熱能再利用：是時候做這門生意了

Heat reuse: It’s time it meant business

Peter Judge，DCD

如果你免費提供熱量，似乎沒有人想要它，那么給它定價會使它更具吸引力嗎？

If you give your heat away for free, no one seems to want it. Does putting a price on it make it more appealing?

數(shù)據(jù)中心運營商喜歡談?wù)摕峄厥眨麄兛赡芨嗟氖强照劧嘤谛袆?。這是有原因的，但所有這一切都可能即將改變。讓我們從頭說起。有多少能量以熱量的形式從數(shù)據(jù)中心流出？有多少被浪費了？你能用它做什么？

Data center operators like to talk about heat reuse, but they probably talk about it more often than they actually do it. There are reasons for that, but all that could be about to change.Let’s start with the basics. How much energy comes out of the data center as heat, how much is wasted, and what can you do with it?

第一個問題的簡短回答是“全部”。能量沒有被消耗，而是從一種形式轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榱硪环N形式。在完成其他任務(wù)后，剩下的就是熱量。因此，一個100MW的數(shù)據(jù)中心或多或少將產(chǎn)生100MW的熱量。

The short answer to the first question is “all of it.” Energy is not consumed, but changes from one  form to another. After performing other tasks, what is left is heat. So a 100MW data center will produce, more or less, 100MW of heat.

降低電能利用效率（PUE）的數(shù)據(jù)中心效率措施旨在管理服務(wù)器散熱所需能量，因此用于冷卻的能量更少，這意味著每瓦的計算用能更多。一旦能量變成了熱量，其他地方不需要的能量就會被釋放出來，實際上就是浪費了。

Data center efficiency measures that reduce power usage effectiveness (PUE) are aimed at driving more of that energy through the servers, so less is used for cooling, which means more computation is done per Watt. Once the energy is heat, any that is not wanted elsewhere is released and, effectively, wasted.

可持續(xù)數(shù)字基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施聯(lián)盟(SDIA)負責(zé)人Max Schulze表示，以PUE衡量的數(shù)據(jù)中心效率已達到其實際極限:“隨著時間的推移，數(shù)據(jù)中心在減少這一數(shù)字方面做得很好，現(xiàn)代數(shù)據(jù)中心的效率約為1.2至1.4，我認(rèn)為我們不會比這更有效。因此，要達到下一個效率水平，唯一的方法就是利用熱量?！钡钦l想要數(shù)據(jù)中心的余熱呢?從歷史上看，大多數(shù)數(shù)據(jù)中心發(fā)現(xiàn)沒有人想要他們的余熱。它的溫度太低，他們看不到它的任何價值。

Data center efficiency, measured by PUE is reaching its practical limits, says Max Schulze head of the Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA): “Data centers did a good job over time reducing this number, it’s about 1.2 to 1.4 in the modern data center, and I don’t think we’ll get more efficient than that. So the only way to reach the next level of efficiency is to use the heat.” But who wants data center waste heat? Historically most data centers have found that no one else wants their waste heat. Its temperature is too low for them to see any value in it.

“我們想要的是數(shù)字服務(wù)，但我們也得到了低等級的熱量，”瑞典RISE數(shù)據(jù)中心研究負責(zé)人Jon Summers教授說?！八粔驘?，不能做任何事情，除了一點空間加熱。這就是問題所在。但也有例外，其中之一是斯德哥爾摩數(shù)據(jù)園，這是一個位于斯德哥爾摩市中心附近的30MW園區(qū)，數(shù)據(jù)中心連接到區(qū)域供熱系統(tǒng)，該系統(tǒng)為他們的熱空氣付費。

“What we want is digital services, but we also get low grade heat,” says Professor Jon Summers, research leader in data centers at RISE in Sweden. “It’s not sufficiently hot to do anything with, except a bit of space heating. Therein lies the problem.” There are exceptions, one of which is Stockholm Data Parks, a 30MW campus near the center of Stockholm where data centers connect to a district heating system, which pays them for their hot air.

但只有一小部分設(shè)施位于有區(qū)域供暖系統(tǒng)的城市，這些系統(tǒng)可以吸收熱量，而且氣候寒冷，當(dāng)?shù)丶彝ズ推髽I(yè)需要大量供暖。

But only a small minority of facilities are in cities where there is a district heating system in place which can take their heat, and where the climate is cold enough that local homes and businesses need a lot of warming up.

“你不能去非洲對他們說'你應(yīng)該進行余熱利用’。這毫無意義，” Schulze說。

“You can’t go to Africa and say to them ’you should do heat reuse’. It makes no sense,” says Schulze.

