Heating and cooling supply for residential areas

Abstract

System consisting of a data center as a waste heat generator, one or more buildings, in particular residential or commercial units as waste heat users, a waste heat storage system, in particular an ice storage system, a control system, a heat pump and connecting lines between the respective components, wherein waste heat from the data center can be transferred to the heat pump via the connecting lines, characterized in that the heat pump converts this waste heat either for storage in the ice storage unit or for delivery to the waste heat users and makes the converted waste heat available to the ice storage unit and / or the waste heat users as required.

Description

State of the art

[0001] Operators of large data centers are increasingly finding it difficult to locate new sites. This is because they require ample and, ideally, inexpensive energy for operation, and they also need to dissipate the waste heat generated during operation. The latter problem is particularly challenging due to increased environmental awareness, as traditional methods like drawing cooling water from rivers cause ecological problems. Furthermore, such a resource, like a river, must be available at the desired location, severely limiting site choices. Finally, unused waste heat is a waste that unnecessarily increases energy consumption and, consequently, the operating costs of the data centers.

[0002] This leads to the fundamental task of utilizing waste heat from data centers on-site whenever possible, as waste heat utilization is not economically viable at greater distances to potential consumers. One fundamental possibility for waste heat utilization is heating and hot water supply for homes and businesses, since many residential areas lack sufficient sustainable / renewable heat sources within an economically feasible distance. However, this is only possible to a limited extent, as the required and transportable energy quantities are relatively small. This limits the size of data centers due to the amount of waste heat generated that can be used effectively in the immediate vicinity.

[0003] The state of the art describes the use of waste heat from data centers via a direct route between producer and user, as described, over short networks, also in combination with heat pumps to raise the temperature level.

[0004] Furthermore, there is the idea of ​​building smaller, decentralized data centers to quickly utilize waste heat from buildings. To achieve the necessary overall computing power, such data centers should ideally be networked.

[0005] On its website, dated March 8, 2026 [https: / / web.archive.org / web / 20260308180124 / https: / / www.energiraven.com / ], the company Energiraven presents a system with a heat generator, consumers, a heat pump, and a water tank in which excess heat is to be stored. Furthermore, the heat is to be extracted from the water tank via the heat pump as needed. Task

[0006] The present invention provides a way to meet the requirements of data centers and buildings simultaneously, significantly reduces the power consumption of data centers, reduces CO2 emissions, relieves the strain on power grids (grid service) and reduces the typically large distances between data centers and heat consumers through the decentralization of data center / computing power.

[0007] The innovative approach of the idea described here is not only to decentralize data centers, but also, in combination with thermal storage systems (ice storage), to combine the advantages of the combination of data centers (waste heat generation - cooling demand) and buildings (heating demand - cooling generation) from the operation of the heat pump in such a way that the following advantages arise: - 30% to 40% of the data center's electricity demand is used for cooling. Synergies are created by combining this with the building's heat pumps, which require heat but also generate cooling that is not needed during the heating season. - The electricity demand of many decentralized data centers can be provided more easily than that of a large, centralized data center. - This allows the sustainable heating networks necessary for the energy transition / heat transition to be supplied with sustainable heat and operated economically.

[0008] The aforementioned problem is solved by a system according to claim 1 and by a network of systems according to claim 12. Advantageous further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0009] A data center according to the invention is designed as a waste heat generator such that the waste heat from the data center can be made available to one or more nearby buildings, in particular residential or commercial units, preferably via a heat pump and connecting pipes. These buildings can then utilize the waste heat. Waste heat that is not currently usable is advantageously stored in an ice storage system and can then be made available via the heat pump when needed. In this way, the waste heat can also be used with a time delay. A control system regulates the energy and heat supply and discharge to the buildings, data center, and ice storage system based on the requirements of the data center and the heating and cooling needs of the buildings, thus providing the thermal energy as required.

[0010] Particularly preferably, the control system in the invention performs the task of coordinating, smoothing, and making available as heating energy at a later time using the ice storage system, the fluctuating amounts of waste heat from data centers, electricity from renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic (PV) and wind power plants, and the heat demands of consumers. In this way, fluctuating externally supplied energy can also be used for cooling the data centers and for generating waste heat. In particular, the ice storage system can be filled when there is a surplus of electricity, and energy can be extracted from the ice storage system using a heat pump when electricity generation is insufficient.

