H&M’s decision is a validation of Fortum V?rme's and Stockholm Data Parks’ ambition to attract and promote a data center industry where no heat is wasted. H&M has recovered heat from its Stockholm data centers since 2013, and the new data center, which will be operational in 2018, significantly extends and multiplies H&M’s contribution to heating the city.
“IT is at the core of H&M’s business, and it’s important for us to be as sustainable as possible in everything we do. Just as we collect second hand clothes for reuse and recycling, it will be imperative for future data centers to recover excess heat,” says Jan Lundin, head of H&M data centers.
The solution chosen by H&M uses heat pumps in an N+1 configuration. Excess energy is fed directly from the data center to the district heating network at the required temperature.
“It’s fantastic that a growing number of companies are connecting their systems to our district heating network and stop wasting data center excess heat. I’m particularly thrilled that H&M, which has been gaining experience of heat recovery in recent years, has decided to design its data center with a redundant cooling and heat recovery solution from the outset. It’s smart and profitable, and together we can make Stockholm even more sustainable,” says Erik Rylander, Head of Stockholm Data Parks at Fortum V?rme.
Close to ninety percent of all buildings in Stockholm are connected to the district heating network. The Swedish capital is one of the few cities in the world where large-scale heat reuse from major data centers is possible. The long-term objective is to meet ten percent of the city’s heating needs through data center waste heat reuse.
