Core77
Some companies need lots of computer processing power, which of course generates a lot of heat that then needs to be mitigated.
Some people need heat for their spaces, which they of course have to pay for.
A French company called Qarnot has figured out a clever way to have these problems solve each other. They've distributed a network's worth of their QH-1, which they call a "computing heater," in homes, offices and public buildings.
Their clients who need computing power can tap into this computer-heater network as needed; the residents then get free heat. Heat levels are controlled via app, meaning computing needs are switched to other units when the residents want it to cool down.
As a heater it's "efficient, ecological and 100% silent," the company writes. And it cuts overall energy costs; the heat that would've been generated anyway by computation is instead distributed to those who need it, sparing them from having to purchase other sources. A hot idea.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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Qarnot's "Computing Heater" Uses Cloud Computing to Heat Individual Spaces
The startup called Nerdalize tried this with good looking hardware (designed by NPK I believe). A couple of years ago they went out of business as they couldn’t make it work at scale
What happens in summer when no one wants the heating on?!
Is this the most brilliant idea I've ever read, or am I missing something?