nLighten’s Stuttgart data centre to reuse heat
Author: Joe Peck
European data centre operator nLighten‘s data centre in Stuttgart, Germany, is set to feed excess heat into the local heating network, supporting the municipal it.schule training centre and DEKRA buildings in the Möhringen district.
To deliver the project, nLighten is partnering with Wärmelösungen Synergiepark Stuttgart, a joint venture between Stadtwerke Stuttgart and e-con AG.
The companies have signed a cooperation agreement, with the scheme expected to go live later in 2026. It has received funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
The recovered heat will be sold to Synergiepark Stuttgart, which will process and distribute it through an expanded heating network. The infrastructure is designed to deliver up to 1.8MW of heat output.
Closed-loop system for heat recovery
A closed-loop water system will capture heat from the data centre’s servers and heat pumps will raise the temperature to the level required by end users before distribution.
nLighten states that the Stuttgart project follows a similar initiative in Eschborn and forms part of its wider approach to reducing emissions by combining renewable electricity use with heat reuse.
Andreas Herden, Managing Director Germany at nLighten, comments, “The heat reuse project in Stuttgart is another milestone for nLighten and demonstrates how data centres can become active shapers of the energy transition.
“Following our successful project in Eschborn, we are once again proving that Europe’s digital infrastructure can be designed not only to be powerful and connected, but also sustainable.”
Ulf Hummel, Managing Director of Wärmelösungen Synergiepark Stuttgart, adds, “The excess heat project with nLighten creates an added value for everyone involved: it delivers climate-friendly heat for our customers, strengthens the data centre’s sustainable business model, and represents an important step towards decarbonising Stuttgart’s heat supply.
“As a young company, Wärmelösungen Synergiepark Stuttgart set out to provide climate-neutral heat to the entire industrial area in Vaihingen and Möhringen. Connecting the data centre is the reward for the many years of planning.”
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