數(shù)據(jù)中心國際專家培訓(xùn)

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但大多數(shù)數(shù)據(jù)中心都在北半球的富裕國家，他說:“西方世界的大部分都在北半球。所以是的，我們確實需要熱量。這對我們整個社會都很有價值?！北M管如此，余熱利用通常是“洗綠”， 公司口頭上支持一個想法，看起來更好，沒有任何實際結(jié)果。例如，在Schulze的家鄉(xiāng)阿姆斯特丹有一些數(shù)據(jù)中心，它們已經(jīng)“做好了熱量回收準(zhǔn)備”，但他問道:“這意味著什么?只有一根管道從數(shù)據(jù)中心伸出。

But the majority of data centers are in the wealthy countries in the Northern hemispheres, he says: “Most of the western world is in the northern hemisphere. So yes, we do need the heat. It is very valuable to us as a society.” Despite this, heat reuse is often “greenwash”, where a company pays lip service to an idea, to look better, without any practical results. For instance, there are data centers in Schulze’s native Amsterdam, which are “heat recovery ready” but, he asks: “What does it mean? There is a pipe sticking out of the data center.

加油！他說，該數(shù)據(jù)中心沒有做出真正的努力來利用其熱量。

Come on!” That data center has made no real effort to get its heat used, he says.

阿姆斯特丹在2019年禁止了兩年的新數(shù)據(jù)中心項目，部分原因是能源浪費。荷蘭數(shù)據(jù)中心運營商提供了他們的熱量，但負責(zé)收集熱量的廠商在別處。

Amsterdam banned new data center projects for two years in 2019, partly due to energy waste. Dutch data center operators had offered their heat but the responsibility for collecting lay elsewhere.

但是，余熱利用很難做到是有原因的。以Aquila Capital的數(shù)據(jù)中心部門AQ Compute為例，該公司對能源再利用非常熱衷。

But, there are reasons why heat reuse is hard to do. Take the case of AQ Compute, the data center arm of Aquila Capital, which could not be more keen on energy reuse.

它正在與高效的IT公司Cloud&Heat合作，該公司正在奧斯陸建立AQ的第一個數(shù)據(jù)中心。

It’s partnering with efficient IT firm Cloud&Heat, which is building AQ’s first data center in Oslo.

然而，事實證明，將奧斯陸數(shù)據(jù)中心與當(dāng)?shù)貐^(qū)域供熱系統(tǒng)進行談判是很棘手的，AQ Compute首席執(zhí)行官Petter M. T?mmeraas承認(rèn)，他是一位余熱利用愛好者，曾在挪威的綠山和Basefarm工作。

And yet, it’s proving tricky to negotiate the Oslo data center onto the local district heating system, admits AQ Compute CEO Petter M. T?mmeraas, a heat reuse enthusiast who formerly worked at Norway’s Green Mountain, as well as Basefarm.

“在挪威，余熱利用是一種情懷“我也是挪威數(shù)據(jù)中心行業(yè)集團的主席，我們有工作組在整個行業(yè)中研究這個問題。”因此，T?mmeraas檢查了計劃中的奧斯陸設(shè)施的廢熱利用:“在挪威，超過一定規(guī)模的設(shè)施必須做一份余熱利用報告。你至少得看一眼，”他說?！暗也恍枰粡娖冗@么做。我真的很想在任何地方都這樣做。”他說，問題是成本很高，這可能會使數(shù)據(jù)中心失去競爭力，“因為其他人不會這樣做”。

“In Norway, heat reuse is a passion,” he says. “I’m also chair of the Norwegian Data Center industry Group, and we have working groups looking into it across the entire industry.” So T?mmeraas checked out heat reuse at the planned Oslo facility: “Over a certain size, it’s a requirement in Norway to do a report on heat reuse. You have to at least have a look at it,” he says. “But I didn’t need to be forced to do this. I would really like to do it everywhere.” The trouble is the costs are high, and it can make a data center uncompetitive, he said, “because other people will not do it”.

盡管存在區(qū)域供暖系統(tǒng)，但T?mmeraas尚未決定經(jīng)濟是否有利于連接。“數(shù)據(jù)中心的第一部分將通過間接的空氣對空氣系統(tǒng)進行冷卻，這使得余熱利用比水基系統(tǒng)更加棘手。”他說，這可能太困難了，因為:“我們有空氣，而空氣不是好的熱源。

Despite the presence of a district heating system, T?mmeraas has yet to decide whether the economics work in favor of hooking up. “The first part of the data center will be cooled by indirect air to air systems, and that makes heat reuse more tricky than in water-based systems.” It may turn out to be too difficult, he says, because: “We have air, and air is not a good source for heat.

將熱量傳遞給水，可能會失去效率。

Transferring the heat to water, could lose efficiency.”

