Inveneo

The Low-Power Advantage

The best way to save money operating computers in areas with no or unreliable grid power is to drastically reduce power consumption. Why?

The bulk of the cost to operate a computer or any other electrical device in these situations is often not the device itself, but the power generation equipment (solar panels, generator & fuel, batteries for backup power). The more power a device requires, the higher will be the cost for the power generation and storage equipment.

Below is an example of the equipment costs needed to operate one computer 8 hours per day on Solar power:

And below is a diagram that demonstrates how these cost advantages add up for a computer lab in a school, a internet cafe or a community ICT center:

based on actual costs in Uganda as of Feb. 2007