Helsinki's Underground Master Plan (VIDEO)

The world's greenest data center lies 30 meters below the ground surface of a cathedral in Helsinki, Finland. It's just part of an entire subterranean world being created for Helsinki's underground master plan.

CNN reports that Helsinki is the first city to develop such a plan, focused on building in its hard bedrock below ground. The city currently has hundreds of underground facilities and is planning to build more in order to avoid urban sprawl, free up the land, and maintain a nice cityscape.

The underground green data center cuts down on energy consumption by cooling their computers with sea water, and using the excess heat to warm Helsinki homes. Normally, nearly half of the energy used in data centers goes towards cooling down the computers. CNN reports that data centers consume at least 2% of all the world's energy.

While it seems that the data center may be green technology's poster child, Helsinki's underground coal storage facility is up for environmental debate. The four silos store enough coal to feed half of the city's annual consumption, and the company argues that it is environmentally friendly. But considering that the cleanliness of even "clean coal" is debatable, it's unclear just how environmentally friendly Helsinki's underground world really is.

WATCH this underground world:

Comments

[Kenz300]

11:02 PM on 03/13/2011

Looks like a well thought out plan for energy production and conservation.

[Scandinavian007]

08:19 AM on 03/13/2011

Check out District cooling.
Finland pushing this one too. Started allready in Helsinki in 2000. Massive electricity saving and no requirements for indivitual air conditioners which USA is full of.

[O Dannyboy]

02:45 AM on 02/26/2011

Impressive.

I'd like to see some substantiation of the claim that data centers use 2% of the world's energy.

[garder54]

08:04 AM on 02/23/2011

I don't find it wise to encroach on the natural habitat of the mole people. We have enough issues above ground!

[UncleSquinky]

07:09 AM on 02/21/2011

And how much does it cost in money and energy to burrow into hard rock?

[jerryjerry5959]

06:40 AM on 02/21/2011

The way the climate is changing, this will be the future.

[Luke McIntosh]

04:52 AM on 02/21/2011

Ooo this is a good idea! Congress, please steal Finnish ideas from now on. K? Thx.

[Scandinavian007]

08:17 AM on 03/13/2011

You should read about District cooling too. We are moving on this through out Helsinki. Saves massive amounts of electricity and very efficient way to cool houses on summer time. America should use this idea too rather than having indivitual air conditoners in every flat.

[smolensk-lies]

04:43 AM on 02/21/2011

cold winter in Finland this year - a lot of -20 days

[Scandinavian007]

08:19 AM on 03/13/2011

alot of -30C too :)

[General Public]

01:10 AM on 02/21/2011

I remember when I visited college campuses as a high school senior years ago back in the ancient year of 1999, MIT had a vast labyrinth of underground tunnels that people could use to get anywhere on that college campus so that they would never, ever have to go outside... ever. I have to admit, I found the idea of always being inside a building or an underground tunnel all winter long an appealing one, given the cold winters we had back then, before all of this global warming. Of course, I do like to go out a bit during the other seasons of the year, and Massachusetts certainly isn't as cold as a place like Alaska, Siberia, or Antarctica, but still, I do not enjoy cold winters with below-freezing temperatures. In the part of upstate New York where I live, the temperature is usually averaging around 20 in winter, sometimes down in the teens or single digits or even below zero, and sometimes in the 20s or 30s or even 40s. Generally, anything below freezing is quite unpleasant, and freezing is at 32 degrees, so it would be nice to have the underground tunnels like at MIT or in Helsinki and just be able to avoid the outdoors when the outdoors are not warm and inviting.

[WRPrintz]

02:11 AM on 02/21/2011

I would gladly spend time in an underground bunker for 5 months out of the year if I never had to encounter sub zero weather....but I am not a winter person. I know many folks that love it. It seems to me that if we could move a large portion of our footprint underground, me might be able to have more open and green space above ground, with far less human clutter.

[Husaria]

06:22 AM on 02/21/2011

Montreal is another good example.

The Montreal Metro ( subway ) connects to the ' souterrain ' cite ( city ). There are shops, movie theaters, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. You do not even have to make a mad dash outside to your car to move around the city. The Metro connects you to all of it.

That being said........I love winter. Hiking, snowshoeing and camping outdoors in the winter is awesome. I know most will find that statement a bit ' challenging ' but there is nothing better than a cold winter day with blue sky overhead, in the mountains, while standing amongst a strand of white birch trees. Star gazing and sunrise / sunsets are stunning as well.

[bernusdellus]

12:53 AM on 02/21/2011

Even tho I'm a Brit by birth, I have to say that this guy has got one of the most annoying voices/accents I've ever heard.

Other than that... Fab technology. Great to see some enlightened city planning.

[Mitch Craft]

12:26 AM on 02/21/2011

I love the Finns, and there metal bands are awesome.

[edgeman au]

10:14 PM on 02/20/2011

meanwhile in America , oh wait sorry my mistake... nothing happening there anymore.

[FoxIslander]

01:27 AM on 02/21/2011

...wait dont 4get about that planned humongeous christian theme park.

[blurredmolly]

06:39 AM on 02/21/2011

Dinosaurs and humans together again.

[StansDad]

06:24 AM on 02/21/2011

There's quite a bit going on here actually

[Moder8tion]

09:46 PM on 02/20/2011

They stated their underground conditions are optimal for building underground. Along with their outdoor climate I think they have a sensible plan.

However, I know first hand that anything built underground in my area will cost a fortune, be very expensive to maintain, and bring with it a whole new set of new problems. (like water infiltration, underground air quality, specialized fire fighters, etc)

[plebian3]

10:02 PM on 02/20/2011

Lucky for the Finns the only nation building they're involved in is their own.

[oktober]

10:45 PM on 02/20/2011

Ding ding ding.

[Telly Savalas]

12:36 AM on 02/21/2011

What?????? Dropouts from the Coalition of the Coerced? Shameful, I say! Simply shameful!
They need to donate 2000 young people for the Afghan grave site!

[paddy523]

09:41 PM on 02/20/2011

Morlocks and Eloi anyone???

[goingstrong]

08:50 PM on 02/20/2011

Just imagine if the Republicans could see the forest through the trees...if they werent so busy insisting that going Green will harm business and lose jobs, the outlook for America would be a whole lot rosier. But instead their pockets continue to be lined by the ev/il conservative corporate money & power mong/ers and the increasingly dire situation we face continues to be glossed over