DATA4 Group: Data4 launches new project which could use waste heat to grow algae

French data center operator Data4 has launched a new project exploring whether waste heat generated by one of its facilities can be used to grow algae. 

The company is working with the Université Paris-Saclay on the project at its Marcoussis data center campus in the Essonne region south of Paris. It will look at whether it is possible to reproduce a natural photosynthesis mechanism by using some of the captured CO2 in data center waste heat to grow algae.

Linda Lescuyer, innovation manager at Data4, said: “This augmented biomass project meets two of the major challenges of our time: food security and the energy transition. It requires close collaboration between all the players in the Essonne region, including Data4, to develop a genuine industrial ecology project aimed at pooling resources and reducing consumption in the region.”

She added, “Thanks to this partnership with the Fondation Université Paris Saclay, we have the opportunity to draw on one of the most prestigious scientific communities in the world, with a common objective of a circular energy economy.”