Can a data center heat your home or office? It can in London, where excess heat from servers at the new Telehouse West data center in the Docklands will soon be used in nearby houses and businesses. The Greater London Authority has approved a plan in which waste heat from the $180 million Telehouse colocation facility will be used in a district heat network for the local Docklands community.
It will join the list of data centers in recent months that are utilizing excess heat for good, like the Swiss center built by IBM that heats the community swimming pool and a Notre Dame researcher who helped heat the plants in a greenhouse and Botanical Garden in South Bend, Ind. by placing a server rack in the building. (Humidity issues and airborn particulates so far do not seem to be a problem.)
In a win-win-win, everyone saves money and while less greenhouse gases are released thanks to the reduced power requirements all the way around.
Hat tip to Nic B. for the link!
wow I love it. We need our servers to do this. So they will be wind powered AND giving heat back. Maybe to swimming pool – free for GNN members 😀