Interesting story about the use of Data Centres to heat Public Pools
Deep Green, a British start-up, today announces the launch of a UK-first technology that supplies free heat to local businesses and public swimming pools, reducing their energy bills and cutting their reliance on carbon-intensive fossil fuel boilers.
Deep Green’s ‘digital boiler’ technology is a cloud data center that efficiently transforms the heat from its servers into useful hot water for local businesses. It is installed on-site at swimming pools or businesses with consistent heat needs, such as bakeries, distilleries, laundrettes and blocks of flats.
Data Centres Heating Public Pools For Free
Exmouth Leisure Centre in Devon is the first site in the country to benefit from heat-recapture by cloud data centers. The surplus heat donated to the leisure centre by Deep Green’s unit will reduce the pool’s gas requirements by 62%, saving them over £20,000 a year and reduce their carbon emissions by 25.8 tonnes.
There are over 1,500 pools in England alone that could all benefit. Energy costs for leisure facilities have increased 150% since 2019 and an estimated 79% face closure.
Using the latest ‘immersion cooling’ technology, Deep Green captures heat from the operating data center servers, transferring it into the site’s existing hot water system, for free. Around 96% of the heat generated by a Deep Green ‘digital boiler’ is re-cycled.
The installation in Exmouth Leisure Centre contains 12 servers of the highest grade computer equipment and is able to support a number of computing services such as cloud services, artificial intelligence, machine learning and video rendering.
The installation in Exmouth will soon be followed by further installations in Bristol and Manchester in the coming weeks. Beyond pools, 30% of industrial and commercial heat needs could be provided by this technology.
Mark Bjornsgaard, CEO of Deep Green, said: “Data is critical to modern society and demand for data centers is growing exponentially. However, this comes at a cost. Current data center infrastructure is inefficient, using a huge amount of energy and generating a vast amount of waste heat. Yet, at the same time, there are many businesses that need heat and face increasing energy bills.
“By moving data centers from industrial warehouses into the hearts of communities, our ‘digital boilers’ put waste heat to good use, saving local businesses thousands of pounds on energy bills and reducing their carbon footprint. Pools are just the start and around 30% of all industrial and commercial heat needs could be provided by this technology.
“Organisations that are serious about supporting society and reducing their carbon emissions should not forget the massive impact of their computing needs. Deep Green now provides an answer.”
Jane Nickerson, CEO of Swim England, commented: “At a time when so many swimming pools are struggling with massively increased energy bills, it’s great to see pools embracing innovative solutions like this which have the potential to support facilities to operate more sustainably, both environmentally and economically.”
Peter Gilpin, CEO of LED Community Leisure (operator of Exmouth Leisure Centre), commented: “Deep Green’s innovative technology will dramatically reduce our energy bills and carbon footprint, meaning we will continue to be a key asset for the local community. We are already seeing the benefit. I’m certain this will transform leisure centres up and down the country for the better.”
About Deep Green
Deep Green is a 100% self-funded, British tech start-up. It was founded in 2016 by Mark Bjornsgaard, an entrepreneur with an interest in technology and energy. Deep Green uses the latest in ‘immersion cooling’ technology to extract heat from on-site “edge” data centers to provide free hot water for swimming pools and a range of other industries. Decarbonising commercial and domestic heating is one of the most urgent climate imperatives and Deep Green is excited to be at the heart of this important transition. Find out more at: www.deepgreen.energy or https://www.linkedin.com/company/deep-green-energy/
About Swim England
Formally known as the Amateur Swimming Association, Swim England is the national governing body for swimming in England. It helps people learn how to swim, enjoy the water safely, and compete in all aquatic sports.
Swim England’s vision is of a nation swimming and it strives to inspire everyone to enjoy the water in the way that suits them. Each month millions of people are able to enjoy swimming, diving, water polo and artistic swimming, having been through the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme.
Swim England also supports its members, clubs and athletes, and runs qualification and education programmes to develop the workforce. For more information visit https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/
About LED Community Leisure
LED Community Leisure Ltd is a charitable trust established to manage leisure, entertainment and cultural facilities and activities. LED manages a large number of facilities throughout East Devon and South Somerset, as well as numerous community and health projects. Please see: www.ledleisure.co.uk for more details.
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