TIM Enterprise, the TIM business unit that supports large companies and public administration in their digital transformation journey, operates 16 data centres across the country. At the facility in Rozzano, near Milan, GETEC together with TIM Enterprise has established a renewable energy project that recovers the heat generated by the data centre and repurposes it for heating and hot water in local households.

With the comprehensive support of the GETEC subsidiary Atmos, Rozzano has become the first municipality in Italy to benefit from such an innovative solution for sourcing energy for residences. The heat recovery project reduces natural gas consumption and CO₂ emissions, making the data centre more sustainable.  

Heating 5,000 households 

Data centres operate non-stop and consume significant amounts of energy, mainly for cooling systems that prevent servers from overheating. The GETEC energy solution enables waste heat to be fed into the local heating network, using heat exchangers and heat pumps. The hot water reaches the ALER housing district via underground pipelines, and it is then available to the residents for heaters and water heating. The unique project confirms the commitment of GETEC and TIM Enterprise to implementing innovative energy solutions in Italy, and it demonstrates what is possible in terms of making data centres more sustainable. 

Reducing emissions and improving quality of life 

It is estimated that the recovery of waste heat from the data centre saves around 3,500 tonnes of CO₂ per year, which corresponds to the positive environmental effect of more than 17,500 newly planted trees. In addition, smart energy management enables the system to be efficiently controlled and flexibly adapted to the respective energy requirements. This allows resources to be monitored in real time, maximising performance and minimising energy losses.