Power
Summary
Data centers release nearly all the electricity they consume as low-grade heat, representing a significant untapped energy potential. When harnessed with heat pumps, this heat can be upgraded for use in district and industrial heating applications.
This concept is not theoretical. Successful, large-scale heat recovery systems are already implemented in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. The 25-MW Nebius data center in Mäntsälä, Finland, recovers enough energy to heat the equivalent of 2,500 homes. In the U.S., where winters are milder, the potential is even greater—a single hyperscale facility could heat up to 20,000 homes. Successful domestic pilot projects include the National Laboratory of the Rockies’ campus in Golden, Colorado, and Amazon’s Seattle, Washington, headquarters.
This solution also addresses the massive upcoming challenge of heating electrification. With an increasing number of jurisdictions mandating all-electric heating, utilities face yet another surge in electrical consumption. Water-source heat pumps in thermal networks offer higher efficiencies, more stable performance, and reduced winter peak demands compared to air-source and ground-source heat pumps. Waste-heat integration can help accelerate decarbonization while simultaneously creating a new revenue stream for utilities.
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