目前，數(shù)據(jù)中心熱量是免費的。但它不能保證交付。所以這是最糟糕的產(chǎn)品。您可以隨時使用它，但不要問我它是否有效。        

Right now, data center heat is free. But it comes with no guarantee of delivery. So it’s the worst kind of product. You can use it whenever you want. But don’t ask me if it works -- Max Schulze

挪威可能是唯一一個對數(shù)據(jù)中心的余熱利用設(shè)定正式要求的地方。但這項于 2021 年推出的措施只是要求所有數(shù)據(jù)中心必須檢查這種可能性并生成報告。

Norway may be the only place to set formal requirements for heat reuse by data centers. But the measure, introduced in 2021, is only a demand that all data centers must examine the possibility and produce a report.

許多設(shè)施可能會發(fā)現(xiàn)它在經(jīng)濟上不值得，就像AQ Compute一樣。

Many facilities might find it isn’t economically worthwhile, as was the case with AQ Compute.

挪威政府希望數(shù)據(jù)中心成為一個不斷增長的商業(yè)部門。它們必須是綠色的，才能被公民接受，并通過國家的環(huán)境計劃。

Norway’s government wants data centers as a growing business sector. They are required to be green in order to be accepted by citizens, and pass muster with the country’s environmental plans.

這似乎是其他地方的一種模式。在城市地區(qū)，數(shù)據(jù)中心是稅收的一個很好的來源，但它們需要土地和電力。即使他們選擇了可再生能源，他們也會把可再生能源的目標(biāo)推到遙不可及的地步。

That seems to be a pattern elsewhere. In urban areas data centers are a good source of tax revenue, but they need land, and power. Even if they select renewable  energy, they can push renewable energy targets out of reach.

在丹麥，大量超大規(guī)模的數(shù)據(jù)中心都選擇了綠色能源，導(dǎo)致政府預(yù)測將沒有可再生能源來實現(xiàn)其目標(biāo)。在回應(yīng)中，國家已經(jīng)改變了余熱利用的規(guī)則，以鼓勵數(shù)據(jù)中心參與其中。

In Denmark, an influx of hyperscale data centers are all opting for green energy, leading to government predictions that there will be no renewable power left to meet its targets. Among the responses, the country has altered rules on the heat reuse, to encourage data centers to take part.

阿姆斯特丹在2019年禁止了兩年的新數(shù)據(jù)中心項目，這一暫停似乎在一定程度上取決于余熱利用。荷蘭數(shù)據(jù)中心運營商提供了他們的熱量，但正如SDIA的Schulze所描述的那樣，收集熱量的責(zé)任在別處。

Amsterdam banned new data center projects for two years in 2019, a moratorium which seems to have hinged partly on heat reuse. Dutch data center operators had offered their heat but, as the SDIA’s Schulze describes, the responsibility for collecting lay elsewhere.

阿姆斯特丹負責(zé)可持續(xù)發(fā)展的議員瑪麗克·范·多尼克(Marieke van Doorninck)說:“我們將在為家庭供暖免費提供余熱方面設(shè)定要求?！?/span>

“We are going to set requirements in the area of making available residual heat free of charge for the heating of homes,” said Amsterdam’s Alderman for sustainability, Marieke van Doorninck.

但運營商表示，他們已經(jīng)在這么做了。荷蘭數(shù)據(jù)中心協(xié)會(Dutch Datacenter Association)的朱迪斯·德蘭格(Judith De Lange)表示:“2017年，我們表示將免費提供(余熱)，以此作為開始討論的一種方式?！卑⒛匪固氐?shù)據(jù)中心在建造時考慮到了余熱利用，但它是在“上門收集”的基礎(chǔ)上提供的。其他人必須花錢來建造利用熱量的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施。

But operators said they were already doing that. “In 2017, we said we would give [waste heat] for free, as a way to start discussion,” said Judith De Lange of the Dutch Datacenter Association. Amsterdam data centers are built with heat reuse in mind, but it is offered on a “collect at the door” basis. Someone else has to pay to build the infrastructure to make use of the heat.

2021年，禁令解除，并承諾將進一步討論這一問題。

In 2021, the moratorium lifted, with a promise that the issue will be discussed further.

法蘭克福也在一定程度上限制了數(shù)據(jù)中心，一位地方法官要求數(shù)據(jù)中心對熱量采取一些措施。地方法官承認(rèn)存在困難，因為30°C到40°C的溫度水平對于大多數(shù)區(qū)域供熱網(wǎng)絡(luò)來說太低了。在斯堪的納維亞半島，人們使用熱泵來提高余熱的溫度，但這在法蘭克福并不經(jīng)濟，“因為德國的能源價格很高?！睈蹱柼m目前面臨著對數(shù)據(jù)中心的強烈反對，公用事業(yè)公司Eirgrid將在都柏林地區(qū)限制數(shù)據(jù)中心。AWS已經(jīng)加入了那里的區(qū)域供暖計劃，為都柏林南部的家庭和辦公室提供供暖。

Frankfurt also clamped down on data centers somewhat, with a magistrate asking them to do something with their heat. The magistrate acknowledged the difficulty, that a temperature level of 30°C to 40°C is too low for most district heating networks. In Scandinavia heat pumps are used, to boost the temperature of waste heat, but that’s not economical in Frankfurt, “due to the high energy prices in Germany.” Ireland currently faces a backlash against data centers, with utility Eirgrid due to restrict them in the Dublin area. Already, AWS has joined a district heating scheme there, offering heat to homes and offices in South Dublin.

