The case in summary: Surplus heat from data centers can reduce the need for electricity and provide a more efficient use of energy. A fully developed Google center in Skien can theoretically provide heating for around 600,000 apartments. There is no plan for how the heat generated in the server halls will be used. Energy Minister Terje Aasland believes that Skien municipality must take responsibility for making arrangements for the utilization of surplus heat. Google has no plan for reusing the excess heat, but is open to solutions and partners. Surplus heat from Norwegian industry corresponds to around 10 percent of Norway’s energy use. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – If we look at it purely in terms of energy, it is in practice a gigantic panel oven. Head of research on thermal energy at Sintef, Petter Egil Røkke is researching how surplus heat from data centers can be used more efficiently. Theoretically, a fully developed Google center could provide heating for around 600,000 apartments, according to a calculation made by news. – In terms of energy, there is competition for power, and then there should have been some premises that state that the heat that comes out of the center should be able to be used for further value creation. Not just for the company, but also for society, says Røkke. news’s calculation The calculation has been made with assistance from NVE and from several district heating suppliers. The basis for comparison is the plans for Fortum in Oslo, where 5,000 apartments are to be heated with waste heat from DigiPlex’s data center at Ulven with a capacity of 7 MW. Each MW in a data center therefore has a theoretical capacity to heat 714 apartments. A data center with a capacity of 840 MW would then theoretically be able to supply enough waste heat to heat around 600,000 apartments. Extra responsibility Last week, Energy Minister Terje Aasland stated that Skien municipality must step up and make sure to make arrangements for renewable energy. Minister of Energy Terje Aasland. Photo: Sindre Thoresen Lønnes / news – To distance oneself, and not want to do a job for Google to get the renewable energy they need, is to be passive and laid back, asserts Aasland. He adds that being the host municipality comes with a responsibility. – Skien cannot leave the responsibility to others, without taking responsibility itself. No plan In Rjukan, the Green Mountain data center has itself entered into a collaboration for the reuse of excess heat with a breeding facility. Currently, they are not connected. Google on the other hand, they have no plan. Sarah Raimond and Niels Andersen at Google. Photo: Theo Aasland Valen / news – We are looking for solutions and partners who will take it, say Sarah Raimond and Niels Andersen at Google. They are keen to have an ecosystem around them. – Heat recovery is something we are very concerned about, and we have a policy that makes this possible, the two say. – Expect Google to work on it A survey carried out by Sintef shows that available surplus heat from Norwegian industry corresponds to around ten percent of energy consumption in Norway. – I expect both Google and Skien municipality to work on it. We are going to tighten the regulations, so that we get better utilization of the waste heat that is available, says Energy Minister Aasland. He emphasizes that this is independent of whether it is Google or elsewhere in the industry. The Google site at Gromstul in Skien. Photo: news Hello, Thank you for reading. Do you have tips or input for this matter or other things we should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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Google’s data center could heat around 600,000 apartments – has no plan – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
