Reusing heat from data centers has the potential to support surrounding municipalities. In times of rising energy prices and ongoing global deregulation, reused heat can provide a cheaper and more sustainable energy source, reducing the pressure on local governments, organizations, and residents.
To highlight its commitment in the Frankfurt area, Equinix, the world’s digital infrastructure company®, announced a new partnership with residential construction company Vonovia, engineering company AS Enterprise, and investment advisor and asset manager EB-SIM. In a project that is new in its design and a unique scale for Frankfurt, the group plans to build a district heating network for a residential area in Griesheim, Frankfurt.
Starting in 2025, approximately 1,000 households will be supplied free of charge with reused heat, generated by Equinix’s local data centers. This circular economy initiative – linked to Equinix’s FR4, FR6, and FR8 locations – prevents local fossil fuel combustion and supports lower CO2 emissions.
Jens-Peter Feidner, Managing Director for Germany at Equinix, says: “This project demonstrates how data centers can contribute something to their local communities and is a perfect example of the benefits created by collaboration between governments, investors, city planners, housing companies, district heating network providers, and data center operators. We hope this project generates interest from other potential partners, as Equinix is eager to explore how it can share the reusable heat at its sites for the benefit of local communities in the many markets in which it operates.”
Globally, Equinix is investing in new and innovative technologies in energy efficiency techniques, renewable energy, and heat reuse projects as part of its global strategy to become climate-neutral for all data center operations by 2030, in line with an approved science-based target (SBT) for the foreseeable future.
Read the entire press release here.