Exactum rooftop greenhouse experiment grows herbs

A greenhouse has been built on the roof of Exactum in a collaboration by the Department of Computer Science and the Fifth Dimension science project. To begin with, sedum grass is growing on the roof and tomatoes, courgettes and chilli in the greenhouse. The greenhouse is 9.4 square metres large.

The motivation for the computer scientists is the estimation that 2% of the greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans are emitted by equipment using information technology. This is more than e.g. air traffic produces globally. To the scientists, this is reason enough to look into how to decrease the impact of information technology on global warming.

The facilities of the rooftop greenhouse were finished in 2011, and in the spring, the success of different utility plants has been tested. The scientists were driven by the idea that the greenhouse could be maintained with the excess heat from the servers.

Now, crops like tomatoes, rosemary, courgettes and various kinds of chilli are grown in Kumpula. A similar project is carried out in Paul Brenner’s Green Cloud super-computer project at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA.

Scientists have been up on the Exactum roof before. Before the greenhouse was installed, they were testing the cold resistance of computers in tents in winter. Some of the same servers are still outside after surviving for three winters. So far, the only problems have been observed with one type of fan. The majority of the computers have been able to survive the long-term outdoor cooling perfectly well. The results are very encouraging, since the cooling of the data centres stands for 20-40% of their power consumption, sometimes even more in older data centres.

The greenhouse on the roof is surrounded by an experimental green belt. It is a part of the Fifth Dimension project and World Design Capital Helsinki 2012. The purpose of the green belt is to discover the best solution for roof gardens in Finland.

Professor Jussi Kangasharju and researcher Mikko Pervilä are the Computer Science Department members of the project Heating up the fifth dimension.

See how the plants grow and the research progresses >>

Text: Minna Meriläinen-Tenhu
Photo: Mikko Pervilä
Translation: Marina Kurtén
 

Created date

14.08.2012 - 16:44

Strategy Day of the Department 19.5. in Vuosaari

A hundred department members attended the department’s strategy seminar in sunny Vuosaari this year.   The event’s discussion topics included the transfer to the new faculty structure and new branches of research.

 

 

More details about the seminar  (Sasu's PP presentation).

The Department of Computer Science is a leading unit in its field

The Department of Computer Science is a leading unit in its field based on international rankings. The Department has the first position in Finland and third in the Nordic countries in the QS World University Rankings 2017. The Department has the first position in the Nordic Countries in the Times Higher Education 2017 Rankings. 

ZDNet wrote on the Ubispark project

ZDNet wrote on Feb 21st on the Ubispark project of the Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki.

A smartphone today packs more computing power than the computers used by NASA in the Apollo space program. At the same time, the Internet of Things is bringing connectivity to a growing number of devices, from smart TVs to fridges. Now researchers at Finland's University of Helsinki want to harness all these computational resources in a project called Ubispark, which uses smart devices for energy-efficient distributed computing.

Professor Sasu Tarkoma is promoter of corporate collaboration of 2016

This University of Helsinki prize was awarded for the first time ever.

Sasu Tarkoma, professor of computer science, has been exemplary in promoting collaboration between the University of Helsinki and the corporate world, the university states as the reasoning behind the prize.

He has brought the university new funding through corporate collaboration, and has opened up new avenues in teaching and open data. In addition, Professor Tarkoma participates in university-based startup work, says Vice-Rector Pertti Panula, who gave away the prize.

It’s a joy to collaborate with the industries. I believe that it’s a win-win for both parties, both the university and the corporations. The secret to success is the good teamwork, and I have had the fortune to work with good teams, said Tarkoma in his thank-you speech.

Left-right: Maarit Haataja, Sasu Tarkoma, Antti Neimala, Pertti Panula