Stockholm Data Parks Kista

The story

Launched in 2017 by municipal energy utility Stockholm Exergi, Stockholm Data Parks in Kista turned server cooling economics upside down. Instead of dumping server exhaust heat into the atmosphere, facilities here pump hot coolant into large heat pumps that boost temperatures to 85°C and feed the city's district heating network. The utility pays data center tenants for their waste heat, which warms thousands of residential apartments in winter. The model proved large urban data centres could operate as clean heat generators rather than pure energy consumers.

Notable

• Joint venture between utility Stockholm Exergi, the City of Stockholm, and network operator Ellevio.
• Recovers server waste heat via industrial heat pumps, feeding hot water directly into Stockholm's district heating network.
• Stockholm Exergi pays data center operators for recovered heat, converting data cooling from a cost into a revenue line.
• Anchored in Kista, Sweden's premier information and communications technology cluster.

Expansions

• 2017: launched by City of Stockholm, Stockholm Exergi, and Ellevio
• 2019: initial datacenter tenants connect heat exchangers to district network
• 2023: expands to additional parks in Brista and Skarpnäck