Innovative Sustainability: How Excess Data Center Heat is Powering the Pools at the 2024 Summer Olympics
As Paris welcomes the Summer 2024 Olympics, an innovative sustainability initiative is taking center stage. The Equinix PA10 data center, known for its advanced technology and sustainable design, provides a unique solution to heat the Olympic Aquatic Centre. This initiative highlights the intersection of technology and environmental responsibility.
Sustainable Innovation at the Paris Olympic Aquatic Centre
Hosting the Olympics demands substantial resources, especially for venues like the Paris Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis. To minimize its carbon footprint, the center is adopting various eco-friendly measures. One significant initiative involves utilizing excess heat from the Equinix PA10 data center to maintain the pool temperatures.
Equinix PA10: A Benchmark in Sustainable Data Centers
The Equinix PA10 is the tenth data center by Equinix in Paris, epitomizing cutting-edge sustainable technology. Opened in 2023, this facility encompasses over 5,000 square meters and houses approximately 2,250 cabinets. It sets a new standard in green data center operations by recovering and exporting heat generated by customer equipment.
Our newest data center in Paris, PA10, was designed and built to recover and export the heat produced by customer equipment. We can transfer the surplus heat, free of charge for 15 years, to the Plaine Saulnier urban development zone and the Olympic Aquatic Center.
How Equinix PA10 Heats the Olympic Pools
Data centers are known for their high energy consumption and heat generation. The Equinix PA10 produces 10,000 MWh of heat annually, which is enough to warm over 1,000 homes. This excess heat now keeps the Olympic pools at their optimal temperature.
The process involves an advanced liquid cooling system. Heat from servers is recovered at 28°C and increased to 65°C using three heat pumps. This heated water is then distributed via a heat exchanger to the local heat network, benefiting the Plaine Saulnier urban development zone.
A Growing Trend in Data Center Heat Reuse
The initiative at the Paris Olympics is part of a broader industry trend towards sustainability. Data centers worldwide are exploring innovative ways to repurpose excess heat. For example:
- Facebook’s facility in Odense, Denmark: Utilizes warm air to heat nearby homes.
- Quarnot Computing in France: Distributes free heat to customers via digital heaters.
- atNorth’s SWE01 site in Sweden: Equipped with a recovery system for both air-cooled and liquid-cooled infrastructures.
- Aventuur’s surf park in New Zealand: Plans to use data center heat for year-round warm waves.
Advancing Towards a Circular Economy
Equinix is committed to sustainability, with several heat reclamation projects in progress globally. Besides the PA10, their initiatives include projects in Helsinki, Finland, and Toronto, Canada, where data center heat is used for residential heating and hot water supply.
“We’re designing all future Equinix IBX colocation data centers with heat recovery and export capabilities. Our heat export initiative demonstrates the power of collective community action to support a move toward a circular economy,” Nkonge emphasized.
As the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics commence, the 15,000-seat Aquatic Centre, designed by architects VenhoevenCS & Ateliers, stands as a venue for world-class athletic performance and a testament to sustainable innovation. After the games, the facility will continue to serve the public, efficiently heated by the Equinix PA10 data center.
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