Electric Car Batteries Could Be Used to Power Europe’s Data Centers

Electric cars do run on batteries, and going along with the overall “green” theme of electric cars, you might be pleased to know that the batteries which run these four wheelers could eventually be used to help manage the voracious appetite for energy in Europe’s data centers. This particular idea would require the cumulative effect of plenty of old batteries as stores, supplying power as and when required, especially during peak times. It is said that approximately 2.5% of all European energy is consumed by servers in data centers, and by the time 2019 rolls around, this is tipped to grow to 5%.

A new research project that has already been funded to the tune of £3.6m is looking for various methods to maintain Europe’s computer infrastructure without consuming even more energy. Known as Green Data Net, this particular project would look to hardware as well as software to be more efficient.

Despite Europe being strong proponents of using wind and solar energy, the power from these sources tend to miss the times when it was required. Perhaps the idea of using plenty of partially degraded car batteries as a store might be viable. If electric cars get more and more popular soon, we might see this idea take off, considering how electric cars’ batteries have a shelf life of approximately 14 years prior to being unsuitable for use due to the constant charging and recharging.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Green, Transportation
Tags: electric car