Data centers can be built in a responsible way, but the big ones aren’t, instead they are built with the dirtiest and most resource consuming means possible because that is the only way to build them as fast as possible.
Responsibly built data centers of the future should be obliged not only to use closed loop systems but also actually use their huge amounts of heat instead of merely wasting it. Feeding distributed heating systems (or alternative ways of productively using that heat) should be obligatory. I know the situation is not the same as with gas power plants for example but it is incredibly wasteful not to use all that heat for something productive. We are talking about many MW here. For reference, the fairly sizeable waste incinerator plant Spittelau in Vienna has a capacity of 400 MW. There are currently data centers being built in the US with capacities higher than that and absolutely nothing productive is done with the waste heat.
Strict regulation is needed but not only that. Those gas turbines would be actually already illegal today. Laws are not enforced anymore for the oligarchs in the US. In other countries that nonsense would not fly already today.
We are known for building big ones fast. You just need to know how and execute with care an skill. Good people are expensive, and we pay well. So we charge more. And our customers know we hit all of our targets, so they are happy to pay.
The waste heat is difficult to use as it’s not that hot. We don’t have steam coming off the servers. They have to stay cool, after all. The water is significantly cooler than many domestic water heaters.
Gas turbines are a fucking nightmare. A move of despair. When our hens are running full bore during tests, we are well under 60dB. Our groundskeeping crew is significantly louder. And modern diesel is nothing like the majority of old trucks on the road today. No odor, no smoke, low-sulfur fuel, etc.
It can be done responsibly. We do it everyday. But trade secrets and NDAs keep us from speaking outside of anonymous forums like this.
That’s why I said it is not the same as in gas power stations. It is perfectly possible though, the cooling loop doesn’t have to have the temperature of domestic hot water. That is what heat pumps are for. They have built data centers doing it already in 2017.
Data centers can be built in a responsible way, but the big ones aren’t, instead they are built with the dirtiest and most resource consuming means possible because that is the only way to build them as fast as possible.
Responsibly built data centers of the future should be obliged not only to use closed loop systems but also actually use their huge amounts of heat instead of merely wasting it. Feeding distributed heating systems (or alternative ways of productively using that heat) should be obligatory. I know the situation is not the same as with gas power plants for example but it is incredibly wasteful not to use all that heat for something productive. We are talking about many MW here. For reference, the fairly sizeable waste incinerator plant Spittelau in Vienna has a capacity of 400 MW. There are currently data centers being built in the US with capacities higher than that and absolutely nothing productive is done with the waste heat.
Strict regulation is needed but not only that. Those gas turbines would be actually already illegal today. Laws are not enforced anymore for the oligarchs in the US. In other countries that nonsense would not fly already today.
We are known for building big ones fast. You just need to know how and execute with care an skill. Good people are expensive, and we pay well. So we charge more. And our customers know we hit all of our targets, so they are happy to pay.
The waste heat is difficult to use as it’s not that hot. We don’t have steam coming off the servers. They have to stay cool, after all. The water is significantly cooler than many domestic water heaters.
Gas turbines are a fucking nightmare. A move of despair. When our hens are running full bore during tests, we are well under 60dB. Our groundskeeping crew is significantly louder. And modern diesel is nothing like the majority of old trucks on the road today. No odor, no smoke, low-sulfur fuel, etc.
It can be done responsibly. We do it everyday. But trade secrets and NDAs keep us from speaking outside of anonymous forums like this.
That’s why I said it is not the same as in gas power stations. It is perfectly possible though, the cooling loop doesn’t have to have the temperature of domestic hot water. That is what heat pumps are for. They have built data centers doing it already in 2017.
Excellent. Do you have a link or reference so I can bring it to management? I’d be a hero.
Odense data center in Denmark https://datacenter.munters.com/resources/case-studies/harnessing-heat-from-odense-data-center-for-reuse-in-district-heating/
Thank you