The Google facility operating in the Finnish city of Haminan will soon start supplying more than data management services. In 2025, the heat generated at the data center will be recovered to supply the local district heating network.

To date, the heat from the facility has been harnessed to heat the offices and buildings on site. Next year, Google will provide the recovered heat for free to Haminan Energia where the heat is connected to the district heating network in the city. The volume of the recovered heat, which will be 97% carbon free, represents an estimated 80% of Hamina’s district-heating needs and will be used to heat households, schools and public service buildings in a region currently highly dependent on fossil fuel.

Source: Google_DH

Water heated as a function of data center cooling will flow to the local heating and cooling plant operated by utility Haminam Energia, where heat pumps will raise the temperature to suit the district heating network. The 5 MW heating and cooling plant can produce 40 GWh/year (40,000,000 kWh/year) of district heat. A new network of 1.3 km in transmission infrastructure is planned to connect the heating and cooling plant to the existing district heating network.