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Recycling Excess Heat From the Data Center

Posted by kdawson on from the talkin'-'bout-my-generation dept.

itwbennett writes "A new data center being built in Helsinki, scheduled to go live at the end of January, will generate energy and deliver hot water for the city. The data center is located in an old bomb shelter and is connected to the Helsinki public energy company's district heating system, which works by pumping boiling water through a system of pipes to households in Helsinki. The recycled heat from the data center could add about 1 percent to the total energy generated by the energy company's system in the summer." The article doesn't say what the overall efficiency of the heat recovery is. Researchers at MIT are working on a new energy-conversion technology based on quantum dots that they say has already demonstrated 40% of the Carnot efficiency limit — 4 times what is achieved by current commercial thermoelectric devices. The researchers believe they can reach 90% of the Carnot limit.

5 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. WTF, why is a Carnot reference here? by ElSupreme · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How is the Carnot cycle apply here? This is direct heat conversion, and the efficiency should be near 100%, you would have line losses.

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    1. Re:WTF, why is a Carnot reference here? by pookie13 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah I read too fast. Although when I was a kid I used to have a Finnish pen pal in Turku. She stopped writing.

      No wonder she stopped writing if you thought that Helsinki is in Sweden. We do have a hate / love relationship with the Swedes.

  2. I think it's great, but... by natehoy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is pumping boiling water through pipes the most efficient way to heat houses? Isn't there a pretty massive heat loss in the pipes?

    Having said that, if they are already using this system for heat, the introduction of waste heat from a datacenter seems to make a lot of sense. Acts as a heat sink for the data center, reduces the amount of energy needed to heat the water.

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    1. Re:I think it's great, but... by sfcat · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes and no, water actually is a very good "thermal" battery. That is why coastal regions have a more temperate climate than inland region. Its cheap and we know a lot about how to move it around and have existing infrastructure for doing exactly that. Its not the most efficient way, but often it is the most practical and economical.

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    2. Re:I think it's great, but... by vertinox · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Its not the most efficient way, but often it is the most practical and economical.

      Also, if the pipe breaks, then its not really that bad of a cleanup.

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