Do data centers raise local temperatures? Explore their impact, causes of heat islands, and solutions to minimize environmental effects.
There is plenty of talk in the data center industry about cooling methods and how best to dissipate heat from facilities. However, what happens when the heat leaves a data center and is absorbed into the surrounding area? Does it raise temperatures, and if so, by how much?
These are important aspects to explore, especially as local communities become more sensitive to the impact of data centers on their surroundings.
Do Data Centers Contribute to Local Temperature Increases? #
All the heat produced inside data centers needs to go somewhere, and in most cases, it is the area immediately surrounding them.
The result is localized temperature increases of up to 16 degrees Fahrenheit (around 8 degrees Celsius), according to researchers who examined how data centers can create localized “heat islands.”
Notably, that study examined the impact of large-scale AI data centers on local temperatures. It is not clear whether smaller data centers can raise local temperatures to the same extent.
Another study focused on facilities in the Phoenix area. It concluded that data centers raised overall local temperatures by about 4 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it also found that air directly emitted from data centers could be up to 25 degrees higher.
Thus, it seems clear that data centers do have a measurable, albeit variable, impact on local temperatures.
Data Centers vs. Other Sources of Localized Temperature Increases #
On balance, it is worth noting that data centers are not the only entities that raise local temperatures as a byproduct of their operations.
Office buildings also do the same thing. So do parked cars – especially dark-colored ones sitting in the sun, which can raise ambient temperatures by nearly 7 degrees Fahrenheit. Paved surfaces, too, are a significant source of heat islands in urban areas.
Ways to Keep the Area Around Data Centers Cooler #
So, it is not just data centers that can make life hotter for people and animals living in their vicinity. However, given the increasing controversy surrounding data center projects, data center operators are liable to face especially strong scrutiny of their facilities’ impact on local temperatures.
One impactful change data centers could make is switching from evaporative cooling, which emits significant heat into the environment by using moisture to extract and release heat.
Liquid cooling systems generally have less impact on ambient temperatures, especially when they circulate heated coolant through media like the ground, which absorbs most of the heat. However, liquid cooling systems are significantly more expensive to install and operate.
Discharging heat into nearby bodies of water is another possible solution. The caveat to this approach is that it would heat the water, potentially creating new issues. However, this may be tolerable in warmer climates where aquatic life has already adapted to high water temperatures.
A highly effective way to keep areas near data centers cooler is to distribute heated air or coolant more evenly, preventing heat from concentrating. However, this would require infrastructure to distribute heat over dozens of miles, a complex and costly undertaking.
In short, most data centers currently have limited options to keep ambient temperatures low. But in contexts where minimizing localized temperature increases is a high priority, solutions exist – they just cost a lot.