由于法規(guī)懸而未決，歐洲的數(shù)據(jù)中心運營商紛紛承諾在2020年的《氣候中性數(shù)據(jù)中心公約》中實現(xiàn)碳中和。它在承諾中包括余熱利用，但只是作為一個討論的話題。

With regulations pending, Europe’s data center operators lined up to promise carbon neutrality in the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact in 2020. It includes heat reuse in its promises, but only as a topic of discussion.

“數(shù)據(jù)中心運營商將探索與區(qū)域供暖系統(tǒng)和其他熱量用戶互聯(lián)的可能性，以確定將新數(shù)據(jù)中心捕獲的熱量輸送到附近系統(tǒng)的機會是否切實可行、環(huán)保且經(jīng)濟有效，”該協(xié)議的網(wǎng)站上寫道。

“Data center operators will explore possibilities to interconnect with district heating systems and other users of heat to determine if opportunities to feed captured heat from new data centers into nearby systems are practical, environmentally sound and cost effective,” says the Pact’s site.

我認(rèn)為數(shù)據(jù)中心部門犯了一個嚴(yán)重的錯誤。他們沒有給熱量定價

I think that the data center sector has made one critical mistake. They didn’t put a price on the heat  -- Max Schulze

這似乎是一場艱苦的斗爭，但隨著國家電網(wǎng)在應(yīng)對氣候變化方面的變化，這種情況可能會改變。目前正在大力推動脫碳，在可能的情況下用可再生能源發(fā)電取代化石燃料。

It may seem an uphill struggle, but that could change, as national grids change in the fight against climate change. There’s a big drive to decarbonize, replacing fossil fuel where possible, with electricity from renewable sources.

除交通運輸外，供暖也是需要脫碳的主要領(lǐng)域。在英國等國家，超過80%的家庭使用燃氣取暖。這樣更便宜。

Along with transport, heating is a major area which needs decarbonization. In countries like the UK, more than 80 percent of homes are heated with gas. It’s been cheaper that way.

“現(xiàn)在，熱量是一種非常有價值的商品，尤其是當(dāng)由電力制成時，” Schulze說。想要減少碳排放的城市應(yīng)該盡最大努力將熱量轉(zhuǎn)移到家庭和企業(yè)，在那里它可以取代化石燃料。

“Now, heat is a very valuable commodity, especially when made from electricity,” says Schulze. Cities that want to reduce their carbon emissions should be doing their best to redirect that heat to homes and businesses, where it can displace fossil fuels.

但是，T?mmeraas發(fā)現(xiàn)經(jīng)濟學(xué)困難是什么呢?

But what about the economics that T?mmeraas found so difficult?

數(shù)據(jù)中心應(yīng)該能夠從中賺錢，這根本不是問題，” Schulze說。他說，他們的做法是錯誤的。

“Data centers should be able to make money off it, that’s no problem at all,” says Schulze. He says they are approaching it wrong.

“我認(rèn)為數(shù)據(jù)中心部門犯了一個嚴(yán)重的錯誤，”他說?！八麄儧]有給熱量定價。他們一直免費提供熱量，這破壞了它的業(yè)務(wù)。他們應(yīng)該給它貼上價格標(biāo)簽?！?/span>

“I think that the data center sector  has made one critical mistake,” he says. “They didn’t put a price on the heat. They keep giving the heat away for free, which destroys the business of it. They should put a price tag on it.” 

數(shù)據(jù)中心不可能建立完整的熱回收系統(tǒng)，因為大量的熱回收都在它所接入的區(qū)域供熱設(shè)備中。能源公司只有在知道這些熱量是可靠來源的情況下才會投資使用。

Data centers can’t build the whole heat recovery system, because a lot of it is in the district heat plants it plugs into. And energy companies will only invest to use that heat if they know it is a reliable source.

Schulze說，如果定價和估值合理，“一家能源公司可以說，我們從這個數(shù)據(jù)中心獲得的熱量比其他任何地方都便宜，所以讓我們使用來自數(shù)據(jù)中心的熱量。但是免費？我不能把它放在電子表格中?！?/span>

If it is priced and valued, Schulze says, “an energy company can say, the heat we’re getting from this data center is cheaper than what we are getting any anywhere else, so let’s use the heat from the data center. But free? I can’t put that in a spreadsheet.”

