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Helsinki homes to enjoy heat from data centres

02/12/2009

A pilot project located under Helsinki’s Orthodox Cathedral will start using the heat produced by a data centre for heating Helsinki homes, according to a report by YLE.

The data centre constructed by the Helsingin Energia energy company is directly linked to the district heating and cooling systems serving the city. The computers in the data centre will be cooled down by district cooling and the released heat will be channeled to heating the homes.

Juha Sipilä, who is responsible for the project for Helsingin Energia told YLE, that enough eco-efficient energy will be produced to heat hundreds of houses in the city. Helsingin Energia plans to expand the project soon to the many other underground spaces it has under the city centre. The district cooling used in the project is also more energy efficient and produces less emissions than electricity-powered cooling.

As one of the largest energy companies in Finland, Helsingin Energia supplies electric energy to about 400,000 customers in Finland and covers more than 90 percent of the heat demand of the capital city with district heat.

Source: YLE