Slough is sweltering – but it's not just the summer heatwave causing the discomfort. A study suggests that the town's datacentre boom is exacerbating the 'heat island effect', contributing to significantly higher local temperatures. Residents are feeling the pinch, with some describing the heat as 'like a burning skin'. Nabeel Nawaz, a store manager in the town centre, said: "The heat is unbearable – it feels like your body's being pinched and burnt."
A preprint paper by Associate Professor Andrea Marinoni at the University of Cambridge indicates that datacentres can increase temperatures in their immediate vicinity by an average of 2C, with some areas experiencing a rise of up to 9C. The research, which controlled for other factors like urbanisation and climate change, found this phenomenon to be consistent globally, citing examples in Brazil and Spain.
Professor Marinoni noted that current research might underestimate the impact of newer, larger facilities – Slough is home to datacentres with a combined power consumption of approximately one gigawatt. This represents a different scale from those studied previously, with Marinoni describing Slough as 'almost like an experiment by itself'.
On a recent Wednesday, temperatures at a weather station near Slough's tech park reached 36.7C, compared to 36.2C at a station further from the park. This pattern of higher temperatures has been observed consistently. Local residents are well aware of the datacentre presence, with its constant hum prompting ongoing debate about environmental impact.
The UK government has proposed using waste heat generated by datacentres to warm homes – an initiative that could mitigate some environmental impacts and benefit communities. The University of Cambridge's research, though in preprint stage, puts Slough's experience into a global context, highlighting a critical area for urban planning and energy policy.