Boden Business Park, Boden Business Agency and the Swedish Energy Agency work in a tripartite relationship where the goal is to utilize the waste heat from data centers to grow vegetables in greenhouses. In the north, the majority of the vegetables we eat are imported. It is important that we become more self-sufficient in order to avoid transport routes and create a sustainable society.
On the former AF 1 military site, Genesis Digital Assets’ (GDA) half-megawatt data centre, in partnership with several companies, will harness waste heat and transfer it to a 300-square-metre greenhouse. Through the sister project Växtzon, people who are far from the labor market must work endlessly with cultivation in the greenhouse to gain work experience and a foothold in the labor market.
Read more: Growing zone infinite – smart green skills development | BodenXT
Sustainable food production
The local contractor Sture Nordmark, Nordmark AB, is responsible for the construction of the greenhouse. He has long worked smartly with both recycling and recycling. The approximately one meter high wall, to which the steel structure for the greenhouse is attached, is bricked up with recycled brick. Now the hope is to produce goods that can be sold to stores in Boden and the rest of Norrbotten. The goal is to achieve a commercial production of crops and then scale up this production to create a more sustainable food supply.
Circular economy
The project is a first test to run greenhouses on waste heat. The heating of greenhouses in northern Sweden has been expensive during the winter months and therefore not economically sustainable as a business concept. A circular approach to using waste heat for heating minimizes the heating cost and can create a sustainable system for cultivation in subarctic climates. With the waste heat that currently exists, it can operate about 300 greenhouses of this size in Boden.
The purpose of the collaboration is to promote a holistic view of energy use and promote future development of industry, primarily in IT-related industries and food production. One way is to take advantage of the waste heat from the data center – the smart green.
Responsible
Boden Business Park, Boden Business Agency and the Swedish Energy Agency are responsible for the strategy work. The Växtzon öfinit project, run by JobbCenter, Boden municipality, works to create opportunities for people who are far from the labor market. Sture Nordmark, Nordmark AB, is responsible for the construction of the greenhouse.
Place
The old military area AF 1, part of Boden Plug and Play.
Expected to be completed
February 2021.
