A POOL HEATED BY A DATA CENTER

Chamrousse is considering using calories which are usually lost, to heat energy intensive facilities. To diversify its tourism offer, the resort in Isère intends to create a leisure hub, including a pool complex, a wellness centre, a bowling alley and sports and leisure activities. The cost of the project will be approximately 20 million Euros.

To cut costs and the environmental footprint of the facilities, the town intends to create a data centre nearby, whose unavoidable heat (or lost heat) could cover half of the needs of the leisure hub. The programme is virtuous on two fronts, as the installation of a data storage and processing centre in the mountains helps to naturally cool the building and reduce its energy consumption.

BergWind specialises in finding and using new spaces in which to produce renewable energy. The Austrian start-up is working to develop wind turbines which are attached to the cables of ski lifts out of season. The energy produced can be used internally or reinjected into the grid. There are multiple advantages. The turbines require no floor space nor colossal means to install them; they can be easily integrated into existing infrastructure, in the place of cabins and seats. They can also help to improve the profitability of ski lifts, which are subject to energy price hikes and which are unused for part of the year.