NTT is to connect one of its data center campuses to a local district heating network in Frankfurt, Germany.
Local utility Mainova this week announced it will heat more than 600 households in single-family and multi-family homes in Hattersheim am Main with waste heat from an NTT Data data center.
Mainova has been operating a local heating network since 2014, through which it supplies the residential area of Hugo-Hoffmann-Ring with biomethane from a combined heat and power plant.
An upcoming data center from NTT will provide almost the entire network’s head needs. The gas-powered combined heat and power plant of the existing local heating network will be retained for peak loads and as a redundancy.
Anne de Condé, managing director, NTT Global Data Centers EMEA GmbH, emphasized: "Since the start of our business operations in Germany, we have been looking for suitable partners to use our CO2-free waste heat from our data centers. We are pleased that we can contribute to the decarbonization of the heat supply in Hattersheim with this project. The project shows once again that there are economically viable ways to successfully use waste heat from our modern colocation data centers."
To cover the total of around 5GWh of heat required per year, Mainova is building and operating a new energy center, which will be integrated into the data center's cooling center in cooperation with NTT.
Two heat pumps, expected to go into operation at the end of 2024, will bring the waste heat from around 30°C (86°F) to the 70-75°C (158-167°F) required for the heating network.
A photovoltaic system on the roof of the data center with around 250 solar modules and an output of almost 100kWp will also contribute, covering around a tenth of the heat pumps' electricity consumption.
Originally an e-shelter site, NTT launched the first phase of its Frankfurt 4 data center in Hattersheim in 2019. Once fully built out, the campus will cover 24,000 sqm (258,300 sq ft) and have a power capacity of 80MW across five data center buildings. Plans to expand the site were announced in 2021 and the next building is due live towards the end of the year.
Hattersheim's mayor Klaus Schindling said: "The first implementation of the use of waste heat from a data center for heating purposes in Hattersheim is exemplary for future projects of this kind and a milestone in the implementation of the energy transition in our city."
Kleespies and Saentis Family Office are also involved as project developers on the residential side.
Alexander Steinhoff, Saentis Family Office MD, said: "Sustainability is a top priority in our projects. We are delighted that Mainova AG, in collaboration with NTT Data, is implementing such an advanced concept."
Kleespies MD Frank Kleespies added: "We at Kleespies welcome the sustainable energy concept, which efficiently uses the waste heat from the data center to supply our 'Landwehr Quartier' project in Hattersheim in an environmentally friendly way. With this solution, we can not only offer future residents modern and comfortable condominiums but also guarantee an environmentally friendly and future-proof heat supply.”
Digital Realty is also developing a campus in Hattersheim.
