Finland – Fortum and Microsoft are collaborating on the project in which Fortum will capture the excess heat generated by Microsoft’s new data center region in the Helsinki metropolitan area in Finland.
The data centers will run on 100 percent emission-free electricity, with Fortum transferring the clean heat generated by the server cooling process to homes, services, and businesses connected to its district heating system. The data center region’s waste heat recycling concept will be the world’s largest of its kind.
The concept is unique in that the data center region’s location was chosen with waste heat recycling in mind. It captures and distributes heat using Fortum’s existing district heating infrastructure, which is the second largest in Finland. Around 900 kilometers of underground pipes transport heat to approximately 250,000 people in the cities of Espoo and Kauniainen, as well as the municipality of Kirkkonummi. For several years, Fortum has worked with local cities and municipalities to help pave the way for these investments.
Replacing fossil fuels
In Finland, district heating is the most popular method of heating buildings. A district heating system is a type of city infrastructure that generates, captures, and distributes heat to a large number of buildings. Hot water is pumped through pre-insulated underground pipes to transfer heat. The new generation of district heating relies on smart and flexible solutions such as renewable electricity, heat pumps, and waste heat utilization to replace fossil fuels. Artificial intelligence will improve the overall system’s performance.
Once the waste heat capture system in the new data center region is up and running, about 60% of the area’s heating will come from environmentally friendly waste heat. The data center region accounts for 40% of this, with the rest coming from other waste heat sources such as purified waste water.
Innovative thinking
The collaboration occurs at the crossroads of two megatrends: digitalization and the energy transition. Through sustainable decarbonisation and digitalisation, Fortum and Microsoft are bringing together world-leading expertise and innovation in heating, energy efficiency solutions, and cloud technology to support the growth and competitiveness of the Helsinki metropolitan area, as well as Finland.
