A new data centre, based in London's Docklands, will use excess heat to power homes, including a new housing development and businesses in the area.
Work has begun on the Telehouse West facility and is due to be completed in 2010. Telehouse Europe, the firm building the data centre with the WSP Group, believes that it will provide up to nine megawatts of power by exporting the heat through the cooling system and converting it into energy.
The building is costing 80 million to build and will be nine stories high with 19,000 square metres of floorspace.
"We recognise that any attempt to address the lack of space within the data centre industry has to be undertaken with a level of environmental awareness," said Bob Harris, Telehouse Europe's technical services director.
"By making good use of the waste heat from the facility, we can minimise the environmental impact of Telehouse West and provide a valuable resource to the local community."
