In a unique project, a wind power operator and Rittal have joined forces to integrate carbon-neutral data centres into the towers of wind turbines. One of its highlights was the direct capture and use of climate-neutral electricity, including occasional surpluses. Rittal skilfully adapted the data centre architecture to the conditions on-site and built upwards to achieve this.
Overview
- Project
- WindCores + Rittal
- Location
- Paderborn, Germany
- Challenge
Installation and operation of a data centre in a wind turbine
- Solution
Rittal developed a 3-tier design data centre
Installation of IT infrastructure (such as security rooms and IT racks) on-site
The infrastructure for power generation and transmission has been in place. It offers true added value for the data centre market.
Wind energy from the turbine directly to the data centre: Rittal planned and integrated a data centre into the tower of a wind turbine – at a total height of 20 metres. The idea for this unique three-tier concept came from WestfalenWIND and is marketed under the brand name WindCORES. WestfalenWIND turned to Rittal to fulfill the design and complete the innovative project: Rittal’s inventive and imaginative strength combined with high quality standards seemed the perfect blend to bring about cleverly combining computing power with a sustainable energy supply. “Energy-efficient data centre operation has long been a core issue for us, so it made real sense to us to collaborate with a producer of low-cost, sustainable electricity, “ said Michael Nicolai, Head of Rittal IT Sales in Germany.
Savings in construction costs, energy costs and cooling costs
A data centre’s power supply and grid connection are its lifelines. In the case of windCORES, the former is quite literally close at hand. The electricity comes directly from the wind turbine’s generator – during 90 percent of the year, at least. The rest of the time, it has to be obtained from the public grid. To ensure a high-quality power supply at all times, WestfalenWIND IT worked with two different grid operators. In many applications, the timing of high computing loads can be controlled to coincide with windy periods. This means the data centre can be operated almost entirely using renewable power. WestfalenWIND IT also takes a doubled-up approach when it comes to grid connection. Two backbone connections ensure redundant data highways to the DE-CIX Internet hub in Frankfurt. “Our infrastructure benefits from very low latency and a high-performance bandwidth,” emphasises Dubberke.
Obstacle due to physical constraints
The installation, however, had to be completely re-thought and re-designed. Since the security rooms could not be brought into the area in a fully assembled state – the door openings were too narrow for this – the construction sequence had to be changed. In addition, the server racks had to be arranged over several levels. Rittal installed false ceilings and staircases and developed a customised design for the power supply and cooling lines. Rittal integrated security rooms, IT racks, climate control, independent power supply (UPS) and monitoring into the tower. The initial project was for a Rittal data centre in a wind turbine tower housing 50 racks that belonged to a German car manufacturer. The plan was for the automotive manufacturer to carry out high-performance computing for AI and GenAI as well as simulations for autonomous driving in the future.
This award-winning flagship project has as result become a viable and scalable evidence-based confirmation that proves how the appetite and demand for energy of streaming services, AI applications as well as the need for sustainability no longer need to be at odds with each other.