Recycled heat from data centres could address climate change and fuel poverty, says a new report.
Up to 1.6 terawatt-hours of heat energy is being wasted each year from London’s data centres. This is equivalent to the heating and hot water needs for all homes in the borough of Ealing.
Data centres powering AI and data storage and processing consume vast amounts of energy and water for cooling, which is a concern given the climate crisis. And with one in eight households in London living in fuel poverty, recycling heat could help address both these issues.
The report Optimising Data Centres in London: Heat Reuse suggests ways to encourage heat networks and heat recycling.
It wants to see future data centres built with heat recycling in mind, as well as targeted infrastructure incentives, updated planning, and a standardised framework for activating heat offtake.
Infrastructure firm Aecom developed the report with asset management and commercial consultants HermeticaBlack, which was commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA).
Aecom Sustainability and Decarbonisation Advisory associate director, Asad Kwaja, said: “With the right planning, coordination and investment, London’s data centres could play a pivotal role in decarbonising heat needed to power the influx of new homes the capital needs to build to address the housing crisis, while also cutting bills for existing residents and improving local energy resilience.”
Leader in AI
Kwaja added: “The UK needs complex digital infrastructure to enable its ambitions to become a leader in AI.
“Data centres lie at the heart of this conversation but we must consider their wider use if they are going to play an integral part of the UK’s infrastructure landscape.
“Data centres should no longer be considered as just an energy consumer – they can become a part of the whole energy ecosystem.
“London is one of the biggest data centre hubs across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and hosts 80% of the UK’s capacity.”
Other cities such as Geneva currently has infrastructure that reuses heat from data centres.
In 2023, the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) in North West London won £36m in government funding to deliver a heat network. This will be developed by Aecom and serve 95 gigawatt hours annually and recover heat from up to three data centres.
