Swedish development group EcoDataCenter announced in late February that it is building the world's first carbon negative computing facility. The company is partnering with local utilities provider Falu Energi & Vatten, as well as Schneider Electric.
The Sweden data center will be built in the copper mining town of Falun, approximately 225 kilometers northwest of Stockholm, and will be constructed in tandem with a local energy system. The site will be powered by steam created by burning branches and wood chips from forestry waste, as well as sawdust from local sawmills and even pieces of old furniture, which then drive a turbine.
The facility will utilize free air cooling between October and April and will use a cooling system in the summer months. The excess heat created by the facility's equipment will be channeled to nearby homes and buildings to keep them warm in winter, and excess steam will be used to run machines that will cool servers and equipment. By collaborating with the district heating system, EcoDataCenters can ensure that emissions are cut so low that the site will have a negative carbon footprint over the course of a year.
Less Energy Waste Means Less Costs
The building is expected to provide more than 430,500 square feet of available space and will have immediate access to 16 MW of power, delivered in part by a substation already on site. EcoDataCenter co-founder Børge Granli said that not only will the new Sweden data center be dramatically more energy efficient than other facilities, but that will also make it less expensive in the long run. By recycling energy that would otherwise be wasted, the operator is able to lower its own costs, as well as those of its clients.
"Not only is this the greenest data center in the world, it also provides state-of-the-art performance in terms of uptime, security and rack density," said an EcoDataCenter spokesperson. "Through its energy system Falun has found a way to cut carbon emissions and stop global warming. Now we are taking the next step […] a paradigm shift, a smarter choice. We are taking real action for a sustainable future."
The Sweden data center will be the thirteenth safest facility in the world, meeting the highest security requirements and certifications for world-class performance. The facility is certified Tier IV by the uptime institute, and has a guaranteed uptime of 100 percent.
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