DATA CENTRE MANAGEMENT
How heat reuse can help to decarbonise data centres
Using waste heat from data centres to heat nearby buildings has the potential to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint. EiBI talks to Simon Prichard about the challenges of large- scale heat redistribution and what the UK can learn from examples in other parts of Europe.
Simon Prichard
EMEA ITC business leader at Mitsubishi Electric
les.mitsubishielectric.co.uk
Q: Is it possible to say how much heat is typically generated by a data centre and what percentage of this heat can be recovered and repurposed? Data centres generate a lot of heat due to the energy consumed by servers, storage systems, networking equipment and cooling infrastructure. It’s been estimated that around 69% of this heat can be recovered and repurposed in the winter months, and up to 86% in the summer. One way this can be done is through
heat recovery, which uses the waste heat from data centres to heat nearby buildings. Technology like heat pumps can take this excess heat and either transfer it to heat nearby homes, or provide hot water to commercial buildings like gyms or hotels.
Q: With increased demand for their services, is it right to assume that their energy requirements and heat generation will also continue to rise? With data centre usage growing
exponentially, we can safely assume that their energy requirements and heat generation will continue to rise. In fact, a recent report by the International Energy Agency has found that electricity demand from these buildings is set to more than double by 2030.
This is partially due to a surge in the use of AI tools like ChatGPT, alongside cloud computing and IoT devices. However, this also offers an opportunity to reuse this heat to heat nearby buildings, and support the UK’s transition to renewable heating as we look to reach Net Zero by 2050.
Q: What technology currently exists to enable the redistribution of heat from data centres and what potential
EIBI | MAY 2025
is there for future innovation? Heat pumps operating in heat networks can support the redistribution of heat from data centres. Heat pumps increase the temperature of the heat generated by these buildings (usually at around 30-35°C), to 70-80°C, which makes it suitable for heating nearby homes and businesses. Other heat recovery systems like district heating operate on a larger scale and can supply heating and hot water to larger towns and cities. Amazon’s Tallaght data centre in Dublin is a great example of the benefits these innovations can bring – it uses ejected heat from a data centre to power heating demand for nearby homes, and has reduced emissions in the South Dublin County area by nearly 1,500 tonnes per year.
Q: Will the reuse of heat reduce the need for cooling solutions within data centres? The reuse of heat from data centres
is growing, but it won’t cancel out the need for cooling in these environments. This is because the internal temperature of a data centre must be controlled 24/7 to ensure the continued operation of servers internally. Cooling will also be required when there is little or no demand for recovered heat during the summer months. Ultimately, heat reuse offers a complementary approach alongside cooling to improve overall energy efficiency.
Q: To distribute heat effectively, how important is it to locate data centres in urban environments? Having data centres in or close
to urban environments can play an important role in improving the overall effectiveness of heat distribution. This is because proximity from the data centre to the building it is providing heat to can lower the amount of heat lost during transmission, and make heat reuse more practical. Towns and cities also typically have a higher and more consistent
The Heat Works Energy Centre in Talla ght, Ireland
demand for heating and hot water due to the concentration of buildings – like homes, hospitals and schools – in any one area.
Q: What are some of the other factors that need to be considered before data centres can look to scale up their heat export? Identifying areas with year-round demand for heating is one crucial factor to consider before scaling up the exportation of heat from data centres. This will allow operators to work out where excess heat will be the most useful, in turn helping them justify subsequent investment in necessary infrastructure. Tailoring the solution to the area’s specific heat profile is another important area to consider. For example, heat pumps are more suited to smaller-scale applications where only a few nearby buildings require waste heat, while urban and district heating systems are more suitable for heat distribution to larger towns or cities.”
Q: Why does the UK appear to be behind other parts of Europe in the
redistribution of heat from data centres and what can we learn from these existing case studies? Historically, the UK has not
developed heat networks at the same scale as other northern European countries, making data centre connection and heat redistribution less likely and more challenging to manage. An example we can learn from includes Fortum, an energy company in Finland, which has established a carbon-neutral district heating scheme delivering 2,200 GWh of heat annually to 7,000 customers across its network. This shows how large-scale heat
redistribution can become a reality in the UK, but only if we communicate the environmental impact of data centres and the role heat recovery can play to stakeholders. This includes owners, managers and operators, as well as developers, manufacturers and regulatory/government bodies. This will help drive investment in these technologies, and frame data centres as part of the solution for a decarbonised future. ■
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