Greener datacenters? It is possible!

March 18, 2023 · 1 min read

green

Did you know that data centers can help save energy and money by reusing their excess heat? According to a recent article from Ars Technica, a data center in Switzerland is providing free heat to a struggling public pool, saving it $24k a year. This is just one example of how data centers can turn their waste heat into a valuable resource for the public good.

Reusing data center heat is not only good for the environment, but also for the economy. According to a study, data centers in proximity to district heating systems could provide as much as 50 terawatt-hours a year of excess heat. That represents between 2% and 3% of the energy EU households used on space heating in 2020! Other possible and creative ways to use rejected data center heat are heating greenhouses, fish farms, schools, hospitals, and even entire cities.

#environment #energy #creative #economy #cloud



Gabriel Bruno

Written by Gabriel Bruno Specialist Solutions Architect @ AWS

Opinions expressed here are my own and do not represent the views of my employer.