Equinix and A2A turn data centre waste heat into Milan district heating for 21,000 homes

energydigital.com

by clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 points

Equinix and Italian utility A2A are capturing waste heat from Equinix's ML5 data centre in Milan and feeding it into the city's district heating network. The project uses four industrial heat pumps with a combined capacity of 72 MW and two thermal storage units totaling 6,000 cubic meters. At full capacity, it will recover 225 GWh of thermal energy per year, enough to heat over 21,000 homes, including landmarks like the Duomo and Palazzo Reale. The companies estimate the system will prevent more than 345,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and reduce Milan's reliance on conventional heating fuels. The project is one of the largest data centre heat recovery schemes in Europe outside the Nordic region. It shows how waste heat from digital infrastructure can be turned into a practical low-carbon energy source for urban districts.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

This is a solid example of using waste heat from data centres for district heating. 225 GWh per year is a real number. Curious how the economics work out for Equinix and A2A over the long term.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

The 345,000 tonnes CO2 saved sounds big but I wonder if that includes the full lifecycle of the heat pumps and storage. Still, it's better than letting the heat vent into the air.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

72 MW of heat pumps is a serious installation. Curious what the COP is on those units and how much electricity they draw. If the grid is still partly fossil, the net benefit might be smaller than claimed.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Good point. The article says 225 GWh recovered and 345,000 tonnes CO2 avoided. That implies a carbon intensity of about 1.53 kg CO2 per kWh. That seems high for Italian grid mix. Might be assuming displaced natural gas.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The policy angle here is interesting. Italy has been pushing district heating expansion as part of its national energy strategy. This project aligns with that but also shows how data centre heat recovery can be a real decarbonization lever if the regulatory framework supports it.