價格的缺乏不僅僅是表面的：“現(xiàn)在，數(shù)據(jù)中心的熱量是免費的。但它不能保證交付。所以這是最糟糕的產(chǎn)品。您可以隨時使用它。但不要問我是否有效！Schulze說，在早期階段，由于所需的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施成本高，余熱可能必須像風(fēng)電場一樣得到補貼。

The lack of price is more than cosmetic: “Right now, data center heat is free. But it comes with no guarantee of delivery. So it’s the worst kind of product. You can use it whenever you want. But don’t ask me if it works!” In the early stages, because of the infrastructure required, waste heat might have to be subsidized, in the same way as wind farms have been, says Schulze.

“如果我給數(shù)據(jù)中心的熱量貼上價格標(biāo)簽，那么像[SDIA]這樣的組織可以游說對它進行補貼，使其成為（比如）倫敦金融城最便宜的熱量。然后每個人都會得到熱量。您不必擔(dān)心建造管道和區(qū)域供熱系統(tǒng)，因為這在經(jīng)濟上是最好的做法。

“If I put a price tag on data center heat, then organizations like [SDIA] can lobby to put a subsidy on it, to make it the cheapest heat available in (say) the City of London. And then everybody will get the heat. You don’t have to worry about building pipes and district heating systems, because it’s economically the best thing to do.”

對于數(shù)據(jù)中心行業(yè)的進步，Schulze聽起來有點惱火:“現(xiàn)在數(shù)據(jù)中心行業(yè)的每個人都是能源專家，對吧?但事實是他們對此一無所知。這不關(guān)他們的事?！?/span>

Schulze sounds mildly irritated at the data center sector’s progress: “Everybody in the data center industry is now an energy expert, right? But the fact is they don’t know anything about it. It’s not their business.”

我們解決余熱利用問題的唯一方法是能源供應(yīng)商參與進來。       

The only way we are going to solve the issue of heat reuse, is if energy providers get involved  --- Professor Jon Summers RISE

Summers對此表示贊同:“在我看來，我們解決余熱利用問題的唯一方法就是能源供應(yīng)商參與進來?！背酥猓瑥氖聼崮軜I(yè)務(wù)的能源公司應(yīng)該知道不同類型的熱量分布之間的區(qū)別。

Summers agrees: “In my view, the only way we are going to solve the issue of heat reuse, is if energy providers get involved.” Apart from anything else, energy firms which deal in heat will know the difference between different types of heat distribution.

Summers說，區(qū)域供熱系統(tǒng)一直在發(fā)展，雖然第三代系統(tǒng)需要在高溫下輸入熱量，但第四代系統(tǒng)更容易接受:“如果數(shù)據(jù)中心使用液體冷卻，第四代區(qū)域供熱可以直接從數(shù)據(jù)中心提供熱量?！?/span>

District heating systems have been evolving, says Summers, and while third generation systems require input heat at high temperatures, fourth-generation systems are more forgiving: “A fourth generation district heating could be fed directly from data centers, if they use liquid cooling,” he says.

和許多人一樣，Summers把廢熱利用和液冷聯(lián)系起來:“這是液冷的最大驅(qū)動力。我真的看不到任何其他好處，因為如果你有足夠高的氣流速度，你通?？梢杂每諝饫鋮s，”他說，“……盡管有時候這會讓你很難打開數(shù)據(jù)中心的門!”

Like many people, Summers makes a link between heat reuse and liquid cooling: “It’s the biggest driver for liquid cooling. I don’t really see any other benefits, because you can usually cool with air if you have a high enough air flow velocity,” he says, “...though sometimes that can make it hard to open the data center door!”

Schulze說:“這不是技術(shù)問題，不是液體冷卻之類的。這是一個經(jīng)濟學(xué)問題。只要給它定價，然后賣給其他知道怎么做的人?！坝幸粋€極好的例子，”他說，“如果你拿一張衛(wèi)星地圖去斯勞，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)它在一個地方擁有世界上密度最高的數(shù)據(jù)中心。”與此同時，倫敦金融城(City of London)正試圖擺脫用于供暖的天然氣，而斯勞(Slough)的供熱能力達到了10億瓦?！?/span>

Schulze says: “It’s not a technology problem, about liquid cooling or whatever. It’s an economics problem. Just put a price on it and sell it to somebody else who knows how to do it.” “There’s one fabulous example,” he says: “If you take a satellite map, and go to Slough, it has the highest density of data centers in one spot worldwide. At the same time as the City of London is trying to get out of gas for heating, you have a GigaWatt of heat generation capacity in Slough.”

他說，每個單獨的數(shù)據(jù)中心可能都難以證明熱量回收是正確的，但如果他們都說，“我們將以每兆瓦時30歐元的價格出售熱量?！彼f，“那是在40°C;如果你想要更高的溫度，它就會變得更貴，因為我們必須買一個熱泵?！?/span>

Each individual data center might have trouble justifying heat recovery, he says, but it’s a different story if they all say, “we’ll sell heat at €30 per MWh,” he says “That’s at 40°C; if you want a higher temperature, it gets more expensive, because we’re gonna have to buy a heat pump.”

