Data centre designed to re-use heat to warm local homes given green light in Bradford
Plans for a 5.6 megawatt data centre in Bradford set to re-use heat in the local community have been given the green light.
Developer Deep Green has secured planning approval to build its heat-reusing data centre, designed to power AI and high-performance computing while supplying surplus heat into the Bradford Energy Network.
Bradford Energy Network is a low-carbon district heating network developed by 1Energy, set to launch in Autumn of this year.
Mark Lee, chief executive of Deep Green, said: “Planning approval in Bradford is a major milestone, not just for Deep Green, but for a different kind of digital infrastructure. The UK needs more data centres. That’s a fact. But it does not need more waste.
“Our model is simple: use the electrons twice. First to power AI and high-performance computing. Then to heat homes and buildings. Bradford is showing what’s possible when digital infrastructure is designed around community benefit from day one.”
The Deep Green facility, set to be developed on Listerhills Road adjacent to the new Thornton Road energy centre, will integrate with the Bradford Energy Network via a closed-loop cooling system.
Rather than venting heat into the atmosphere, Deep Green captures it and transfers it into the local heat network.
The company says that doing so reduces carbon emissions for the network and supports the delivery of “sustainable, locally generated heat” to homes and businesses across Bradford.
Once operational, the site is expected to reduce carbon emissions by over 4,500 tonnes per year.
Deep Green says its model “eliminates water usage and reuses up to 95 per cent of generated heat”.
Speaking to The Yorkshire Post earlier this year, Mr Lee said he believes that Deep Green is at the “forefront” of such systems in the UK.
He said: “If you look at other markets, Scandinavia and the Nordics have had heat re-use from data centers for a number of decades, So it's absolutely a proven technology.
“And the same can be said if you look at some other geographies across Europe. In Germany for example, they are mandating people to use heat reuse within their data centers. This is coming, but we believe we're at the forefront of this in the UK.”
John Hartley, chief executive of 1Energy, said: “Heat networks are all about making better use of local energy resources, and this is a brilliant example of that in action. By capturing and reusing surplus heat from the Deep Green facility, Bradford is showing how cities can combine digital infrastructure with sustainable heat supply in a way that delivers real benefits for local people and businesses.
“It’s exactly the kind of innovative infrastructure partnership the UK needs as we look to strengthen energy security while supporting economic growth and digital innovation.”
The Bradford development forms part of Deep Green’s expanding rollout, which includes projects in Manchester, London and the USA.