MODERATOR at Thematic Track: Data Centers, Digital Twins & AI for Sustainability

At the Sustainable Places Conference 2025 (Milan, 8–10 October), MODERATOR partner Yannick Krabben (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – HSLU) presented the project’s approach during the thematic track “Data centers, digital twins & AI for sustainability.” This strategic session brought together researchers, technology providers, and industry stakeholders to explore how data centres, digital twins, and artificial intelligence can accelerate sustainability, decarbonisation, and resilience in the built environment.

In his talk, Yannick Krabben introduced how the MODERATOR project transforms data centres into active components of circular energy systems by:

• Recovering waste heat through immersion cooling

• Storing low-temperature heat using phase change materials (PCMs)

• Ensuring scalability through modular system design

• Enabling heat reuse across buildings, industry, agriculture, and aquaculture

MODERATOR at Sustainable Places 2025 “Keep it Cool” Workshop: Collaborative Cooling Solutions

The MODERATOR project was presented at the “Keep it Cool” Workshop: Clustering workshop on cooling solutions for data centers and other industries, during the Sustainable Places Conference 2025 (Milan, 8–10 October 2025).

In this talk, Yannick Krabben (Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – HSLU) introduces MODERATOR’s integrated approach to waste heat recovery in data centres, combining:

• Immersion cooling for high-temperature heat capture

• Phase Change Material (PCM) thermal storage optimized for 40–60 °C operation

• Scalable and efficient thermal energy storage solutions for real-world use

Turning Waste into Value: MODERATOR’s approach to Heat Recovery in Data Centres

The MODERATOR project is taking part in the 2Cool2Waste initiative to showcase scalable solutions for energy efficiency and circularity in industry. In this presentation — delivered during the first 2Cool2Waste webinar “Boosting Energy Efficiency in Industry – Proven Solutions & Real Business Cases” — our Project Coordinator, Dr. Dimitris Koutsonikolas (CERTH), presents how MODERATOR transforms data centres from energy consumers into energy contributors.

Key takeaways:

• Why data centres generate vast amounts of unused waste heat

• How immersion cooling increases efficiency and produces recoverable heat

• The role of phase change materials and advanced insulation in long-duration heat storage

• Real use cases for reusing heat: district heating, greenhouses, industry and more

Heat Recovery, Storage & Re-use in Data Centers: The MODERATOR approach

The MODERATOR project participated in the 12th Swiss Symposium on Thermal Energy Storage, hosted by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU). In this presentation, Dr. Dimitris Koutsonikolas (CERTH) introduced “Heat Recovery, Storage and Re-Use in Data Centres: The MODERATOR Approach”, showcasing how immersion cooling, phase change materials, and advanced insulation systems can reduce energy waste and recover heat for reuse.

Key takeaways:

• Immersion cooling as a high-efficiency alternative to traditional systems

• Reuse of data centre waste heat for buildings, greenhouses, and industry

• Scalable, modular energy storage design for real-world applications