Repurposing heat for community use

Recovering heat from data centres bears potential to support surrounding communities. In times of rising energy prices and continued global disruptions, reusable heat can provide a cheaper and more sustainable fuel source, reducing pressure on local authorities, organisations and residents alike. 

To underscore its commitment in this area, Equinix, the world's digital infrastructure company®, today announced a new collaboration with the housing company Vonovia, engineering company AS Enterprise, and investment advisor and asset manager EB-SIM. In a project novel in its design and unique in scope for Frankfurt, the group aims to build a heating network for the bizonal residential area in Frankfurt’s Griesheim district. 

From 2025, around 1,000 households will be supplied with surplus heat generated by local Equinix data centres, free of charge. This circular economy initiative—connected to Equinix’s FR4, FR6 and FR8 sites—avoids local fossil fuel combustion and supports lower CO2 emissions. 

Jens-Peter Feidner, Managing Director for Germany at Equinix, explained: “This project demonstrates how data centres can give back to their local community, and is a perfect example of the benefits created by collaboration between governments, investors, urban planners, housing companies, heating network providers and data centre operators. We are hoping this project will spark interest with other potential partners as Equinix is eager to explore sharing the recoverable heat at its sites for local benefit in the many markets it operates.” 

Globally, Equinix is investing in new and innovative technologies around energy efficiency techniques, renewable energy, and heat export projects as part of its global strategy to be climate neutral across its data centre operations by 2030, aligned to an approved near-term science-based target (SBT).

Feidner added: “With planned legislation proposing strict regulations around how much surplus heat must be repurposed by data centres, policymakers need to consider a holistic approach that involves all actors needed to realise such projects. Failing to do so would only weaken an industry crucial for digitisation.”

Hesse’s Minister for Digital Strategy and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus welcomed the sustainable expansion in Frankfurt: “Hessen is one of the leading states in the information and communications industry and one of the strongest locations for data centres not only in Germany, but throughout Europe. Efficiency, sustainability and costs for energy are key location factors and saving energy is already in the data centre operators' own interest, as consumption must be reduced and excess heat used effectively. Together with our data centre office, we want to help strengthen Hessen as a location for innovative and sustainable data centres, ensure that it is future-proof and thus make a contribution to achieving sustainability and climate goals. In Hessen, we successfully rely on dialogue and incentives instead of coercion and overregulation.”

Heat export projects are an element of Equinix’s global sustainability efforts. The company has several initiatives in place across Europe, including a recently expanded district heating project in Finland with its long-established project partner, energy company Helen. The two companies pioneered the first data centre heating project in the world, capturing and reusing surplus heat through Helen’s district heating network in Kanavaranta; heating homes in Helsinki since 2010.

In addition, Equinix’s newest data centre in Paris, PA10, houses an innovative system to recover the heat produced by Equinix customer equipment, transferring it to the Plaine Saulnier urban development zone and the Olympic Aquatic Centre, which will host several events during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Equinix has agreed to provide this heat free of charge for a period of 15 years. 

Stephen Donohoe, Vice President for Global Design and Engineering at Equinixexplained: “Successfully integrating our infrastructure with heat networks that supply recovered heat from our data centres to our neighbouring communities brings significant environmental benefits. We provide heat networks with a low cost opportunity to decarbonise their network and help reduce dependence on other energy sources, in turn reducing the environmental footprint of their customers.”