General Discussion

jmowreader

(52,825 posts)

32. Trump doesn't have to make this illegal. In most of the country we can't do this at all.

Thu Dec 4, 2025, 01:48 PM

Yesterday

In a lot of Europe there are "steam utilities." When they build your house they tap into the main city steam pipe to connect it to the radiators in your home, then when you want heat you just turn a valve. It's way cheaper than installing a furnace and it works.

Outside of the big cities they don't have this at all in the US, and even in the big cities this might not be for everyone. For instance, CenTrio sells steam in Seattle but they only sell it in part of the city.

I wonder...is there a way to recover the heat pulled out of data centers and use it to generate electricity? That would work better than trying to sell the heat directly.

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Bet ya Trump will make this illegal: it makes too much sense [View all] applegrove Yesterday OP

Interesting but I doubt it will happen here only because it sounds expensive newdeal2 Yesterday #1

If it adds a nickel of cost to the opium dreams of AI developers, it will never happen. hatrack Yesterday #2

Excellent true words! chouchou Yesterday #19

And if it additionally drmeow 23 hrs ago #40

NIMBY modrepub Yesterday #8

Unless they charge users for the heat and/or energy Auggie Yesterday #13

Here in the AZ borderlands, where people face drilling deeper well to reach lowering, disappearing water table Attilatheblond Yesterday #22

Finland has a centralized network of underground pipes to distribute steam (geothermal).... pat_k 23 hrs ago #41

Finland's underlying granite is home to lots of infrastructure. thought crime 21 hrs ago #46

Yeah, it makes way too much sense. sop Yesterday #3

Never work in the USA - it it's not making a profit it is dead on arrival. walkingman Yesterday #4

Yeah. This would save on heating costs. Trump only applegrove Yesterday #6

BINGO! OldBaldy1701E Yesterday #9

What about all the data centers in the South? Ursus Rex Yesterday #5

An argument for moving data centers to Alaska or more densely populated cold places in the "snowbelt." pat_k 22 hrs ago #42

This is a nice thing OnionPatch Yesterday #7

Please explain how that helps the fossil fuel industry. JohnnyRingo Yesterday #10

Are you talking to me? It doesn't help the fossil fuel industry. applegrove Yesterday #11

I was being sarcastic. JohnnyRingo Yesterday #12

Sorry. I get it now. I didn't think you were a troll applegrove Yesterday #14

I was being sarcastic again. JohnnyRingo Yesterday #17

LOL! applegrove Yesterday #18

Well, I for one knew where you were coming from in the first few words. Cheers! erronis Yesterday #16

It takes huge amounts of Electricity popsdenver Yesterday #37

Of course it helps the fossil fuel industry... NewLarry Yesterday #26

Rec jfz9580m 22 hrs ago #45

And when they finally figure out the data centers are worthless and shut them down? erronis Yesterday #15

Putting them underground also helps with noise and space constraints IronLionZion Yesterday #20

Thank You Or Posting This! Rendville Yesterday #21

Trump would have his peons bomb the place. twodogsbarking Yesterday #23

Finland and Iceland are already positioned to take advantage of this kind of technology... Ol Janx Spirit Yesterday #24

Yeah, he'll call them underground wind mills or some such shit. RedWhiteBlueIsRacist Yesterday #25

I don't know. Sounds kind of "woke" to me. If it's not coal, Trump isn't interested. Vinca Yesterday #27

Acushnet Process Company, which started making Titleist golf balls, used to heat the building in the winter from...... usaf-vet Yesterday #28

Yes computers were huge back in the day. applegrove Yesterday #29

WWBOD? - What Would Big Oil Do? JoseBalow Yesterday #30

Good one! calimary 17 hrs ago #47

Inefficient use of a wasteful process's leftovers. marble falls Yesterday #31

Inefficient use is better than no use at all. Shipwack Yesterday #34

Trump doesn't have to make this illegal. In most of the country we can't do this at all. jmowreader Yesterday #32

Reminds me of the Minnesota Supercomputer Center GopherGal Yesterday #33

Fa geta bout it! This is only possible when you have government oversight and an educated populace. flashman13 Yesterday #35

Silly me popsdenver Yesterday #36

Considering that the U.S. is 29 times the size of Finland, I'm pretty sure this is a problem of scale, and not ancianita Yesterday #38

If would probably. work in large cities if there were still large tenements. LiberalArkie Yesterday #39

District heat networks? In America you pay to have your data-center heat delivered in a truck. paulkienitz 22 hrs ago #43

Given the places it would make sense, seems to me it's a great "blue state" (subset: snowbelt) initiative. pat_k 22 hrs ago #44