Sustainable Cooling: Crystal Lagoons Drives a Revolution in the Data Center Industry

15 November, 2024 / News

In an increasingly digital world, data centers have become key players in global digital infrastructure, but they also face one of the most complex challenges of our time: the enormous energy demand required for their operation and its consequent environmental impact. As the industry grows, so does the need for solutions that optimize energy consumption without compromising operational efficiency. Crystal Lagoons is leading a revolution in the data center cooling industry, offering a disruptive solution that redefines how data centers manage heat and energy.

The key to Crystal Lagoons’ approach is its ability to transform monumental crystalline lagoons into powerful heat dissipators. Instead of relying on conventional cooling systems that consume vast amounts of energy, the lagoons operate in a closed-loop system, reducing the energy consumption of data centers by 40% to 50%. This process optimizes energy performance and provides additional environmental benefits, such as reducing carbon footprints, offering access to carbon credits, utilizing wasted energy, and streamlining project regulatory approval processes.

In addition to cooling, Crystal Lagoons® technology allows for climate control of the crystalline lagoons. The lagoons become multifunctional spaces, incorporating traditional beach areas and warm water zones with temperatures ranging from 37 to 38 degrees Celsius. This ensures their year-round use, expanding recreational and leisure opportunities for people, even during the coldest nights.

The first project where Crystal Lagoons will implement this system is the Angel Lagoon PAL® development in Texas, in association with Land Tejas, a renowned U.S. real estate developer. Located in Dayton, just 40 minutes from Houston, the site will feature a 6 MW data center cooled by the already-inaugurated 4,2-acre lagoon. Deep Green Energy, a subsidiary of the UK-based Octopus Energy, one of the world’s leading energy companies, will build and operate the data center.

Crystal Lagoons® technology directly impacts the reduction of energy consumption in data centers, as the lagoons act as heat dissipators, creating a closed-loop cooling system that reduces energy use by 40% to 50% compared to traditional air-cooled chiller systems. This sustainable solution also provides additional environmental benefits, such as reducing carbon footprints, accessing carbon credits, utilizing wasted energy, and streamlining project regulatory approval processes.

Cristóbal Baixas, Corporate Development Director of Crystal Lagoons, emphasized: “This is just the first project with Land Tejas, as Crystal Lagoons has signed an agreement to develop three additional PAL® complexes in Texas, named Magnolia, Sierra Vista, and Fry Road. They will also include data centers and use our sustainable cooling technology.”

This advancement highlights Crystal Lagoons’ commitment to sustainable innovation, expanding the positive impact the company has already achieved in various global industries, such as real estate and cities, through its Public Access Lagoons®, also known as PAL® developments. “Crystal Lagoons provides a comprehensive and sustainable solution for a strategic industry while simultaneously driving the expansion of temperate crystalline lagoons, which will become a growth engine for these projects in all climates,” concluded Baixas.

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