THermochemical storage Utilization eNabling Data centre seasonal Energy Recovery
The THUNDER project aims to overcome existing barriers to the widespread adoption of data centre waste heat recovery strategies
PROJECT BRIEF
THUNDER solutions stretch across the value chain (data centre innovative storage providers, heat pump manufacturers and district energy company operators).
The THUNDER solutions will be validated in field conditions at the Demosite in Bulgaria where the practice of waste heat recovery from data centres is not widely diffused thus boosting the market also in those areas. Deepened replicability assessment will be done and pre-feasibility analysis developed in 10 further Demosites across all over Europe.
Co-design and training workshops will be organized at the replicability identified sites to promote stakeholders engagement and social awareness thus unlocking barriers and make it real THUNDER replication.
WASTE HEAT RECOVERY POTENTIAL
Worldwide Data centers are estimated to account for 1 to 2% of electricity usage. Regarding the European context, it is expected that data centres will account for 98.5 TWh/year in 2030. It is therefore evident that there is an important potential to recover waste heat from the cooling processes of data centres.
PROJECT PARTNERS
The THUNDER Consortium is composed of partners from the industrial sector, covering the whole value chain from design to the manufacturing of the HP and STS technologies developed (i.e. HIREF, STEELTECH, PCM) complemented by academic partners and actors of community building and impact assessment (e.g. IVL, EHP, RINA-C, CARTIF) providing the expertise which is needed to develop and deploy the project.