Type: Data Center
Developer: EcoDataCenter
Owner: Areim
Lead Architect: Nordisk Kombination Arkitekter AB
Site Size: 35 acres (14 ha)
Date Opened: DCA: August 31, 2023; DCB: December 31, 2020
Date Completed: DCA: August 31, 2023; DCB: December 31, 2020
Buildings: 2 buildings, 48,438 square feet (4,500 sq m) total
Parking Spaces: 100
Open Space (Borlänge Site): 54 acres (22 ha)

Data centers have a reputation for high energy use. EcoDataCenter 1 in Falun, Sweden, offers an alternate model: its two data centers, DCA and DCB, derive all of their power from nearby renewable energy sources; 75 percent comes from hydropower and 25 percent from wind.

EcoDataCenter 1 also partners with the local energy providers, Falu Energi and Vatten, to transfer waste heat from the server halls to a nearby combined heat and power plant, where it can contribute to the manufacture of fuel pellets that keep local buildings warm in cold months and support industrial processes. As a result, EcoDataCenter 1’s annual carbon emissions are two percent of the base case data center in Germany. The strategy also avoids the formation of a “heat island” around the complex. Even food waste is composted to produce biogas.

EcoDataCenter is also one of the first companies to build data centers out of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and engineered wood, which have much smaller carbon footprints than concrete and steel. Use of CLT also makes construction quicker and more efficient because the prefabricated pieces are ready to install when they arrive at the site.

The data centers also contribute to the local economy. For centuries, a copper mine played a vital role in the region, and the mine’s closure in 1992 put many residents out of work. Close partnerships with both local government and residents produced 330 employment opportunities during construction and 50 permanent positions. The company relies on locally sourced materials for both construction and ongoing maintenance. Partnering with construction company ByggPartner and other regional firms through every phase of development allowed all projects to be delivered under budget and on time.

EcoDataCenter also worked with Falu Energi and Vatten to strengthen the municipality’s grid by contributing to the construction of a new substation. The data centers redirect water from a nearby decommissioned reservoir, relieving pressure on the utility water system and preserving groundwater for other uses.

DCA and DCB have an installed capacity of 17MW each and a total occupancy rate of 95 percent. Located 137 miles (221 km) northwest of Stockholm on the outskirts of Falun, the facility is protected by physical barriers that include a ring of boulders, electrified fencing, and advanced surveillance systems. The project has been so successful that two more data centers have been completed and two others are under construction at the Falun site—all of them 24MW. In addition, EcoDataCenter 2 is set to begin construction soon on land that once housed a paper mill in Borlänge, Sweden.