the memory;

calculates an amount of carbon offset required to compensate for resource consumption associated with performance of the completed specified computing task by the computational device based upon the stored resource consumption data by;

invoking a user-selected carbon offset level provided through an interface of the computational device prior to the performance of the processing task by the computational device;

querying a policy table containing a plurality of possible computational device resource considerations as a function of the carbon offset level invoking

displaying an available subset of the plurality of possible carbon offset levels to a user as a function of the querying of the policy table;

implementing at least one selected carbon offset level selected by the user from the displayed available subset of the plurality of possible carbon offset levels for the computational device performing the specified processing task; and

displaying a carbon offset function performed by the at least one selected carbon offset level; and

transmits the calculated amount of carbon offset to the carbon offset function provider via the network interface for implementation of the carbon offset function based upon the calculated amount of carbon offset for the completed specified computing task.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory, further a power consumption monitor to measure an amount of power consumed by the computational device during the completion of the specified computing task.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory, further utilizes the power consumption monitor to determine a time of day and an external environmental temperature during which the specified computing task is being performed.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory, further utilizes the power consumption monitor to determine:

a geographic location where the specified computing task is being performed; and

at least one of a form of power generation provided at the geographic location, an excess power capacity at the geographic location, an external environmental temperature at the geographic location and a proximity of the geographic location to another computer network to which connection is required.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory, further utilizes the power consumption monitor to measure, during the performance of the specified computing task, at least one of a change in an internal temperature of the processing means, a change in an internal temperature of the memory, and how many pages of paper were printed.