ALL SYSTEMS GREEN

TOPICS INCLUDE:
• Energy alternatives
• Distributed work and education
• Internet and clean energy
• Collaboration tools
• Advances in solar, nuclear, wind
• New materials, new properties
• Distributed vs. centralized distribution
• (Bigger?) better batteries
• Synthetic fuels/biofuels
• Green mobility
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
Green comes in infinite shades. Our focus on green might come down to a simple, counterintuitive concept: that IT can take the planet and our own organizations giant steps toward becoming truly green. Should we build more physical stores or a great, intuitive Web site? Can simulations with sophisticated tools accurately presage environmental damage?

However, IT does not exists in a vacuum: global political, economic, and social conditions will influence how we work and live. At this conference, we’ll look at the latest wrinkles, the innovators, and the systems that will soon deliver both incremental and paradigm-shifting environmental and economic benefits. If one of our challenges is to save valuable natural and physical resources everywhere in the chain of production, delivery, operation, and support, how might IT make this happen? Is nuclear the future of power? What steps do we need to take to preserve our forests? How can we ensure clean water for all our needs?

There'll be no shortage of technological advances. Batteries will function in temperatures up to 300°F. New thermoelectric materials will turn waste heat into electricity: one day, personal devices could be powered by body heat alone. Emerging methods for extracting hydrogen for fuel cells show real promise. Improved components will enable data centers to run without cooling equipment.  Light-emitting diodes will offer significant power savings, intelligent control, and a much-improved quality of light. The key will be to apply these developments thoughtfully in a variety of scenarios, like optimizing traffic flow, generating low-grade heat, and employing smart-enough appliances.
  
Novel infrastructures, innovations, and urban interfaces for the "city of tomorrow" will emerge as viable avenues for wisely leveraging breakthroughs in energy, communication, transportation, architecture, and community design. What is required is a thorough, organizational, holistic approach—deep, broad, thoughtful, and systematic over the long haul.