Co-operative Heat And Data Centre Accelerator (CHADCA) - Creating the Future for Ethically Powered Data

CBN is a co-operative which has successfully transformed digital infrastructure over the last 15 years in towns and cities across the UK by unlocking value through sharing council assets with big operators like VirginMedia and City Fibre.

Digital infrastructure has been a powerful tool for transformation for local economies and public services and CBN has been a thought leader with its Thin Layer Model, Digital Exchanges and Dig Once Trusts. CBN works with local authorities (LAs), businesses and NGOs, both in the UK and internationally and has worked closely with Blackpool Council over the last 8 years, initially on shared fibre networks and more recently on data centres. CBN founded the Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) in 2010 which now counts many of the large broadband networks as members and who are now investing billions in digital infrastructure.

Since the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, CBN has developed new models for Net Zero technologies based on the knowledge accrued for implementing new commercial models for Digital Infrastructure. It founded and spun out an EV Charging Co-op (Charge my Street) which now has the biggest public fast charging network in Cumbria. Emissions related to heating are approximately a third of total emissions in the UK and CBN sees that proven methodologies associated with growing and developing digital networks can also deliver for heat networks. There is a real opportunity for free excess heat from data centres to be used to warm homes, public and commercial buildings and a range of barriers to developing this market. The innovative co-operative approaches used for Digital Infrastructure can shape the nascent markets for heat and its supporting infrastructure. E.g. standardising products and pricing opens up heat to more actors and investors.

CBN is uniquely positioned at the nexus of innovation in data networks, data centres, heat networks, energy networks and renewable energy generation to come up with the product sets and commercial models which will generate new value for Local Authorties and stakeholders.

The project will develop CBN's capabilities to develop:

1. pilots with data centre operators and Local Authorities
2. a new brand - networks.coop which reflects work with energy networks
3. marketing and sales strategies to promote solutions to customers and stakeholders
4. internal quality systems and standards (ISOs) to ensure compliant bids for contracts

The project will bring in specialist support and backfill staff time to develop these activities.