The "triple green" concept
When it comes to sustainable data centers, the conversation often stops at renewable electricity. This is necessary, but insufficient. A true green data center must meet three conditions simultaneously.
First pillar: renewable energy
The supply of 100% renewable energy is the basic requirement. In Québec, Hydro-Québec's hydroelectricity has a carbon intensity of less than 1.7 g CO₂/kWh, compared to an average of 400 g for the U.S. grid. This is a structural advantage, not a promise of carbon offsetting.
Second pillar: waterless cooling
Air-cooled data centers consume millions of liters of water per year for cooling towers. Direct liquid cooling on a chip, glycol or demineralized water in a closed circuit eliminates this consumption. The Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of FirstBlock is 0. This is the only acceptable figure for an organization concerned about its water impact.
Third pillar: heat recovery
This is where FirstBlock really stands out. The heat captured between 60 and 70 °C by the liquid cooling loop is not lost. It is recovered by HeatConnect and redirected to buildings, greenhouses or urban heating networks. Each megawatt of compute becomes a useful heat source, capable of replacing natural gas and directly reducing the thermal partner's Scope 1 emissions.
This is the heart of our "triple green" model: low-carbon electricity upstream, cooling without water consumption in operation, and heat recovered downstream.
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