August 25, 2025

Emerging Technologies and Industry Solutions

Porosity Storage is dedicated to advancing sustainable storage and cooling solutions for residential developments and commercial data centers, with goals to innovate and implement strategies that reduce energy consumption while maintaining optimal performance. GeoTES and RTES both supported by Porosity Storage Their approach focuses on Cold Underground Thermal Energy Storage (Cold UTES) projects that offer unique opportunities to reduce data center cooling loads while building more resilient infrastructure that creates a stable source of cooling. 

Critical Water Management Context

The urgency for efficient water storage solutions has intensified significantly. Data centers rank among the top-ten water-consuming commercial industries and the United Nations has predicted that by 2025, 50% of the world's population will live in water-stressed areas, making the relationship between data centers and their environment a global priority. Data centers and water: From scrutiny to opportunity | White & Case LLP The scale is staggering - large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people. Data Centers and Water Consumption | Article | EESI

Advanced Underground Thermal Energy Storage Benefits

Geothermal Integration Data centers typically cool computing equipment by blowing cold air over the components using a water-cooled fan coil or by directly cooling the computing equipment with cool water. Geothermal electricity generation is one option to serve these continuous cooling and computing power requirements. Underground reservoirs can integrate with geothermal systems for both cooling and power generation.

Peak Load Reduction Underground thermal energy storage specifically addresses peak cooling demands, which are often the most expensive operational periods for data centers. By storing cooled water underground during off-peak hours, facilities can reduce their reliance on energy-intensive cooling during high-demand periods.

Infrastructure Resilience As highlighted in recent industry discussions, co-location strategies are becoming essential. Data centers should be co-located where possible with existing water facilities, such as wastewater treatment plants. Data centers and water | Norton Rose Fulbright - July 2025Underground reservoirs can serve as part of this integrated infrastructure approach.

Current Industry Challenges Driving Adoption

Recent reports show the escalating water crisis in the data center industry. Texas data centers would use 49 billion gallons of water in 2025, with consumption projected to soar to 399 billion gallons annually by 2030—representing almost 6.6 percent Texas Data Centers Use 50 Billion Gallons of Water as State Faces Drought - Newsweek of the state's water usage, making sustainable storage solutions like underground reservoirs increasingly critical.