How Data Centers Are Becoming Sources of Alternative Energy

There’s an increasing need for the processing power of volumes of internet searches, loads of corporate data and cloud computing because our reliance on the internet is growing exponentially. This is more so in the most technologically advanced countries in the world like Japan, the USA, South Korea and Germany. From remote working to entertainment streaming and even online gaming on Japan online casino sites, the demand for data centers is shooting up now more than ever before.

As you can imagine, the servers for tech giants like Fujitsu, Sony, Google and Microsoft have massive warehouses hosting their data. So, even though power emitted from one computer may be tiny, the overall build-up of the power of these corporations’ computers may result in significant levels of waste emittance to the environment.

Due to how hot these computers and servers get, there is a need to cool down the waste heat. But then, as much as the heat energy emitted is waste, it is still a resource that can be harnessed to be used elsewhere in different applications. So, in today’s post, we’ll dig deeper into how the most forward-thinking organizations recycle their excess heat emissions.

The Idea behind Data Center Waste Utilization

Computers and servers need a highly optimal environment to operate efficiently. As such, they need systems that cool, ventilate and humidify their environment. And to achieve these levels, the data centers require a lot of energy, consuming up to 100 or 200 times more electricity than your standard office. So, instead of thinking about cooling down these data centers, the heat is being directed to other purposes by forwarding organizations.

With the data centers around the world accounting for 1% of the electricity used globally, the solution to making them energy efficient lies in recovering the waste in a district heating system. That’s because the other energy efficiency option – reducing their electricity consumption levels, will water down their efficiency. Additionally, there’s still no advanced technology that’s efficient enough to significantly reduce their rate of power consumption and hence heat emission.

Scandinavian Countries Are Running Point

The best utilization of heat from data centers can be seen in many Scandinavian countries. Of course, the fact that Scandinavian countries are at the forefront of this mission comes as no surprise, given that they are known to be more conscious about environmental conservation than other regions.

Starting with Sweden, the country has the biggest success story in waste heat recycling, as waste heat from the data centers is already in use in district heating networks. Thirty data centers in the country (including ones from data giants like Erickson, Bahnhof, DigiPlex and Interxion) are already signed up to the district heating networks. The heat from these data centers is already responsible for powering around 10,000 Stockholm homes, 95% of which are located in the heart of Stockholm. Experts predict that by the year 2035, the waste from the data centers in Sweden will power 35% of the city’s electricity requirements.

Other excellent examples of countries in Europe using waste heat as an alternative source of energy include:

• In Zurich, Switzerland, a data center built on a former military bunker uses its excess heat emissions to warm up a nearby public pool.
• Telecity, a green data center in Paris, uses its waste heat to power an on-site climate change arboretum where further efforts to protect the environment are deliberated.

The US is Playing Catch Up

On the other hand, the US is still far behind when it comes to data center waste utilization, but there have been steps to rectify that situation. California, for instance, has taken the wheel by introducing waste heat recovery regulations for the construction of buildings under Title 24, which is part of the state’s long-standing effort to reduce energy consumption.

With California taking the leadership mantle, it is expected that the other US States will follow suit. Moreover, the most encouraging bit about the United States is that many secluded cases point to a hopeful future regarding data center waste utilization. They include:

• Notre Dame University uses waste heat from a nearby data center to power one of its campus greenhouses.
• Syracuse University’s data center uses hot water and air conditioning in a nearby building.
• Utilizing the heat for vertical farming.

More Awareness is Needed to Push for Data Center Heat Recycling

It’s all well and good to marvel at the wonders of the success stories in Scandinavian countries and Europe. However, there needs to be a more deliberate framework for such accomplishments to occur elsewhere. The Swedes, for instance, have an across-the-board understanding among the masses that promoting environmental conservation more strongly through digitization is paramount. With the US looking to catch up with such countries, there needs to be a similar foundation in other parts of the globe for this to work out.