Utilizing Waste Heat from Data Centers
HUKKALÄMPÖ
The "Utilizing Waste Heat from Data Centers" project, planned by Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, aims to promote the green transition of the energy sector, create low-carbon circular economy business opportunities, renew the economic structure, ensure the realization of new investments, and develop new activities through RDI activities. The activities take place in Kajaani.
Specifically, the project aims to:
Secure data center investments by utilizing waste heat
Develop new business activities around the waste heat of data centers, and
Promote a low-carbon circular economy.
The data center ecosystem of the LUMI supercomputer in Kajaani has been developed by strengthening education, attracting new data center investments, and utilizing its waste heat for district heating. One of the key bottlenecks in attracting new data centers to the region has been the concrete lack of opportunities to utilize waste heat. At the same time, the district heating production infrastructure is being modernized and otherwise transitioning to a low-carbon circular economy also in the bioeconomy and food production sectors. The project will map the possible amount of waste heat by creating 2-4 different scenarios depending on the number of data center investments. In addition, the possibilities for utilizing waste heat will be mapped in the form of technology surveys, literature reviews and study visits. Based on these, a general plan will first be created to understand the scale and magnitudes for different scenarios. In addition, a few more detailed site-specific plans will be made for the concrete utilization of waste heat, for example in district heat production utilizing heat storage, in food production and as part of the bioeconomy value chain, for example by drying biomass.
Luke's role is to map, compile and describe a few scenarios for utilizing waste heat that are related to the food production chain. These may include utilizing heat in horticultural production, in the production of biochar and biogas, and in aquaculture.
