The IT sector is huge. Virtually every young person I know has studied it in one form or another and plans to use it to build a lucrative career. I would do the same except that I am a Luddite and I do not like going out of my cave except for special occasions. Fortunately, people like me are in the minority and the world is full of people who see the potential of technology to do more than harm. Like IBM employees who recently built a “green” data center in Uitikon, Switzerland.
Going green is a growing trend among large companies, especially among technology-intensive industries. Some focus on the use of renewable energy sources, while others opt for recycling. Still others are studying methods to exploit and channel their usually useless by-products into other more useful directions. This is the path that IBM has chosen to transmit the heat generated by computers from its Uitikon data center to the local pool, which warms it up.
According to Steven Sams, vice president of data center services at IBM, computers in the Uitikon center will generate enough heat to heat 80 homes. So, heating a pool is no problem. He also said that the Uitikon project should serve as a model. We will assume that similar projects will be implemented in other IBM data centers around the world.
The concept of using energy released by computers to channel heat is not new. There have been cases where computers have been used to heat desks, but this is the first time computer energy has been used to heat a pool. The energy will be treated by heat exchangers that will heat the water before it is pumped into the pool.
The city has helped pay for some of the connection equipment, but the “heating service” itself will be provided free of charge.
It is always nice to see power plants use their power for good and not just to get rich. Steven Sams was right; This project is a model that hopefully will be replicated by other major players from all sectors, not just IT.