Energy experts look toward 'nature's Yeti cooler' to satisfy massive demand: 'Industrial-scale cooling solution'

Energy experts working on ways to sustainably cool the nation's hot-running data centers have arrived at what might be described as nature's Yeti cooler. 

That's because researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL, are poised to roll out cold underground thermal energy storage, or cold UTES, at data center sites around the country, according to Data Centre Dynamics, a London-based publication, and CleanTechnica. 

At issue is the massive amounts of electricity — about 4.4% according to the U.S. Energy Department, or DOE  — that's consumed by computing. And cooling the powerful processors sucks up about 40% of the juice, CleanTechnica added. 

The DOE expects processor power draw to increase to up to 12% of the country's energy consumption by 2028, possibly straining the grid. That's why NREL experts are looking all over for solutions, even deep underground. 

"This project will confirm the potential of these systems to provide significant savings and value to data center operators, utilities, and grid system operators," Jeff Winick, from the DOE's Geothermal Technologies Office, said in the Dynamics story. 

Cold UTES setups work by using "off-peak power to create underground cold energy reserves," the publication and ScienceDirect explained. The rock, soil, and water below provides for natural, well-insulated coolers of sorts. These systems can store either heat or cold energy for long durations, well beyond the hours-long length of typical batteries. CleanTechnica described it as seasonal storage, ideally utilizing solar or wind energy.

An NREL diagram, published by Dynamics, showed energy coming into the data center from the grid. During the winter, cold air is pumped underground and stored. In the summer it's pulled from the colder subterranean hold and used to cool the hot-running computers. As a result, the projected electrical load needed for cooling dips in the warmer months instead of peaking, per the diagram. 

"Our expectation is that a Cold UTES system can provide a long-duration energy storage and industrial-scale cooling solution that is commercially attractive and technically viable for data centers," Winick said in the report. 

The power conundrum is being mulled over by experts elsewhere, as well. Google, Meta, and other tech companies are investing in solar farms to offset their growing energy demand. Microsoft is also working on ways to better cool its power-hungry data and information storage centers. 

Should we be digging miles beneath Earth's surface? No way 👎 Definitely 👍 Depends what it's for 🤔 Depends where we do it 🗺️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

The cold UTES systems can be cleaner, more efficient setups than simply powering fans with grid electricity. If renewables replace dirty fuels in the pipeline, it all becomes even cleaner, with less heat-trapping air pollution production. The fumes are linked by NASA to increased risks for severe weather, including wildfires. 

There are also some easy ways to join energy-saving efforts at home, with significant bill-cutting potential. Switching out your traditional light bulbs with LEDs can save you hundreds of bucks a year. What's more, each LED produces five times less planet-warming fumes than standard illuminators. 

At NREL, the experts are confident that cold air from beneath our feet can keep the tech that's processing our cloud storage and Google searches operating coolly. 

"This project will help accelerate the development, commercialization, and use of next-generation geothermal energy storage technologies, thereby establishing American global leadership in energy storage," Winick said in the Dynamics story. 

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