Geothermal Energy and How it Will Advance the Progression of Data Centers in the United States
The rapid increase of technological innovation over the past few decades has been nothing short of astonishing. It has provided numerous jobs and opportunities and allowed new industries to emerge and thrive. The data center industry, particularly, has taken off. As data centers become more prevalent around the world, experts are beginning to wonder how to continue to power them. Because of increased concern over power supply, developers have begun to incorporate methods of renewable energy to produce the mass amounts of power necessary in a sustainable way. One of these methods Diode is exploring is geothermal energy. Here, we will dive into what geothermal energy is, and how it will assist in the efficient development and operation of our data centers!
Many components are required for a data center to run properly. At the top of this list are power and water. One of the biggest challenges for data centers is attaining enough power to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The nonstop running of data centers ensures that every user has constant access to everything on their devices. According to the US Department of Energy, large data centers require an annual minimum of 100 megawatts of power, a power supply big enough for just around 80,000 homes. Because mass quantities of power are difficult to obtain, data centers face an average expense of $30,000 per cabinet, the US Department of Energy also finds. In larger data centers, there are over one hundred of these cabinets, and companies can face an upward cost of $3 million for power alone. Geothermal energy could be key in helping solve this detrimental cost issue.
There are two main categories of power, intermittent and firm. Intermittent power sources are cleaner, renewable power resources such as solar, wind and sometimes hydroelectric, that majorly depend on environmental factors. For example, an entity dependent on solar power can run for hours on end during a sunny day in July; but not on a cloudy day in December. Experts around the nation are working diligently to solve this problem - and create a way to store renewable energy for longer periods. On the other hand, firm power is the kind that is available and dispatchable, like pressing a button or flicking a light switch. Geothermal falls within the category of firm power. It is a great solution to using a consistent source of renewable energy to power data centers.
In simple terms, geothermal energy is heat from the core of the earth. There is an abundant amount of thermal energy in the Earth’s crust, and a large amount of that thermal energy resides close enough to the Earth’s crust that it can be harvested. Although the use of geothermal energy seems relatively new, there is historical record of it being used by Native Americans and European royalty over 10,000 years ago. The advancement of geothermal technology over the years has provided an important opportunity for renewable energy, and cleaner and more efficient power usage. Harnessing geothermal energy to help power data centers can have a significant impact on the industry.
So how do data centers and geothermal energy work together? Geothermal energy could provide an excellent solution to a cleaner, more sustainable power supply, and can significantly reduce power costs. By using geothermal energy, data centers can also reduce their carbon footprint. There is even a potential opportunity to pair geothermal power methods with solar power and run data centers with 100% renewable energy.
Geothermal energy provides a unique pathway for data centers to continue to grow and thrive for years to come. The goal of these projects is to provide the best option for cost efficient, renewable, and reliable power sources for our clients, and for a healthier Earth.
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