[0011] Preferably, the ice storage system is designed as the primary cooling system for the data center. This eliminates the need for an additional cooling system. Since the cooling system of conventional data centers, as mentioned above, consumes between 30 and 40% of the electricity required, this design reduces electricity consumption by that amount. Furthermore, the data center's construction is significantly simplified by eliminating many of the facilities required for conventional cooling.

[0012] In a further preferred embodiment, the ice storage system can also be used as emergency cooling for the data center. Cooling energy is stored in the ice storage system. Therefore, in the event of a failure of the main cooling system, the ice contained in the storage system can be used to cool the data center, at least temporarily. This has the advantage that other emergency cooling systems can be smaller or, even more preferably, omitted entirely.

[0013] The system preferentially uses only the ice storage system to cool the data center. This further simplifies and reduces the cost of building the data center.

[0014] Even more advantageous is the use of the ice storage system for cooling residential or commercial units. This simplifies necessary air conditioning measures for these units, further reducing the overall system costs.

[0015] By eliminating the need for dedicated cooling systems (apart from the heat pumps and ice storage units within the system), the system can be more easily integrated into existing structures. The required electrical connection capacity is reduced by eliminating electric cooling and by implementing energy-saving measures within the buildings, making it easier to provide.

[0016] Preferably, the system is coupled with renewable energy sources, especially photovoltaic and wind power plants, to at least supplement the power supply for the heat pumps. Because renewable energy sources do not provide energy continuously, energy can be stored in the ice storage system during periods of surplus energy and drawn from it during periods of low wind and solar power generation. This ensures a consistent energy supply despite fluctuating energy inputs.

[0017] Preferably, the system also includes electrical battery storage for absorbing excess power and for supplying power when capacity is low or demand is high due to internal or external power requirements. Battery storage can be used to further balance energy consumption and input. Furthermore, with appropriate sizing, battery storage can also be used as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for the data center, enabling at least either continued operation until other power sources are available or at least an orderly shutdown of the data center. Even more preferably, the system according to the invention does not include any additional emergency power generators. This further reduces the system's footprint.

[0018] It is particularly advantageous to integrate at least some system components, such as the data center, heat pump, ice storage, and control system, into a single container or several connectable containers, which can be connected to appropriate on-site connections. This type of setup allows for mass production in a specialized factory and simple on-site assembly, requiring only the placement of one (or a few) containers. Alternatively, these containers can be buried to ensure a more consistent ambient temperature for the data centers and a more aesthetically pleasing landscape. Standardized connections can then generate further cost savings for connecting to residential or commercial units, especially if these units are also equipped with prefabricated connections.In addition, in such a case the effort and therefore the costs for assembly on the construction site are reduced.

[0019] The design of such systems is particularly effective when they are designed to be interconnected. Decentralized systems, as individual installations, require significantly less power than large, dedicated data centers, meaning that existing, conventional electrical lines serving residential and commercial areas can potentially be used. This eliminates the need for special measures to provide the large amounts of energy required by traditional data centers. Furthermore, these smaller data centers are preferably interconnected via data networks, such as copper or fiber optic cables, and optionally or additionally via wireless technologies ranging from Wi-Fi and microwave links to LTE / 4G and 5G, as well as Starlink and similar technologies.By networking and appropriately dividing tasks for parallel processing, even complex tasks such as the provision of artificial intelligence can be solved jointly by several systems according to the invention. The advantages of the invention, in particular the advantage of lower energy consumption and lower local connection power, are retained. The individual systems are installed in a relatively small form and as close as possible to residential buildings or similar heat consumers. The individual data centers are combined with ice storage systems, electric heat pumps, and relatively small units of electric battery storage to ensure a constant and reliable heat supply to consumers via district heating pipes.The control systems take on the task of coordinating the fluctuating waste heat quantities from the data center, electricity quantities from the PV and wind power plants, and heat requirements of the consumers, smoothing them out using the ice storage systems, and making them available as heating energy at a later time.

[0020] In such a network of systems, it is conceivable that more renewable energy is available at one location than is needed (because, for example, the sun is shining or the wind is blowing), while energy is lacking at another location. In such a case, it can be provided that the excess energy from one system is not stored in the associated ice storage, but instead fed into the grid to compensate for the energy being drawn elsewhere. Example of implementation

[0021] If the construction of large data centers in the immediate vicinity of residential areas is not possible or only economically viable, smaller, decentralized data centers, whose output is adapted to the heat demand of the buildings to be heated, enable operators to sell their waste heat to residents via district heating networks and significantly increase the profitability of their systems.

