The BDIA is proud of its growing network of partners. One of these partners is engineering firm Ingenium, which explains in this article how a smart public district heating grid can effectively reuse green heat for society.
Can economic growth and sustainability go hand in hand? The answer: yes, but it requires a new perspective on the current energy grid. Engineering firm Ingenium, a partner of the Belgian Digital Infrastructure Association (BDIA), has been working for years on developing energy-efficient solutions for both existing buildings and new construction projects. The firm played a key role in the development of the data center facility at the Green Energy Park in Zellik. Here, server heat is fed back into the heating network, rainwater is used for cooling, and the facility is designed as a circular building.
Returning Residual Heat from Data Centers to the Heating Network
Feeding residual heat from data centers back into the heating network allows other businesses in the area to use this energy, reducing the need for additional energy production. Wim Boone and Thomas Koch (Ingenium) explain: “The key to transporting residual heat is maintaining its temperature. If a data center is located far from other businesses, returning residual heat to the network is not cost-effective. For existing buildings, you should think of temperatures around 70 degrees, while for new buildings, it ranges from 10-30 degrees.”
Spatial Planning of Data Centers
Significant benefits can be achieved, particularly in Flanders and Brussels, as most data centers are concentrated in these regions. However, Boone and Koch emphasize that a new perspective is needed.“When a data center returns residual heat to the network, the facility can essentially be seen as a heat producer. There is currently a debate about the division of roles regarding who acts as the producer, supplier, and manager of the network. Therefore, customized solutions are needed, with municipalities playing a coordinating role in the spatial planning of data centers.”
A good example of this is the ‘Warmte werkt’ (Heat Works) inspiration map for Flanders, in which Ingenium has participated. This map provides a detailed overview of which neighborhoods in a municipality or city are suitable for collective heating solutions based on their heating demand and where sustainable individual solutions are necessary.
By using this inspiration map, spatial planning for new data centers can be optimized. Connecting data centers to a smart public grid helps balance grid peaks and troughs more efficiently. Data centers have the potential to be sustainable heat producers for businesses and residents, but the challenge lies in matching supply with demand.“The first step is conducting a feasibility study to quantify the potential as early and as concretely as possible.”
About Ingenium
Ingenium conducts the mandatory feasibility studies for extracting green heat from data centers and feeding it into a heating network for both renovated and new data centers. The firm also assists in securing subsidies for these initiatives. Want to learn more? Contact Wim Boone (wim.boone@ingenium.be) for more information.
