nLighten data center in Stuttgart to feed excess heat into local heating network

5 February – Frankfurt – The nLighten data center in Stuttgart will soon feed excess heat into the local heating network, supporting the sustainable supply of the municipal it.schule, a training center for IT and media professions, as well as DEKRA buildings in the Möhringen district.
To make this possible, nLighten is partnering with Wärmelösungen Synergiepark Stuttgart, a joint venture between Stadtwerke Stuttgart GmbH and e-con AG. The companies have now signed the required cooperation agreement. This forward-looking project marks the beginning of an expanded heating network in Synergiepark Stuttgart and is expected to go live later this year. It is supported by funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

A model project for the industry
The initiative demonstrates how data center operators can work with municipal and private sector partners to reduce their emissions. As nLighten powers its data center with renewable electricity, the recovered excess heat is not only sustainable, but also sets an example for the entire industry.

The excess heat from the data center will be sold to Synergiepark Stuttgart, which will process and distribute it. The local infrastructure is designed to deliver up to 1.8 megawatts of heat output.

A closed-loop water system serves as the heat transfer medium, capturing heat from the data center´s servers and using heat pumps to raise it to the temperature level required by the customers. As supplier, Synergiepark Stuttgart ensures a sustainable, resilient and cost-efficient heat supply for the area.

Andreas Herden, Managing Director Germany at nLighten, explains: “The heat reuse project in Stuttgart is another milestone for nLighten and demonstrates how data centers 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, said: “The excess heat project with nLighten creates an added value for everyone involved: it delivers climate-friendly heat for our customers, strengthens the data center’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 center is the reward for the many years of planning.”

About nLighten
nLighten is a digital infrastructure platform focused on developing and operating innovative edge data centers across Europe’s key economic hubs. Its strategically distributed data centers deliver best-in-class network access to enterprises, private users, and the mobile workforce. nLighten is working towards establishing a pan-European presence in all major cities and smaller business hubs.

Its edge data centers are close, coupled, and connected: By being closer to customers and users, nLighten ensures low-latency access and high availability for businesses, mobile workforces, and private users. With a strong commitment to sustainability, nLighten’s data centers will be coupled with the local community, contributing to grid stability while minimizing environmental impact. Connected to an extensive network of carriers and service providers, nLighten empowers seamless, real-time data connectivity throughout Europe.

Founded in 2021 by a core team with years of experience and a wide-ranging expertise in the data center industry and backed by I Squared Capital, a leading global infrastructure investor, nLighten is setting new standards for digital infrastructure in Europe.

About Wärmelösungen Synergiepark Stuttgart
The city of Stuttgart plans to be climate neutral by 2035. Decarbonising the heat supply in commercial and residential areas in the state capital plays a central role in this. Stadtwerke Stuttgart GmbH and e-con AG are now leading the way in Synergiepark Stuttgart: Together, they have founded Synergiepark Stuttgart (formally: Synergiepark Vaihingen Wärme GmbH & Co. KG) to implement innovative heating and cooling solutions there.

The aim of the cooperation is to establish a heating and cooling network based on renewable energy sources that meets the needs of industry and commerce and to operate it on a long-term basis. In this way, the company is helping commercial and industrial enterprises to reduce their carbon footprint, thereby accelerating the energy transition.