Can the Internet heat our communities? Potential of data centre heat reuse in Europe

In the wake of the energy crisis following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s heating sector struggles to find a fast enough path to reach Europe’s climate targets. Alternative energy sources and renewable technologies often depend on authoritarian countries and risk polluting the environment. The pathway for Europe’s energy independence, on the other hand, means saving more energy and reusing it where possible. This is where industrial facilities like data centres can play a crucial role in delivering cheap, reliable, and environmentally friendly energy all year round.

The webinar discusses opportunities and challenges for utilising waste heat from data centres as a renewable source of heating to replace fossil fuels. Waste heat from data centres is a renewable source of heat, which can contribute to a sustainable heating supply in Europe and support the heating sector in achieving EU’s decarbonisation targets. But what is data centre waste heat’s actual potential and the requirements for unleashing it? 

The panel demonstrates to a broader public how data centres can help decarbonise other sectors and discuss the necessary steps to make it possible. It will bring together the building and heating sector, digital infrastructure experts, policymakers, local governments, operators of data centres, while remaining open to broader audiences, from industrial waste heat providers such as incinerators to agricultural off-takers. 

The session represents different stakeholder views from local government, heating providers, data centre operators, citizens, to non-profit and EU policymakers.

Agenda 

1. Interactive survey 
2. Presentations 
   1. EU-Funded Study on “Data Centre and Energy Systems Synergies” (DCESS)
   2. Project Westville and Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact by Telehouse DE
   3. Citizen cooperative in Amsterdam by REScoop.eu
3. Discussion 
4. Q&A