More Helsinki homes to be heated using excess heat from Equinix data centers

The project will increase the energy self-sufficiency of Helsinki and make it possible to heat numerous homes and business premises in the Helsinki region, paving Helen's way towards the company's carbon neutrality target for 2030 and the phasing out of combustion-based energy production in the 2030s. The excess heat collected from the data centre can meet the annual heating demand of up to almost 1,500 one-bedroom apartments.

"Recycling is a smart choice, even in energy use. Now, more than ever, it is important to invest in both energy self-sufficiency and technology that promotes energy efficiency. Cooperation with Equinix provides an excellent opportunity to increase the amount of recycled heating for our customers by utilising our energy platform,” says Henrietta Lahti, Business Lead, Data Centres and Waste Heat Recovery Solutions at Helen.

In the project, a heat export system was implemented to harness residual heat from Equinix's data centre using heat pumps. The temperature of the heat energy generated in the data centre is then raised by heat pumps operated by Helen and transferred to the district heating network, which is used to heat properties in the local area. The heat export system was ordered as a turnkey delivery from Oilon.

"There was a clear consensus between us and our partners, who represent the top expertise in their fields, on the objectives of the project, and our cooperation was seamless. Equinix's modern and high-quality data centre environment, combined with Oilon's solid Finnish heat pump expertise and our own district heating solutions, ensures a functional solution that will benefit Helsinki residents reliably in the long term," says Johannes Niittyniemi, Project Manager, Heat Recovery from Data Centres at Helen.

Equinix is committed to enabling sustainable growth of the digital economy. Cooperation with Helen will improve the energy efficiency of the data centre for Equinix customers, while enabling Equinix to reduce its environmental impact while bringing low-cost renewable heat to the community.

Noah Nkonge, Heat Export Lead at Equinix said “Equinix is proud to be extending our longstanding partnership with heat network operator Helen to heat the equivalent of more than 1,000 homes in Viikinmäki. The heat from our HE5 data center will also cut the carbon footprint of residents by offsetting the need to burn fossil fuels for heating. Our second heat export project with Helen in Finland represents our commitment to developing heat export projects wherever feasible to benefit the communities where we operate.”

The excess heat of data centres is a key part of Helen's transition towards a decentralised energy system where energy is produced, recovered and stored in multiple locations in an emission-free, renewable manner, ensuring the security of supply. Excess heat recovery also serves as one of the pillars as Helen progresses towards carbon neutrality and phases out combustion-based energy production.