Environment

World’s first climate-positive data center being built in Sweden

World’s first climate-positive data center being built in Sweden
Under construction in Sweden, EcoDataCenter will have a positive impact on the world around it (Image: EcoDataCenter)
Under construction in Sweden, EcoDataCenter will have a positive impact on the world around it (Image: EcoDataCenter)
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Under construction in Sweden, EcoDataCenter will have a positive impact on the world around it (Image: EcoDataCenter)
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Under construction in Sweden, EcoDataCenter will have a positive impact on the world around it (Image: EcoDataCenter)
The electricity drawn to power the center comes solely from renewable sources such as solar, water and wind power, as well as a local cogeneration plant (Image: EcoDataCenter)
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The electricity drawn to power the center comes solely from renewable sources such as solar, water and wind power, as well as a local cogeneration plant (Image: EcoDataCenter)

Information and communications technology consumes a full 10 percent of the world’s electricity, meaning that whenever a new data center is designed, its efficiency is of paramount concern. A new project, known as EcoDataCenter, will be the world’s first-climate positive data center, utilizing various techniques and technologies to ensure a positive impact on the wider world.

There are currently in excess of three million data centers in operation around the world, many of which have a significant negative impact on the environment, releasing heat into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.

Sweden’s cold climate is well-suited to hosting data centers, with the region’s low average temperature – just 5°C (41°F) – helping to keep equipment cool. Energy prices in Sweden are also lower than many other parts of the world – approximately 40-50 percent lower than in the UK, according to statistics from Business Swede, Nord Pool Spot.

The EcoDataCenter, under constructed in the city of Falun, will draw power from the local energy grid, which is itself one of the most efficient in the world, but will also make use of its own excess heat and energy, using it to heat buildings in the district. The electricity drawn to power the center in the first place comes solely from renewable sources such as solar, water and wind power, as well as a local cogeneration plant.

The electricity drawn to power the center comes solely from renewable sources such as solar, water and wind power, as well as a local cogeneration plant (Image: EcoDataCenter)
The electricity drawn to power the center comes solely from renewable sources such as solar, water and wind power, as well as a local cogeneration plant (Image: EcoDataCenter)

When temperatures rise in the summer, excess steam from the local electricity plant will be used to run machines that keep the center's equipment running at optimum temperatures. Flowering plants will also be placed on the the facility’s roofs to aid cooling. When the above measures are taken into account over the course of a full year, they add up to a negative carbon dioxide footprint.

The project, which is a collaboration between Falu Energi, Vatten and EcoDC AB, will have a 100 percent guaranteed up time, and will be one of the 13 safest facilities in the world, obtaining a Tier IV classification – the highest ranking available. The EcoDataCenter’s designers have worked with energy specialist Schneider Electric to develop energy-efficient security solutions that fall in line with the facility’s green credentials. The facility will be physically protected by heavy concrete walls, and as you would expect, there will be advanced surveillance systems in place.

The first of three buildings that will eventually form the 23,350 square meter (76,600 sq ft) complete data center will be completed in Q1 2016. Check out the video below for more of a look at the EcoDataCenter.

On a related note, an existing data center located in Iceland is partially powered by geothermal energy.

Source: EcoDataCenter

EcoDataCenter - The World's Greenest Data Center

3 comments
3 comments
Rann Xeroxx
I applaud any company that does to great lengths to keep the environment clean and to better manage our limited resources.
But CO2 concentrations in the air has show almost no correlation to temperature. Most of the computer models (that have failed) require that CO2 provide positive feedback to water vapor, the real greenhouse gas that drives the Earth's climate, and that positive feedback simply is not happening.
Most of Earth's climate seems to be driving by celestial phenomenon. The Sun's solar wind protects the Earth from cosmic rays and when the wind dies down, like it is now, cosmic rays bombard the upper atmosphere with a greater frequency and that causes cloud formation when causes more cooling. Couple these with ocean temp osculation and volcanic airborne particulate output and you can have some dramatic shifts in climate.
A percent of a percent of a trace gas is not driving the Earth's climate.
christopher
10% sounds a bit high.
Heat is still heat, even if it's naturally cold outside :-)
"green credentials" ... "protected by heavy concrete walls" - someone needs to explain the eco-cost of concrete to these guys :-)
Norm Rhett
Open http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/indicators/ and click "Warming Climate" to view a graph of the CO2/warming correlation.
The CERN CLOUD experiment [http://press.web.cern.ch/press-releases/2013/10/cerns-cloud-experiment-shines-new-light-climate-change] found that "... cosmic radiation ... has negligible influence on the formation of these particular aerosols."