Sustainability through district cooling: Efficient cooling for data centers of the future
Inhalt
- Sustainability through district cooling: Efficient cooling for data centers of the future
- Energy requirements of the digital infrastructure
- What is district cooling and how does it work?
- Sustainability advantages of district cooling
- District cooling in the context of modern location strategies
- Challenges and future prospects
- Conclusion
Sustainability through district cooling: Efficient cooling for data centers of the future
In times of exponentially growing data volumes and rising energy requirements, the data center industry faces a key challenge: How can the high cooling requirements of modern IT infrastructures be met sustainably and efficiently without placing an additional burden on the environment? District cooling is playing an increasingly important role in this context—a system that is not only environmentally friendly, but also impresses in terms of operational reliability and energy efficiency.
Energy requirements of the digital infrastructure
Data centers are the backbone of the digital economy. With the growing importance of cloud services, artificial intelligence (AI), and data-driven business models, energy consumption is also on the rise. A significant portion of this energy demand is attributable to cooling: depending on their location and technical design, data centers use up to 40 percent of their total electricity consumption solely to maintain servers at optimal operating temperatures.
At a time when energy efficiency laws such as the German EnEfG (Energy Efficiency Act) or the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) are imposing increasingly stringent requirements, the question of innovative cooling concepts is becoming a decisive factor for sustainability and competitiveness.
What is district cooling and how does it work?
District cooling, similar to district heating, is a central supply system in which cooling energy is transported from a central cooling plant to connected buildings via a network of insulated pipes. The cooling is usually generated by absorption or compression cooling systems, often using renewable energy, waste heat, or environmental cooling (e.g., from rivers or groundwater).
For data centers, this means that instead of generating cooling locally with energy-intensive refrigeration machines, the required cooling can be obtained efficiently and with low emissions from a regional network.
Sustainability advantages of district cooling
The use of district cooling offers several ecological and economic advantages that make data centers a central component of a sustainable energy infrastructure:
1. Reduced energy consumption
Since district cooling systems are operated on an industrial scale, they achieve significantly higher efficiency levels than individual, decentralized cooling systems. The use of modern technologies such as free cooling—which utilizes natural cooling sources—or cold storage can further reduce energy requirements.
2. Reduction of COâ‚‚ emissions
District cooling can be powered entirely by CO₂-neutral sources, such as waste heat from industrial processes or green electricity-powered cooling. Many operators – in cities such as Vienna, Zurich, and Stockholm – already run their district cooling systems on almost 100% renewable energy.
3. Space and resource efficiency
The elimination of large local cooling systems reduces the space requirements and complexity within the data center building. It also eliminates the need for storage and maintenance of refrigerants, which are often associated with high global warming potential.
District cooling networks are designed to be redundant and centrally monitored. This ensures a continuous supply of cooling even in the event of maintenance work or partial failures—a crucial factor for data centers that
4. High operational reliability and availability
District cooling networks are designed to be redundant and monitored centrally. This ensures a continuous supply of cooling even in the event of maintenance work or partial failures—a crucial factor for data centers that rely on 24/7 operation and maximum reliability.
5. Integration into the circular economy and waste heat utilization
An essential aspect of sustainable cooling concepts is the reuse of waste heat. Data centers supplied with district cooling can in turn feed their own waste heat into the local district heating network. This bidirectional energy integration contributes significantly to the decarbonization of urban energy systems.
Decarbonization means reducing or completely avoiding COâ‚‚ emissions in order to reduce the emission of climate-damaging greenhouse gases.
The aim is to replace fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas with renewable energies and energy-efficient technologies—such as solar and wind power, waste heat utilization, or electromobility.
District cooling in the context of modern location strategies
For operators of modern data centers, integration into municipal district cooling networks is more than just an ecological measure—it is a strategic location factor. Especially in densely populated urban areas such as Stuttgart, Munich, or Vienna, where space is limited and sustainability requirements are high, connection to district cooling systems offers considerable advantages:
- Planning security: Long-term contracts and stable energy prices simplify operating cost calculations.
- Compliance with legal requirements: Operators meet requirements from energy efficiency laws, COâ‚‚ balances, or municipal climate targets at an early stage.
- Positive perception: Sustainable energy supply strengthens the company's image – especially in industries that are increasingly paying attention to ESG criteria.
A practical example: The Sternhöhe campus in Stuttgart, home to several technology-oriented companies, relies on a local district cooling network that will also supply data centers with environmentally friendly cooling in the future. The waste heat generated by data center operations is fed into the campus heating network – a prime example of circular energy use.
Challenges and future prospects
Despite the ecological and economic advantages, the spread of district cooling in Germany and Central Europe is still in its infancy. The reasons for this are often:
- limited network infrastructure outside urban areas,
- investment costs for the construction of new pipe networks, and coordination between municipalities,
- energy suppliers, and private operators.
In the long term, however, there are clear trends towards integrated energy supply, with data centers actively functioning as energy partners. With the increasing interconnection of electricity, heating, and cooling networks, they are becoming hubs of sustainable urban development.
In addition, new technologies—such as thermal storage, intelligent load control, and AI-based energy management systems—are promoting the efficiency and flexibility of district cooling systems. These developments will play a central role in the climate neutrality of digital infrastructure in the coming years.
Conclusion
District cooling is much more than just an alternative cooling method—it is a key element for sustainable, resilient, and energy-efficient data centers of the future.
Combining high supply security, a low carbon footprint, and integration into local energy grids, it offers a compelling response to the industry's growing demands.
Especially at a time when digital infrastructure and climate protection can no longer be considered separately, it is clear that the future of data centers is not only digital – it is also sustainably networked.
Would you like to learn more about our locations, expansion projects, or colocation solutions?
Then speak directly with our CTO Thorsten Mossmann—we look forward to the exchange and to shaping the digital infrastructure of tomorrow together.
We look forward to hearing from you! Contact form.