Pilot projects on data center heat reuse
Since we are close to zero emissions from powering and cooling the data centers, our next goal is to implement true circularity projects. We want to reuse the waste heat from our data centers to benefit other industries. Currently, Green Mountain participates in two different heat reuse projects:
Land-based lobster farm
The farm will use the waste heat from Green Mountain’s SVG1-Rennesøy data center. To grow optimally, the lobster needs a temperature of 20°C in the seawater. This is exactly the temperature of the seawater that has been used to cool the IT equipment. In a production facility adjacent to the data center they can use this heated seawater directly in the breeding of lobsters. As a result, we reuse the energy and Green Mountain is one step closer to making our facility climate positive. More info
Land-based fish farm
Hima Seafood is going to establish a land-based trout farm 800 meters from Green Mountain’s RJU1-Rjukan data center. By connecting the two facilities together by a pipe system, we will deliver heated water to Hima. Heat exchanger technology will then ensure that the Hima facility can use the energy from the water. The same water is subsequently returned to Green Mountain. The water now holds a lower temperature which can be used in the cooling of the data center. In other words, a truly circular project. The farm is estimated to be operational in 2023. More info
Other promising industries
The above-mentioned projects are still in early phases, but we are confident that they will have a significant impact when fully operational. Hopefully these projects will also inspire other data centers and businesses to think creatively about heat reuse. As we grow, we see the potential to expand with other types of heat reuse projects at new facilities. In addition to land-based fish farming we regard the following industries as especially promising for heat reuse: hydroponic farming, bio-gas plants, algae production, green houses, and insect farming.
Recently, a group of students did a project for a local utility company on what industries would be ideal for data center heat reuse. They used Green Mountain and our potential data center site at Kalberg as the basis for their project. You can download their report below.