New heat reuse calculator supports business development of heat reuse cases
Christine Kjær Jacobsen • December 5, 2024
The Net Zero Innovation Hub has developed an online tool to estimate the value of heat provided by data centers. The tool is intended to support the business development of use cases for data center heat reuse
With nearly 100% of the electricity consumed by IT equipment dissipated as waste heat, waste heat from Europe’s data centres could make a major contribution to meeting Europe's demand for renewable heat, providing as much as 221TWh/ year or 12% of the total demand (according to EUDCA, Euroheat and Power reports).
To engage potential users, local utilities, and communities, it is useful to engage in a dialogue and be able to address a few common questions: "What is the price of heat provided by data centers? Is it competitive within the local heat market?"
To help support the business development of use cases for data center heat reuse, the Net Zero Innovation Hub has developed a basic heat reuse calculator. The tool provides an approximate cost range for the heat supplied by a data center.
The heat reuse calculator was created by the heat reuse project team at Net Zero Innovation hub.
Fredericia, 21 August 2025 - T he Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers , the leading global consortium of data center stakeholders, including Danfoss , Data4 , Google , Microsoft , Vertiv , and Schneider Electric , has selected hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine (ICE) generators as a key technology to accelerate the transition to net-zero operations of the data center industry.
The Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers is proud to announce that it has joined CitCom TEF, one of the European Union’s five new AI Test and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs). With this step, the Hub becomes part of a pan-European effort to accelerate the development of responsible AI and robotics for future cities and communities. This TEF consists of 32 partners in 11 members states,
The Net Zero Innovation Hub welcomes Phinergy as Hub member.
Fredericia, Denmark — The Net Zero Innovation Hub , in collaboration with Danish Data Center Industry , Business Fredericia , and DTU , proudly announces the launch of a dedicated Start-Up Hub in Fredericia, Denmark, a new platform for early-stage companies shaping the future of sustainable digital infrastructure.
This comprehensive report outlines key activities, strategies, and accomplishments of the Net Zero Innovation Hub since its launch in September 2023 through February 2025.
Data Centers as grid assets, heat reuse ready solutions with and without district heating, and clean back-up solutions.The Net Zero innovation hub for data centers hosted a workshop in Amsterdam at Google, where the Hub members presented innovative solutions which will be integrated in pilots in 2025. During the workshop, hub members were updated on ongoing projects. The ongoing RFI for net-zero data center back-up solutions has delivered multiple clean back–up solutions, which are currently being evaluated. The Heat Reuse team delivered reference designs, ready to be implemented in projects. The Operators aligned the Scope 3 emissions project track, led by Data4.
Danfoss, Data4, Google, Microsoft, Schneider Electric and Vertiv today launched the first RFI of its kind in Europe, intended to accelerate the deployment of innovative solutions which can substitute diesel back-up generators.
Today, the Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP), the nonprofit organization bringing hyperscale innovations to all, and the NetZero Innovation Hub (NZIH) for Data Centers, aimed at driving forward sustainable innovations in data center technology, are pleased to announce a new alliance partnership.
Net Zero Innovation Hub board of directors to host a session at the upcoming DCD London conference on 18th September. The session is taking place on 18th September from 15.00 GMT at the Business Design Center in London. During the session, attendees will find out about current and upcoming projects, how to get involved, and meet the team and the board behind the Innovation Hub. The session is open to all attendees of the conference. The Net Zero Innovation Hub is a pan-European initiative led by Danfoss, Data4, Microsoft, Google, Schneider Electric and Vertiv. The scale of innovation projects struggles to keep up with the scale, speed and complexity of data center projects. To master the challenges of the twin transition, towards Net Zero and AI, the data center industry needs new innovation models. This can be achieved through cooperation across the data center industry, with companies driving innovation, start-ups, academia, R&D institutions, industry associations, advocacy entities, public and private investors. The Hub is selecting innovations in the early commercialization phase, to evaluate and execute projects, solutions, and business models based on their “Net Zero Impact” and acceleration capability towards Net Zero. The focus of the first set of projects are within the area of Carbon-Free Energy and Heat Reuse, which we are excited to announce together with our partners. “We are looking forward to the session at DCD, meeting industry partners and developing the partnerships needed to bring innovation projects from First-of-a-Kind (FoaK) to beyond the critical mass”, says Alberto Ravagni, CEO of the Net Zero Innovation Hub. “Net Zero means for us having a zero or positive impact on planet, people and profit, starting with the environmental impact measured by the GHG emissions, and extending to the holistic LCA impact categories”, adds Ravagni. About the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers The Net Zero Innovation Hub is a pan-European initiative which seeks to address key sectoral challenges through concrete innovation projects and establishing stronger links between operators, suppliers, and governments. Workshop link: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/dcd-connect-live/connect-london/2024/dcdworkshop1/ Contact: Alberto Ravagni, CEO ar@netzerodatacenters.com Merima Dzanic, PR & Communications merima@netzerodatacenters.com +45 20 15 50 21
Net Zero Innovation Talks by Alberto Ravagni
