District heating is gaining popularity and can serve as an alternative for the use of natural gas to provide heat to residential areas. District heating systems can make use of heat sources that are often locally distracted and would have otherwise been wasted. Data centers could act as low temperature heat sources by recovering residual heat for district heating purposes. However, integration issues arise on various levels. This research aimed to provide insights into how data center waste heat in Amsterdam can be integrated into the district heating network.

The district heating concept are explained by investigating the technical, economic, environmental, and institutional concepts. District heating markets of the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark were compared, based on the type of markets (regulated or deregulated), the pricing structures, the degree of market opening, and the ownership structure. Next, a system engineering approach was developed to find and test opportunities to integrate data center waste heat into the district heating network of Amsterdam. The approach could offer support in the feasibility phase before making development decisions for a district heating network case. The network layered approach that was applied for the case of Amsterdam was used as the starting point for a pilot project in Amsterdam, modeled in the simulation tool EnergyPRO

The investigation into possible integration opportunities has resulted in a two-step approach: Creating a theoretical understanding of the district heating system for a specific case, and also looking into a practical case study by using a simulation tool. The decision-making and waste heat integration will simply not be ready in a day. Still, a clear vision of the functionality and interdependencies of all system components support steps towards successful integration.