Data centers produce a lot of heat, which ends up in the atmosphere most of the time. It begs the question: what if this data center heat could be reused somehow?
Well, there are some ways enterprises can do just that. Some are already doing it – AWS, for instance, supplies the heat from its Dublin facility to the nearby district heating company.
As companies owning and running data centers worldwide seek to reduce their environmental impact, reusing the heat produced can be a fantastic option. But such an option doesn’t come without its fair share of challenges.
In this article, we will provide the following:
- An outline of the carbon footprint of data centers.
- A list of some of the ways data center heat can be reused.
- A list of the hurdles that stand in the way.
Data Centers and Their Carbon Footprint
Data centers are often enormous, filled with equipment that runs on electricity. On top of that, the facilities require cooling to ensure equipment doesn’t heat up. Unlike vehicles or planes, the equipment doesn’t produce carbon emissions directly. However, its energy is responsible for emissions, especially if the power comes from burning fossil fuels.
To put it in numbers, data centers are responsible for one percent of energy-related emissions worldwide, according to the International Energy Agency.
(Data: source)
While many companies, including hyperscalers, are investing in renewable energy for data centers, we’re far from reaching carbon neutrality. Data centers' heat, which can be significant in some centers and regions, is a part of the problem. More often than not, it gets dissipated into the atmosphere through cooling systems.
In other words, the heat from data centers is a part of their carbon footprint and contributes to global warming.
There’s increased pressure on data centers to reduce their emissions and go green. Some countries in the European Union have also imposed heat-capturing requirements for new buildings, including data centers.
Solutions for Reusing Data Center Heat
The good news is that data center heat can be reused in some very creative ways. Some of these solutions have already been put to use by the big tech.
Heating Homes and Buildings
Data centers located in or near cities and towns can repurpose the heating for warming. The heat collected from data centers can heat water, which then goes to homes and buildings for heating via radiators. For this purpose, heat can be transferred to the local heating company by establishing the right infrastructure.
There are existing examples of this strategy in action. Meta has built a data center in Odense, Denmark’s third-largest city, that supplies heat to many local buildings, including a hospital. Designed with sustainability as a focus, the facility transfers heat to the district heating company, which then uses it to warm water that reaches the homes and buildings in the community.
This is one of the most practical ways of reusing data center heat. Of course, this approach is only helpful in cold climates where heating is required. For instance, a place like Singapore, with a hot climate year-round, wouldn’t need heating for homes.
Heating for Industries
Factories and facilities that require heating can also benefit from the heat output of large data centers. For instance, kilns for producing bricks or clay products might be able to use heat if it’s concentrated. As a result, such factories won’t have to use fuels, especially fossil fuels, for producing heat.
As with heating homes and buildings, heating industrial facilities requires physical proximity. The data center would ideally be located near such factories.
Heating for Agriculture
A creative solution for data center heating reuse is greenhouses for agricultural production. In places with cold climates, warm temperatures can be conducive for growing food. The heat from a data center building could be directed to greenhouses to maintain a favorable ambient temperature for crops to grow.
Blockheating, a Dutch hosting service provider, moves heat from its small data centers to neighboring greenhouses. According to the company, a 200-kilowatt data center can produce enough heating for a hectare of cultivation land. In terms of food, this land size can grow over 88,000 pounds of tomatoes a month.
In winter, this heat can be incredibly useful for growing food without spending extra power for heating greenhouses.
Heating Materials
Like the heat from data centers can heat kilns, it can also be used for drying materials. For instance, wood can be dried using this heat. Similarly, fruits and vegetables can be dried with heat before packaging.
This is a less applied application currently, but not without potential.
The Challenges
Although reusing data center heat can positively impact the environment, it’s not without challenges.
Location Feasibility
As we’ve explored in the potential solutions for heat reuse, the data center's location plays a vital role. For most plausible solutions, where the data center facility is located, the population around it, and the climate determine whether such solutions can be feasible.
A data center located in a remote region with no or few buildings nearby won’t be able to transfer heat for warming. Similarly, a data center with a warm or temperate climate won’t have much use of its residual heat, as the building would require cooling instead of heating.
Costs
Collecting and transferring heat from the data center requires infrastructure. Depending on the size of the project, the cost to build this infrastructure can be a significant investment.
Even with the rebates from the government, the cost can be high, which can deter companies from executing such projects. However, as heat and carbon-capturing projects become commonplace, the technology behind them will likely become more affordable soon.
Heat Loss
Moving heat from one facility to another also incurs some loss of energy. Mainly, if the heat is transmitted at a long distance, it will lose energy through the route. So, heat reuse projects must be implemented nearby with the shortest heat transport route possible.
If the loss is significant, the remnant heat may not be enough to serve the purpose, for instance, heating homes or drying goods.
Thinking Outside the Box!
Data center enterprises must be more creative with how they approach their facilities' energy usage and heat dissipation. Consider how heat can be reused based on the location and surroundings of the data center. When constructing new facilities, choose locations, keeping heat reuse in mind.
While there are challenges, effective heat reuse from servers and other infrastructure can offset data center emissions and help nearby communities.
At PivIT, we’re strong, staunch advocates of environment-friendly practices, whether increasing the life of equipment or safely disposing of legacy devices. Data center heat reuse is just another way enterprises can contribute to the efforts to stop global warming!