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May 08, 2008, 01:50 PM ET
Lowering Heating and Cooling Bills With Flower ... er, Cactus Power
Paul R. Brenner, a computer scientist at the University of Notre Dame, will use the natural drafts in a South Bend greenhouse to cool computer processors. At the same time, the greenhouse will benefit from the heat the machines generate. (U. of Notre Dame photos)
The University of Notre Dame has come up with a plan that will save both the university and the city of South Bend a little money on their energy bills. The university has put 400-pound computer processors, which kick out a lot of heat, in the city’s greenhouse that holds desert plants. The circulation of air in the greenhouse will help keep the computers cool, while the computers will help heat the space.
According to The South Bend Tribune, the plan will save the university about $100,000 in utility costs, even after the university pays for the electricity to power the processors. The city spent about $70,000 to heat the space last year — it’s not clear how much those bills will go down. In the winter, university officials plan to scale up the project, bringing in more computer processors to supply more heat.
Officials at the university hope that this sort of idea could be used in other settings, wherever these large research computers are used.
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