Recycled Data Center Heat to Sustain Cleveland Sea Bass Farm
In the age of environmental awareness, recycling of data center heat has been the latest among many innovations permeating the green scene. The Cleveland-based Foundry Project recently announced its intent to redevelop an abandoned site for twofold use. With the help of a future developer, the group proposed an elaborate underground data center to be used by a service provider. In a unique twist, the sustainable facility will provide power to an on-site sea bass farm, the first of its kind.
Raising Fish with Server Heat
Instead of generating new energy, the aqua farm will tend to half a million pounds of sea bass a year via heat provided from a pump system. As energy runs back and forth between the data center and the fish tanks, the two separate companies and their facilities will enjoy a symbiotic relationship, saving money and precious resources. The Foundry Project’s green initiative will bring a much-needed update to the neglected Cleveland neighborhood. Beyond its dedication to urban agriculture and Eco-sustainability, the future site will provide jobs for a suffering local economy.
The organization is forging new trends in recycling heat exhaust from servers, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed in worldwide data center news. The unexpected sea bass project is especially creative. Up until now, only a handful of other groups have utilized otherwise wasted data center heat to warm their buildings.
Recycled Energy Trends
In addition to the Foundry Project, tech giant Google continues its quest for 100% renewable energy to support its own operations. They announced development of a data center on the grounds of a defunct coal power plant in 
Alabama. Google execs hope to re-purpose the infrastructure and rely on renewable energy sources to power the data center.
The Cleveland organization’s sustainable fish farm is also reminiscent of a proposal in the works since last year. Amazon announced its own plan to recycle heat waste to warm its new downtown Seattle offices, a green move generating lots of buzz. The company proposed an elaborate underground pipeline that would send water back and forth from its campus to a nearby building’s data center.
The Foundry Project’s plans are materializing rather quickly, and with tons of local and national support, their green efforts are leaving a bold mark on data center news.
