Part of the magic of Disneyland is that you never see what's behind the "magic" - the workers in the mascot costumes, the networks of underground tunnels, and all the computers that keep everything running. But for once, it's more interesting to see what's going on with those computers than with Mickey and Goofy- because the heat they generate is being recovered as energy for nearby homes and offices.
Euro Disney, which runs Disneyland Paris, has partnered with French energy company Dalkia to provide an innovative source of heat. As every computer user knows, the machines get hot and require fans to keep them from overheating. In large scale data centers, they're cooled by air conditioners. But those produces heat too, which Dalkia will collect and transmit to a nearly 6,500,000 square foot heating network.
The data centers producing the heat are in the Val d'Europe business park, largely owned by Disney, near the Disneyland Paris park itself. Dalkia estimates that the plan, set to start early next year, will save 5,400 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year.
Dalkia isn't the first to come up with the idea of recovering computer heat and putting it to use- Microsoft researchers proposed it earlier this year. But the French company is putting its money where its mouth is, a major step forward in the fight for clean energy.