A newly announced Danish project will combine a data center campus with vegetable greenhouses. The project is launched by Swedish company WA3RM and Nordic data centre developer atNorth.
Project developer WA3RM designed a business model that unites industries dealing with surplus heat and those capable of utilizing it. This year, the first season takes place in their project in Frövi, Sweden. The 10 hectare greenhouse utilizes surplus heat from a nearby paper products cardboard factory. The heated water is transported around the greenhouse and returned cooled to the factory
Following a similar concept, the plans for the Danish project are now released. "Together with atNorth, we plan to develop a new project in Varde Kommune on the Danish west coast. The data center campus, called DEN02, will have an initial capacity of 250MW and we will recycle the excess heat from the site as part of a state-of-the-art greenhouse development for vegetable production. The total area for the data center and greenhouse project covers no less than 174 hectares", the team with WA3RM shares. "The capacity can be further increased. The data center campus and greenhouses will be built as demand grows, as part of atNorth's modular approach to building data centers."
"We are very excited to present our first greenhouse project in Denmark. The partnership with atNorth, and Varde's geographic location, is perfect for us to expand our portfolio of large-scale projects based on reusing waste heat from energy-intensive industries," says Jacques Ejlerskov, CEO of WA3RM. "We simply must stop wasting valuable resources that can be used profitably, and together with atNorth and the Varde municipality, we want to show how it can be done."
"The demand for responsibly produced plant-based food continues to grow. By utilizing waste heat from energy-intensive industrial production, we have developed a circular model that makes it possible and profitable to grow vegetables in a colder climate. Vegetable production in modern greenhouses using residual heat addresses many of the problems that exist in today's food production around the world, such as water scarcity and emissions from fossil fuel heating."
For more information:
WA3RM
Jacques Ejlerskov, CEO WA3RM
+45 27 12 54 66
[email protected]
wa3rm.com