The Conversation
Summary
The electricity needed to power new Pennsylvania data centers already in advanced stages of planning could power 11 million homes – nearly twice the total number of households in the state.
Companies that want to build data centers to expand their cloud and artificial intelligence computing are drawn to Pennsylvania due to its proximity to major East Coast cities, relatively affordable land and electricity, and legacy industrial infrastructure. For instance, there is a plan to turn an abandoned steel mill in Pittsburgh into a high-density data center that can leverage the existing infrastructure for electricity and water supply.
Pennsylvania also has potential for geothermal cooling from its abandoned mines across the state. An example is Iron Mountain’s underground data center in western Pennsylvania, about an hour north of Pittsburgh. The data center is located 220 feet below ground in a former limestone mine. The stable and naturally cool subterranean environment – around 52 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius) – and underground lake reduce reliance on conventional mechanical cooling.
Beyond efficiency, reusing waste heat can transform how we think about data centers. In Idaho, a startup is using server waste heat to support hydroponic greenhouses for year-round food production. In Paris, excess data center heat has warmed swimming pools used during the 2024 Olympics, and one of Meta’s data centers in Denmark supplies heat to a district heating network serving roughly 11,000 local homes. In Colorado, the National Laboratory of the Rockies recovers heat from its high-performance computing systems to warm building spaces and melt snow.
Continue Reading
#News#GeothermalandGeo-Exchange#DataCenter