IBM announces new cloud computing study for Iowa city

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

IBM and the city of Dubuque, Iowa, hope that cloud computing will usher in a new era of sustainable energy.

According to a recent IBM announcement, the Smarter Energy Cloud will provide citizens in the city with information about how much energy they consume and best practices to become more sustainable. Data will be collected from volunteer households over a six-month period.

At this time, 1,000 smart electricity meters have been installed in Dubuque, which is the first city in the state to achieve this number.

"By providing citizens and city officials with an integrated view of energy consumption, the project will encourage informed changes in usage resulting in conservation and cost reduction," the company said in a statement.

IBM continues to provide its cloud computing services across the country to promote greater energy efficiency and productivity. For example, the company announced last month that the state of Vermont's Department of Information and Innovation is using a cloud solution from IBM and Silanis to expand its collaboration with vendors, increase their operational efficiency, decrease its paper consumption and increase its profits.