Greenhouse at data center
Now researchers at Luleå Univesity of Technology want to take advantage of the waste heat generated by many industries in a better way. In a cold city like Luleå there are both heavy industries and large data centers that create large amounts of heat, which is apparent during the cold part of the year when steam rises to the sky.
"We have previously researched this with, among other things, Vattenfall and Bodens municipality. The difference this time is that we this time are going into more detail about how new types of greenhouse can be designed to utilize waste heat from data centers including lighting and humidity. By involving stakeholders in food production, we can both develop and evaluate greenhouse solutions", says Marcus Sandberg, researcher in Construction Management and Building Technology at Luleå University of Technology
In the Nordic countries, there are major challenges for the agricultural industry in terms of significant climate constraints, but there are also potentials for energy sources that can make agriculture more sustainable and help achieve the food supply objective in the government's strategy.
"The purpose of this project is to find technical, economic and social synergies between greenhouse gases and data centers that can help make agriculture competitive and sustainable in the Nordic region", says Agatino Rizzo, Associate Professor in Urban Planning at Luleå University of Technology.
Many farms in Sweden have high production costs due to the need for added energy and tend to grow a single crop to optimize profit. However, this is a vulnerable business model, as it reduces the adaptability of farmers to market changes.
