Google to Use Waste Heat to Warm Houses, Businesses in Finland

Google is investing in a facility that will take waste heat from one of its Finland data centers to warm homes and businesses, a first for the company.

Heat generated at the Google data center near the city of Hamina, Finland, will be routed into a district heating system operated by Haminan Energia, an energy company that serves homes, schools, and other buildings in the area. Google is investing $1.1 billion into this initiative.

Google says that heat from the data center will provide 80 percent of the energy network’s requirement when the heat recovery system begins operation next year and it will be free of charge.

"Google and the city of Hamina have a long and flourishing history together. Google is an excellent example of a company with strong sustainable future orientation. It feels good to be the hometown of Google in Finland,” Ilari Soosalu, mayor of Hamina.

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