CH-12-C003 -- The Prospect of Hydrothermal Net-Zero Energy Data Centers PDF

Data centers account for 1.5% of the energy consumption in the United States according to a recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency. These facilities' IT power and cooling requirements may increase in the future, especially with the rise of cloud computing and increased heat densities of servers. Since most utility power is generated by burning coal or fossil fuel, innovation is essential to meet the challenge of providing sustainable cooling and power for data centers. This paper proposes using Hydrothermal Energy for data centers whereby cooling and power are both sustainably generated. Coastal communities that have nearby cold and warm water resources are candidates for future data centers that can be operated completely off the grid while absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. The paper acknowledges that, while there are still challenges to be met in designing these facilities, Hydothermal Net-Zero Energy data centers are within the realm of possibility.