Summers認(rèn)為，數(shù)據(jù)中心不應(yīng)該購買熱泵——這是另一個應(yīng)該留給專家的項目:“在我所看到的所有成功的項目中，能源供應(yīng)商都是在照顧熱泵而不是數(shù)據(jù)中心?！?/span>

For his part, Summers thinks data centers shouldn’t be buying heat pumps — they are one more item which should be left to experts: “In all the projects I’ve seen that are successful, the energy provider is looking after the heat pump not the data center.”

Summers舉的一個例子是Facebook在丹麥歐登塞的設(shè)施:“能源供應(yīng)商正在安裝熱泵，這是有道理的?！?/span>

One example Summers cites is Facebook’s facility in Odense, Denmark: “The energy provider is putting in heat pumps, which makes sense.”

在許多情況下，他懷疑熱泵在材料和工廠方面可能無法通過完整的生命周期證明。在計算中可能會有大量的品牌價值感知。

In many cases he suspects a heat pump might not pass a full lifecycle justification in terms of materials and plant. There could be a large amount of brand value perception in the calculation.

Schulze說，能源供應(yīng)商可以計算出收集熱量的回報:“如果我們能從那里獲得熱量，那么管道的成本為x。通過管道，我們可以傳遞這么多熱量。這為我們節(jié)省了這么多汽油，按照目前的汽油價格，好吧，哈利路亞，我們節(jié)省了很多錢。讓我們建造管道！

Schulze says the energy suppliers could work out the return on collecting the heat: “If we can get heat from over there, then a pipe costs us X. And over the pipe, we can transfer this much heat. And that saves us this much gas and at the current gas price, well, hallelujah, we’re saving a lot of money. Let’s build the pipe!”

AQ Compute的T?mmeraas還認(rèn)為，運營商和政府應(yīng)該參與進來，以創(chuàng)造公平的競爭環(huán)境：“如果你想在任何地方開發(fā)余熱利用，它應(yīng)該是平等的?！?/span>

AQ Compute’s T?mmeraas also thinks operators — and governments — should be involved, to level the playing field: “If you want to develop heat reuse everywhere, it should be on equal terms.”

但是溫度是不是太低了，導(dǎo)致沒有用處呢? Schulze說:“如果你投資，就不會流失。當(dāng)你通過DIN600絕緣管道傳遞熱量時，熱量不會在傳遞過程中流失。能源部門20年前就解決了這個問題?！?/span>

But isn’t the temperature too low to be useful? Not if you invest, says Schulze: “When you transfer the heat through DIN600 insulated pipes, it does not get lost on the way. The energy sector solved that 20 years ago.”

那些非常大的熱管必須是一個公用事業(yè)項目，” Summers.說。“要求數(shù)據(jù)中心這樣做是沒有意義的?！?/span>

 “Those really large heat pipes have to be a utility project,” says Summers. “It doesn’t make sense to ask data center to do this.”

當(dāng)然，對于公用事業(yè)公司這樣投資，熱源必須是可靠的，Schulze說:“如果建造管道有利可圖，他們就會建造管道。但你必須保證未來15年里會有熱量?！?/span>

Of course, for utilities to invest like that, the heat will have to be reliable, says Schulze: “If it’s profitable to build the pipeline, they will build the pipeline. But you have to guarantee that there will be heat for the next 15 years.”

這不是數(shù)據(jù)中心的想法，因為新一代的技術(shù)可能會改變熱量的排放，他承認(rèn):“但我的觀點是，你可以把所有這些都定價，對嗎?如果很難保證數(shù)據(jù)中心可以提供15年的熱量，那么假設(shè)你將在10年內(nèi)建造一個燃氣鍋爐供應(yīng)熱量，如果你必須這樣做的話，并把它放在價格標(biāo)簽上。這只是經(jīng)濟問題?！?/span>

That’s not the way data centers think, as new generations of technology might change what heat is emitted, he admits: “But my point is, you can price all that in, right? If it’s difficult to guarantee that 15 years of heat will be available from the data center, then make the assumption that you’re going to build a gas boiler in 10 years if you have to, and put that into the price tag. It’s just about economics.”

與同樣的電力產(chǎn)生的計算價值相比，熱量的價值總是很小，但即使是這個小價值也會變得很重要，Schulze說:“我認(rèn)為托管的整體利潤率正面臨越來越大的壓力，尤其是因為它們的客戶越來越大，擁有越來越多的電力。該行業(yè)正在發(fā)展成為一種商品。如果熱量帶來的收入能使你的利潤率提高5%，那么在房地產(chǎn)領(lǐng)域，這是一大筆錢。

The value of heat is always going to be small compared with the value from the computing generated by the same electricity, but even that small value will become significant, says Schulze: “I think that the overall margins of colocation are becoming more and more under pressure, especially because their customers are becoming larger and larger and have more and more power. The sector is developing into a commodity. If the revenue from heat makes a five percent difference in your margins, then in real estate that’s a lot of money.”

