Piers Fawkes| Psfk
Global Foundation Services, the cloud services division of the computing brand, Microsoft, is backing the research and development of a zero carbon data center that captures sewage treatment bi-products to power cloud services without drawing from the grid. Adjacent to the Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the data center pipes in biogas from the sewage plant to power a generator which, in turn, powers data center activities.
Around the world engineers and architects are rethinking the current design of architectural and environmental infrastructure, in favor of regenerative systems that are capable of harnessing wasted energy and resources and redistributing them where needed. In this project from Global Foundation Services, by capturing and reusing biogas on the premises, the data center is able to significantly reduce carbon emissions while producing beneficial uses at the same time. Once refined, the technology could additionally power cloud services with underutilized waste streams of agricultural activities, fuel refineries, waste landfill sites and more.
Similarly, MUCKBUSTER is a self-contained anaerobic digester, designed to process animal manure, organic or septic waste. The waste is then transformed into biogas, which can be used to heat water or create electricity. The overall design utilizes pre-made shipping containers, and its modular shape can be easily integrated into a variety of locations. Whether converting the kinetic energy from foot traffic into electricity or recycling grey water for other residential uses, these closed-loop recycled resource systems help deliver greater efficiencies that lower resource consumption and cut back on costs.
