‘Digital Boiler’: Deep Green debuts pool-heating data centre technology

'Digital Boiler': Deep Green debuts pool-heating data centre technology

UK start-up launches new technology that harnesses waste heat from data centres for re-use by local leisure centres and businesses

UK start-up Deep Green has today unveiled a new technology that promises to capture waste heat from cloud data centres and provide it free of charge to local businesses and public swimming pools.

Dubbed the ‘digital boiler’, the technology has been successfully installed at Exmouth Leisure Centre in Devon and is set to be rolled out at sites in Bristol and Manchester in the coming weeks.

The Exmouth project has seen Deep Green install 12 servers at the site that can undertake a range of cloud services. The servers are deployed with the company’s ‘immersion cooling’ technology, which sees the computing kit submerged in biodegradable mineral oil that captures around 96 per cent of the heat generated by the servers. The warmed oil is then fed into a heat exchanger, which heats the water in the pool, curbing the use of the centre’s gas boiler.

The surplus heat donated to the leisure centre by Deep Green’s unit is expected to reduce the pool’s gas requirements by 62 per cent, saving the leisure centre over £20,000 a year and slashing carbon emissions by 25.8 tonnes.

Deep Green’s computers are submerged in mineral oil that captures waste heat

Peter Gilpin, CEO of LED Community Leisure, which operates Exmouth Leisure Centre, said it was already seeing energy bill savings as a result of the project. “Deep Green’s innovative technology will dramatically reduce our energy bills and carbon footprint, meaning we will continue to be a key asset for the local community,” he said. “I’m certain this will transform leisure centres up and down the country for the better.”

According to Deep Green, there are over 1,500 pools in the UK that could benefit from the technology, providing a major financial boost to a sector that has seen its energy costs rise by 150 per cent since 2019.

Moreover, the company said 30 per cent of industrial and commercial heat needs could be met using the technology. As such it is also targeting businesses with consistent heat demand, such as bakeries, distilleries, laundrettes and blocks of flats.

Mark Bjornsgaard, CEO of Deep Green, said the technology had the potential to meet growing demand for both heat and computing capacity. “Data is critical to modern society and demand for data centres is growing exponentially,” he said. “However, this comes at a cost. Current data centre infrastructure is inefficient, using a huge amount of energy and generating a vast amount of waste heat. Yet, at the same time, there are many businesses that need heat and face increasing energy bills.

“By moving data centres from industrial warehouses into the hearts of communities, our ‘digital boilers’ put waste heat to good use, saving local businesses thousands of pounds on energy bills and reducing their carbon footprint. Pools are just the start and around 30 per cent of all industrial and commercial heat needs could be provided by this technology. Organisations that are serious about supporting society and reducing their carbon emissions should not forget the massive impact of their computing needs. Deep Green now provides an answer.”

The new service was also welcomed by Jane Nickerson, CEO of Swim England, who said: “At a time when so many swimming pools are struggling with massively increased energy bills, it’s great to see pools embracing innovative solutions like this which have the potential to support facilities to operate more sustainably, both environmentally and economically.”

The news came on the same day as the Treasury today announced the Budget will include a new £63m package to help swimming pools cope with soaring energy bills.

The Chancellor is set to provide £40m for investment in energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades, while £23m will be awarded to leisure centres facing immediate cost pressures that could lead to their closure. Applications for funding will be made by local authorities, with the Sport England body managing the competitive bidding process.

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