Summers認(rèn)為，解決方案將是當(dāng)我們有能源供應(yīng)商同時也是熱能供應(yīng)商時，就像北歐公用事業(yè)公司Vattenfall或Fortum的情況一樣，他們成為數(shù)據(jù)中心更不可或缺的一部分，處理備份和散熱。

Summers thinks the solution will be when we have energy providers who are also heat providers, as is often the case with Nordic utilities such as Vattenfall or Fortum, and they become a more integral part of data centers, handling backup and heat removal.

他說:“如果一家公用事業(yè)公司將電力作為一項服務(wù)提供，合同還可以處理可用性和備份，然后可以開始處理熱量回收?！?/span>

“If a utility provides power as a service, the contract could also deal with availability and backup, and then can start to deal with heat recovery,” he says.

一份完整的電力服務(wù)合同將允許公用事業(yè)公司管理UPS以及電源，向數(shù)據(jù)中心支付偶爾使用其存儲的電池能量來平衡電網(wǎng)的費用。它還可以讓電網(wǎng)吸走熱量，作為使用更少電力的一種方式提供給其能源客戶。

A full power-as-a-service contract would let the utility manage the UPS, as well as the power supply, paying  the data center for occasional use of its stored battery energy to balance the grid. It could also let the grid siphon off heat, to offer to its energy customers as a way of using less electricity.

這可以改善可持續(xù)發(fā)展的各個方面。但是我們需要建立很多信任。Summers.說：”許多運營商更愿意自己完全掌控一切?！?/span>

“That could improve aspects of sustainability. But there’s a lot of confidence-building needed,” said Summers. “A lot of operators are happier to have full control over everything themselves.”

一些數(shù)據(jù)中心可能在重復(fù)利用熱量，但對環(huán)境沒有幫助。例如，F(xiàn)acebook在瑞典的呂勒奧工廠遠離大型人口中心，而這些中心可以利用其40MW的熱量輸出。盡管如此，它的大部分熱量在建筑內(nèi)部被重復(fù)利用。

Some data centers may be reusing their heat, but failing to help the environment. For instance, Facebook’s Lulea facility in Sweden is remote from large population centers that could make use of its 40MW heat output. Despite this, much of its heat is reused, within the building itself.

在冬天，F(xiàn)acebook會重復(fù)利用95%的熱量?！?Summers. 說到“數(shù)據(jù)中心的熱空氣與進來的空氣混合，以獲得目標(biāo)溫度?！?/span>

“In winter, Facebook reuses 95 percent of its heat,” says Summers.“Hot air from the data center is mixed with incoming air to get a target temperature.”

它需要這些熱量的原因呢?這是因為建筑沒有被設(shè)計成很好的隔熱。數(shù)據(jù)中心仍在向外界流失熱量，它只是通過屋頂而不是通過冷卻系統(tǒng)。

And the reason it needs this heat? It’s because the building is not designed to be well insulated. The data center is still losing heat to the environment, it’s just through the roof instead of through a cooling system.

Summers說:“沒有人忽視對數(shù)據(jù)中心進行隔離，因為他們必須管理大量的熱量。

“Nobody insulates data centers, because they’ve got to manage a lot of heat,” says Summers.

余熱利用的另一種方法是撇開通過供暖系統(tǒng)將熱量傳遞給難以滿足的本土客戶的難題，轉(zhuǎn)而面向需求更可預(yù)測的工業(yè)或農(nóng)業(yè)客戶。

Another approach to heat reuse is to leave aside the difficult question of delivering its warmth to hardto-please domestic customers through a heating system, and go for industrial or agricultural customers with more predictable demands.

這些可能包括農(nóng)業(yè)溫室，或利用熱量干燥和處理污泥的污水處理公司。

These could include agricultural greenhouses, or sewage firms which use heat to dry and process sludge.

余熱的其他用途包括干燥木屑顆粒或為養(yǎng)魚場加熱水。

Other uses for waste heat include drying wood pellets or warming water for fish farms.

當(dāng)AQ Compute發(fā)現(xiàn)區(qū)域供暖系統(tǒng)難以證明其合理性時，它一直在尋找其他方法:“我們正在尋找其他方法，比如農(nóng)業(yè)，”T?mmeraas說。

When AQ Compute found the district heating system tricky to justify, it has been looking elsewhere: “We are looking into other means like farming,” says T?mmeraas.

在某些情況下，數(shù)據(jù)中心可以搬到供熱客戶那里，并位于污水處理廠或液化天然氣(LNG)終端，在那里它的熱量有助于燃料再氣化。

In some cases, the data center can move in with the heat customer, and be located at a sewage farm or a liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal, where its heat helps built to regasify the fuel.

