Recovery of waste heat from data centres for decarbonisation of university campuses in a Mediterranean climate

Abstract

In this research work, the Stanford Energy System Innovations action plan is adapted to the decarbonization of the Universitat Politècnica de València, of the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Special focus is dedicated to waste heat recovery from a data centre located on campus with an almost constant cooling demand throughout the year, amounting to a yearly 1,661,020 kWh. To recover the waste heat generated by the data centre, a method for assessing thermal performance of the system is presented, which is implemented by selecting a 300 kW polyvalent heat pump (capable of easily switching from water-to-water to air-to-water working modes). It can simultaneously provide cooling and heating to a set of strategically identified buildings on the campus: the university data centre and three buildings located nearby that currently use the university’s central natural gas boilers for heating. A thermal storage system is designed to balance the cooling and heating needs. The results lead to potential thermal energy savings of more than 254,106 kWh/year, and a consequent reduction in CO2 emissions of at least 64,035 kg/year, supporting the decarbonization of the Vera campus. The outcomes of the study can help to design similar research projects applied to large data centres in Mediterranean cities.