Heat generated by the Univ. of Notre Dame’s high-performance computing department is being used to heat a local greenhouse. The department has placed a containerized data center next to the Ella Morris and Muessel-Ellison Botanical Conservatories and Potawatomi Greenhouse in South Bend, Ind. The waste heat generated by working servers is piped into the greenhouse where it is used to keep succulents and other desert plants warm.
CleanTechnica.com reports the university is expected to lower its equipment cooling costs by $100,000. The city will save $70,000 it spends to heat the conservatory. The use of the waste heat is part of the Botanical Society of South Bend’s plan to help make the greenhouses self-sufficient due to budget cuts.
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