Scotland could use heat from data centres to warm homes, MSPs told
Harnessing the vast heat produced by the facilities could be a key benefit of data centres, it has been claimed
Scotland could draw up “data centre zones” to harness heat from controversial AI facilities to keep homes warm in Edinburgh and Glasgow, MSPs have been told.
MSPs on Holyrood’s climate action committee heard evidence over AI data centres - with witnesses calling for a strategic planning solution where data centres could be tied up to heat networks, which could be key to decarbonising heating systems across Scotland.
The Scottish government is poised to bring forward delayed and watered down plans to decarbonise heating in the coming months - with so-called heat networks, which would harm multiple homes with one source, expected to play a key role.
Fears have been raised over AI data centres after a raft of sporadic planning applications across Scotland - with concerns over their energy and water use.
MSPs have been told that harnessing the vast heat produced by the facilities could be a key benefit of data centres. Currently, no planning decisions on whether to approve the sites are expected to be taken before SNP ministers update Holyrood on their strategy.
Dr Gemma Bone Dodds, chair of Lothian Heat, told MSPs that there should be a move away from “speculative” applications for AI data centres from developers.
Asked whether renewable heat could be harnessed if facilities were to be constructed, she said: “It is very feasible.
“There are heat data centres in Denmark which already realise the heat from the processes.
“The best heat from a data centre is one that has been planned to use the heat in the first place.
“We should be looking at data centres in alignment with things and having a proper heat and power plan to look at it in the round.”
Simon Kerr, head of heat networks at SAV-Systems, agreed that “heat transfer is a very simple technology”.
He said that if Scotland was to allow data centres to be built, planning rules “should insist on the infrastructure" to allow heat to be harnessed.
Mr Kerr added: “Heat networks are struggling at the moment to get off the ground in Scotland for various reasons. We’ve been flatlining for 20 odd years.
“We’re at a crossroads. The data centres have been handed to us - it’s like a gift from heaven, if we do it right.”
He said: “Data centres must be designed for heat capture and heat reuse. If it doesn’t, it shouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere near us. We can’t allow heat to be dumped.
“We’ve got to start valuing heat. If it was food they were throwing away, there’d be uproar of people starving. People are freezing and we are allowing them to throw away heat.”
Mr Kerr suggested that as part of the heat network planning that is set to take place, “you could have data centre zoning”.
He said: “You could look at where is there an abundance of electricity to start with and is there a heat network demand. Are we near a heat network zone? Yes. Electricity? Yes. Okay, this is a data centre zone.
“If we get pipes in the ground, now we can heat Glasgow, we can heat Edinburgh.”
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