Future: Data Centers that can both generate and process heat

Energy can neither be generated nor destroyed, but only transformed from one form to another, according to the first law of thermodynamics, commonly known as the law of conservation of energy. Data centers turn nearly all of the electricity used by their servers into heat. Since data creation is a byproduct that contributes less than 0.1% of the conversion, the term "data center" is misleading from an environmental standpoint. To better accurately describe them, we should name them "heat centers," which can also be utilized for data processing and storage. To better plan and manage Data Center construction today and, more crucially, in the future, we can flip our thinking in this way.

David Gyulnazaryan advocates for decarbonization and the Combined Heat and Computer system. Recently, at Data Centre World London, he gave a session that drew 200 people to a side theatre. These people were interested in hearing about the concrete steps that can be taken to reduce carbon with efficient heat management.

Gyulnazaryan argues, for example, that data centers are only one cog in the wheel of a district-level heat-generation system. Below, we see how low-grade heat is augmented with heat from different industrial sources including biofuels, geothermal heading, energy from trash, and others. As a systems-based strategy, it fits well into urban design. This is not as far-fetched as it may seem now, given that the data center industry is projected to grow by 500% worldwide by 2050.

The idea of global application

The use of heat is essential in the processing and storage of many foods. Production of plastics and rubber, desalination projects, warming water for washing machines, showers, etc., all make use of the heat, as do the brewing and processing of milk and pharmaceuticals. All of these methods already rely on hot water, which is often heated in boilers or by electric systems. When data centers are incorporated into the process, the amount of heat used increases, but the amount of heat generated from other sources decreases. This suggests that the idea can be used successfully in regions with a warmer climates and pronounced seasonal changes. So, when the temperature outside rises, power may be shifted away from heating structures and towards fermenting facilities.

Concept of circular design

Gyulnazaryan argues that a circular system might be implemented between the data center and exterior systems, using district heating as an illustration.

"We increase the IT-Equipment heat rejection by 25-30% when we utilize a heat pump or chiller for data center heat transmission. Due to the high-grade temperature of the water and the huge differential with the ground temperature, heat losses in district heating average roughly 10% through the pipes. Alternatively, we can use the heat loss to heat the home if we feed systems like underfloor heating. Furthermore, the heat loss that occurs in the district heating is beneficial for the data center as it gradually reduces the temperature to 20°C, which can then be fed back into data center cooling.

According to Gyulnazaryan, "most data centers have chillers and dry coolers that reject the heat into the ambient air," making its recovery more of a challenge. Instead of utilizing dry coolers, we can hook up chillers to the heated pipes, which will supply water at a temperature of between 50 and 60 degrees Celsius. In order to raise the temperature, we can employ second-stage heat pumps. It is possible to put these systems either inside the data center itself or in prefabricated containers located outside. At the receiving end, this system can replace a fuel-based boiler to completely remove carbon emissions. We need to rethink the process line, but the process itself can be redone if the recipient is employing integrated electrical heaters.

Obtaining consensus

The 'handprint' of data centers, or the beneficial effect of data storage and transport on carbon emissions, has been the subject of considerable debate in the industry for some time (or the GHG emissions they are responsible for). An additional enlargement of the handprint is brought to light by the idea of heat reuse. Because, as Gyulnazaryan points out:

A significant opportunity exists for district heating providers to acquire a very sustainable and reliable source of heat from data centers. With its high percentage of renewable energy utilization and redundant power generation in case of an outage, this guarantees a 99.996 percent uptime. To put it another way, the price of natural gas is roughly €200/MWh, whereas the expense of converting low-grade heat from the data center is around €25/MWh. Public agencies stand to save a substantial amount of money, especially in light of the declining availability of natural gas.

Local governments and urban planners should take great heart from these advantages as they work to secure supply in a competitive market. Decision-makers should care about this because of the potential for price increases due to global events, the necessity to lessen dependency on hydrocarbons, and the practical difficulties associated with moving to a renewable grid. Several municipalities and states have announced immediate Net Zero and Circular Economy initiatives. The industry would benefit from sending a message that heat reuse is a viable option for accomplishing this. When it comes to cutting carbon emissions by the year 2050, only a comprehensive strategy will do. The success of this endeavor would be greatly enhanced by the incorporation of Data Centers.