[0022] Since heat that is reused is classified as CO2-neutral, the heating of buildings can be operated in a climate-neutral manner. This also reduces CO2 costs.

[0023] To coordinate, smooth, and stagger the unevenly generated waste heat from data centers, the fluctuating supply of PV and wind power, and the fluctuating heating demands, sufficiently large storage systems are necessary. Ice storage systems combined with electric heat pumps and relatively small electrical battery storage units represent the most economically optimal solution.

[0024] The ice storage systems are also necessary to maintain cooling reserves in the form of large quantities of ice for the data center as a backup in case of power outages. This also saves the costs of installing and maintaining emergency generators. The data center's overall power consumption is reduced by up to 30% or more, as the previously required amounts of electrical energy for cooling are no longer necessary to a large extent.

[0025] Grid benefits: Furthermore, the provision of the described infrastructure (ice storage?) offers the possibility of cooling or heating connected buildings or processes with cost-effective electricity while simultaneously relieving the strain on the electricity grid. Excess capacity from the electricity grid or low-cost electricity tariffs can be stored and / or used directly to produce and store cooling energy (ice) or heat.

[0026] The main components of the system are prefabricated in a production facility and delivered in containers; on site, these are assembled above or below ground and can thus be accommodated within existing structures in a very short time and with minimal construction effort.

[0027] The higher costs resulting from smaller, decentralized data centers can be offset and even more than compensated for by the economic advantages of the system.

[0028] The operational reliability of the data centers increases because if individual data centers fail, they can be replaced by neighboring ones. A network of many decentralized data centers is also less vulnerable to terrorist attacks than large central data centers.

[0029] In summary, the invention achieves the following: The present invention provides a data center that is located a short distance from waste heat users or heat consumers such as residential buildings. Preferably, the invention provides a network of such data centers. By combining (at least) a local ice storage system, a heat pump, and preferably renewable energy generation, the data center according to the invention requires very little electricity for cooling. In case of excess energy (e.g., renewable energy), the ice storage can be filled, and in case of insufficient available energy, emergency cooling can be carried out using the ice storage. In addition, waste heat users can be supplied with heat in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited non-patent literature

[0000] https: / / web.archive.org / web / 20260308180124 / https: / / www.energiraven.com /

[0005]

Claims

[1] System comprising a data center as a waste heat generator, one or more buildings, in particular residential or commercial units as waste heat users, a waste heat storage system, in particular an ice storage system, a control system, a heat pump and connecting lines between the respective components, wherein waste heat from the data center can be transferred to the heat pump via the connecting lines, characterized by , that the heat pump converts this waste heat either for storage in the ice storage system or for release to the waste heat users, and makes the converted waste heat available to the ice storage system and / or the waste heat users as required. [2] System according to claim 1, characterized by , that the ice storage systems take on the task of coordinating, smoothing out, and making available as heating energy at a later time between the fluctuating amounts of waste heat from the data centers, electricity from the PV and wind power plants, and the heat requirements of the consumers. [3] System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the ice storage system is intended to serve as the main cooling system for the data center. [4] System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the ice storage system can also be used as emergency cooling for the data center. [5] System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the ice storage system can also be used to cool the residential or commercial units. [6] System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the system uses the ice storage exclusively for cooling the data center. [7] System according to one of the preceding claims, further characterized by renewable energy sources, especially photovoltaic and wind power plants, for at least supporting the electricity supply of the heat pumps. [8] System according to any one of the preceding claims, further characterized byElectrical battery storage systems for absorbing excess electricity and releasing it when capacity is low or demand is high due to internal or external power requirements. [9] System according to claim 8, characterized by the lack of emergency power generators. [10] System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the system is specifically designed based on the heat requirements of the surrounding residential or commercial units. [11] System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least some system components from the data center, heat pump, ice storage and control system are provided together in a container that can be connected to appropriate connections on site. [12] Network of systems according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by a network for data exchange and / or energy transfer between the systems. [13] Network of systems according to claim 11, characterized bya data network via cable systems, especially fiber optic cables. [14] Network of systems according to claim 11, characterized by a data network via radio connections, especially Starlink, 5G, 4G, microwave or WLAN connections. [15] Network of systems according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized by , that a controlled energy transfer to balance energy demands and available energy between the locations of the systems is possible.