德國高效計算公司Cloud&Heat Technologies走在了時代的前面。2014年，它提供了將數(shù)據(jù)中心硬件封裝成類似鍋爐的單元，安裝在公寓樓中，這些單元可以使用它們的熱量。從那時起，它發(fā)展到制造集裝箱化的液冷 HPC 系統(tǒng)，其中余熱利用是標(biāo)準(zhǔn)選項。

German efficient computing company Cloud&Heat Technologies was ahead of its time. In 2014, it offered data center hardware packaged into boiler-like units to be installed in apartment blocks, which could use their heat. Since then it’s evolved to make shipping containersized, liquid-cooled HPC systems, where heat reuse is a standard option.

它仍然提供家庭和辦公室供暖。例如，它利用了位于法蘭克福一座摩天大樓內(nèi)的數(shù)據(jù)中心的熱量，這座大樓曾是歐洲央行(European Central Bank)的所在地。

It still offers domestic and office heating. For instance, it harnesses the heat of a data center it runs in a Frankfurt skyscraper that once housed the European Central Bank.

但它也將其HPC設(shè)備放置在一些地點，其中包括瑞典能源公司Vattenfall運營的熱電聯(lián)產(chǎn)(CHP)工廠的兩個20英尺的設(shè)備，在那里計算輸出的500kW熱量可以很容易地投入使用。

But it’s also placing its HPC units, on sites including two 20ft units at a combined heat and power (CHP) plant run by Swedish energy firm Vattenfall, where the 500kW heat from their computational output can be readily put to use.

“隨著安裝規(guī)模的增加，它將加強微型數(shù)據(jù)中心和液體冷卻的情況，”Cloud&Heat創(chuàng)始人兼首席技術(shù)官Jens Struckmeier說。

“As the installation size is increased, it will strengthen the case for micro data centers and liquid cooling,” says Jens Struckmeier, Cloud&Heat founder and CTO.

“在炎熱的氣候下，余熱利用并不總是可行或容易做到的，”他說，但它可以提供給其他客戶。一個Cloud&Heat項目正在與一個海水淡化廠合作，該海水淡化廠由服務(wù)器的多余熱量驅(qū)動。

“Heat reuse is not always possible or easy to do in hot climates,” he says, but it can be offered to other customers. One Cloud&Heat project is partnering with a sea water desalination plant driven by excess heat from the servers.

“由于相關(guān)性，這是一個非常特殊的應(yīng)用，” Struckmeier.說。在炎熱的氣候條件下，一些數(shù)據(jù)中心用水來冷卻，他說，“在這些地方，飲用水是一種寶貴的資源?！彼f，液體冷卻系統(tǒng)不消耗水，與海水淡化合作意味著他們創(chuàng)造了飲用水，而不是消耗它:“這是水和碳正能量?！?/span>

“It’s a very special application, because of the correlation,” says Struckmeier. In hot climates some data centers use water to cool them, he says “and these are places where drinking water is a precious resource.” Liquid cooling systems don’t consume water, he says, and partnering with desalination means they create potable water, rather than consume it: “It’s water and carbon positive.”

Summers對此表示贊同:“在我看來，我們解決余熱利用問題的唯一方法就是能源供應(yīng)商參與進來?！背酥?，從事熱能業(yè)務(wù)的能源公司應(yīng)該知道不同類型的熱量分布之間的區(qū)別。

Summers agrees: “In my view, the only way we are going to solve the issue of heat reuse, is if energy providers get involved.” Apart from anything else, energy firms which deal in heat will know the difference between different types of heat distribution.

Summers說，區(qū)域供熱系統(tǒng)一直在發(fā)展，雖然第三代系統(tǒng)需要在高溫下輸入熱量，但第四代系統(tǒng)更容易接受:“如果數(shù)據(jù)中心使用液體冷卻，第四代區(qū)域供熱可以直接從數(shù)據(jù)中心提供熱量?！?/span>

District heating systems have been evolving, says Summers, and while third generation systems require input heat at high temperatures, fourth-generation systems are more forgiving: “A fourth generation district heating could be fed directly from data centers, if they use liquid cooling,” he says.

和許多人一樣，Summers把余熱利用和液冷聯(lián)系起來:“這是液冷的最大驅(qū)動力。我真的看不到任何其他好處，因為如果你有足夠高的氣流速度，你通?？梢杂每諝饫鋮s，”他說，“……盡管有時候這會讓你很難打開數(shù)據(jù)中心的門!”

Like many people, Summers makes a link between heat reuse and liquid cooling: “It’s the biggest driver for liquid cooling. I don’t really see any other benefits, because you can usually cool with air if you have a high enough air flow velocity,” he says, “...though sometimes that can make it hard to open the data center door!”

翻譯：

黃潔晨

DKV（DeepKnowledge Volunteer）計劃成員

校對：

賈夢檁

阿里云 暖通工程師

DKV（DeepKnowledge Volunteer）計劃精英成員

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