The installation of a “hyperscale” district heating system at Facebook’s data centre in Odense, Denmark, has been completed, setting the firm up to donate 100,000MWh of energy annually. Facebook’s energy specialist Lauren Edelman confirmed the milestone in a blog on Tuesday night (7 July), stating that the district heating system will benefit 6,900 homes across the region. The technology captures low-temperature heat generated by the thousands of servers at the data centre. Rather than using air-based capture, the system directs warm air across copper coils filled with water. The water is then routed to a heat pump facility operated by local heating company Fjernvarme Fyn, ready for transfer to homes.
Facebook estimates that it will be able to donate 100,000MWh of heat, which would otherwise have been wasted, to local communities through the system. Up to 25W per hour of usable heat will be captured. The district heating system announcement comes in the same week that Facebook published its first sustainability report, revealing that it is on track to meet its core 2020 environment goals. These are a commitment to reduce Facebook’s absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 75% by the end of the year, against a 2017 baseline, and to procure 100% renewable energy.
As of 2019, Facebook’s absolute GHG emissions were 59% lower than in 2017 and it met 86% of its electricity consumption with renewable generation. The social media giant was named by Bloomberg NEF in 2019 as the US’s largest corporate renewable energy buyer, after signing an 18-deal package to boost its global clean energy portfolio by 40%. Green campaigners have long been urging Facebook to publish a sustainability report and to implement measures to stop the spread of climate-related fake news on its platforms.
Source: Edie
Finnish site 
Global site