90% of the heating and cooling of Boston University’s new data center is provided by a geothermal heat pump. This would draw its energy underground, at a depth greater than 450 meters.
The birth of a new geothermal data center in Boston
At Boston University, an atypical data center will see the light of day no later than this year. Initiated by the Center for Computing and Data Sciences, it will use underground heat exchangers. This method will thus guarantee a large part of its heating, but also of its cooling.
The infrastructure will then use the water, which will circulate underground, and more precisely at a depth of 450 meters. This will benefit froma constant temperature between 10 and 15°C. In order to obtain this optimum temperature, the University is preparing to use heat pumps in winter. If the rooms need to be heated in this period, then in the summer it is otherwise. This interval is sufficient to ensure coolness within the building.
As a reminder, the establishment was built on a total of 32,000 square meters. He owns 19 floors altogether and will house departments of the Hariri Institute. We will find, as such, the department of statistics, mathematics but also computer science. The University confirms that this is the largest “fuel-free building” ever built in the city of Boston.
Focus on a revolutionary heating and cooling system
The heat pumps will require 31 boreholes. Only then will they be able to supply 300 tonnes of capacity, whether for cooling or for heating. To these devices will be added equipment for “external solar protection, triple glazing, LED lighting and efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems”.
The university has also set itself the goal of become carbon neutral by 2040. It even signed a contract with the South Dakota wind farm regarding the purchase of electricity concerning renewable energies.
According to Philip Warburg, a senior researcher at the Institute for Global Sustainability, this preheated water will be present in the heat pumps, even during the coldest periods of New England. This will only increase the temperature, and produce heat if needed. “On warmer days or in busy spaces where heat builds up even in winter, the heat exchangers will tap into the cooler earth temperature to provide cooling. »he does not hesitate to add.
For his part, Dennis Carlberg emphasizes the fact that this establishment represents a “fabulous exercise”. This made it possible to see the scope of what they could achieve. In addition, those responsible for planning and operations within the campus were able to better understand how things work. As Warburg clarified, the center will be used for classroom, amphitheater and office purposes. It will not include a server room or data center space in Boston.