With intensified digitalisation, the electricity use of data centres is increasing rapidly, with global usage surpassing 400 TWh in 2024.
Norway’s data centres consume around 2 TWh, a figure expected to double in a few years and reach 15 TWh by 2050. Cooling of servers alone accounts for up to 40%, and since nearly all power is converted into low-temperature heat, there is a vast but underutilised source of energy.
To address these challenges, GreenDC aims to develop environmental-friendly and cost-effective cooling technologies, and to evaluate how cold thermal energy storage can reduce peak power demands related to cooling, and enhance flexibility. Another key objective is improved surplus heat utilisation.
The project explores novel technologies to convert low-temperature heat into electric power, and new approaches for heat integration into district heating systems or industry processes. To address the impact on the power grid, GreenDC is developing a methodology on flexibility solutions for efficient grid integration of data centres, to enable load management and participation in flexibility markets. Additionally, due to the large land demand, aspects related to site selection and design are addressed, to reduce nature impacts of data centre establishments. Through case studies, GreenDC assesses the feasibility of the developed approaches for selected, planned data centres. The project also facilitates collaboration between industry stakeholders through workshops and targeted dissemination.
In summary, GreenDC contributes to bringing Norway to the forefront in sustainable data center development, aligning with the EU’s goal of climate-neutrality in 2030, and the Government’s strategy on making Norway an attractive destination for data centre investments.