Caterpillar, in collaboration with Microsoft and Ballard Energy Methods, has been acknowledged for its work in knowledge heart hydrogen gasoline cell expertise, successful the ‘Methods Growth and Integration’ award on the US Division of Power’s (DOE) 2024 Hydrogen Program Advantage Evaluate Awards.
The popularity arrives as the information heart trade faces mounting stress to handle its hovering power wants with sustainable options. Advocates say hydrogen gasoline cells might assist meet reliability and environmental targets, particularly as backup energy.
The venture, hosted at Microsoft’s Cheyenne, Wyoming, knowledge heart, examined the feasibility of large-format hydrogen gasoline cells for dependable backup energy over a simulated 48-hour outage.
Two Cat Energy Grid Stabilization (PGS) 1260 battery power storage methods have been employed alongside a 1.5 MW hydrogen gasoline cell.
Caterpillar’s senior engineering venture workforce lead Paul Wang accepted the DOE award (Picture: Caterpillar)
Caterpillar took cost of system integration, energy electronics, and microgrid controls, whereas Ballard Energy Methods offered the hydrogen gasoline cell module.
The venture obtained partial funding and assist from the DOE’s H2@Scale initiative and the Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory (NREL).
The initiatives spotlight a rising give attention to hydrogen as a pathway towards zero-emissions knowledge facilities and sustainable power alternate options within the knowledge trade.
Using various and sustainable energy sources for knowledge facilities is more likely to change into a good larger concern because the influence of AI on knowledge heart energy consumption causes power calls for to soar.
Hydrogen Energy for Information Facilities: An Rising Pattern
Hydrogen energy is already being explored by knowledge heart operators. For greater than a decade, Bloom Power has equipped stable oxide gasoline cells (SOFCs) to a variety of organizations, together with digital infrastructure suppliers, operating hydrogen as an influence supply, albeit largely as a secondary energy supply.
In June, knowledge heart supplier ECL launched MV1, an off-grid, hydrogen-powered modular knowledge heart in Mountain View, California.
Yuval Bachar, founder and CEO of ECL, stated the corporate has a one-gigawatt venture in Texas that’s related on to a hydrogen pipeline and can come on-line throughout the subsequent 12 months.
“We are able to scale it to any measurement we wish, relying on the quantity of hydrogen we will supply,” he advised DCN. “Once you take a look at the issue of delivering hydrogen to knowledge facilities at this time and to function on hydrogen-based methods, the problems have been solved.”
ECL’s hydrogen-powered knowledge heart idea has been designed with scalability in thoughts (Picture: ECL)
Advantages of Hydrogen-Powered Information Facilities
Sean Farney, govt director of information heart technique and innovation at JLL Work Dynamics, stated the important thing advantage of utilizing hydrogen gasoline cells is that it’s thought-about a sustainable and inexperienced expertise.
He stated with all the main hyperscale knowledge heart operators having strict ESG targets round decreasing their carbon footprint, hydrogen is engaging as a result of it has far lesser particulate emissions and a a lot smaller carbon footprint.
“The carbon gasoline cell methodology that seems to be successful and is most prevalent is the stable oxide gasoline cells, which leverage a fossil gasoline like pure gasoline on the again finish to create the power,” he advised DCN.
On this case, it isn’t fully free from carbon influence, however it presents a decrease footprint.
“All of it is determined by whether or not it’s used as a main or secondary supply,” Farney stated. “It’s a sustainability play.”
A Strong Backup Plan
Gartner analyst Bob Johnson stated he thinks hydrogen gasoline cells have nice potential as a backup, particularly when a lot of the brand new grid provides are renewables which aren’t 24/7 dependable.
He famous that whereas batteries are being talked about as a backup supply, they’re extraordinarily costly for utility scale batteries and most installations he’s seen solely present round 4 hours of output.
“In distinction, hydrogen gasoline cells, particularly if operating on pure gasoline, can maintain going indefinitely,” he stated.
Gartner analyst Lloyd Jones stated the primary benefit hydrogen has now’s availability, noting that nuclear-powered knowledge facilities are nonetheless a way from widespread adoption.
He stated that whereas Amazon has made a deal for energy from the Susquehanna nuke plant, and Microsoft is re-starting Three Mile Island, the truth is that there aren’t that many nuclear-power vegetation obtainable for re-start or to make offers with.
“Hydrogen is accessible now,” he stated.
Harnessing hydrogen energy in knowledge facilities presents potential advantages together with dependable backup options, lowered emissions, and enhanced sustainability (Picture: Alamy)
Farney agreed it’s a expertise that may spin up comparatively shortly, so there may be not an extended set up or wait time.
“In the present day, with this AI energy gold rush, the time to income is vital, and hydrogen presents fast turnaround within the manufacturing of those gasoline cells and for capital and procuring gear,” he stated.
Farney added that hydrogen energy comes with a a lot better regulatory surroundings as effectively.
“It may be applied relatively simply and shortly contrasted to nuclear, which has an extremely strict regulatory surroundings within the US and somewhere else around the globe,” he defined.
Hydrogen additionally doesn’t have the damaging perspective round security and danger that nuclear does within the general funding of the plant.
“You may construct a small multi-megawatt hydrogen power deployment shortly,” he stated. “With nuclear, there may be some scale concerned nonetheless – you must construct it giant sufficient to make the economics work.”
Procurement of the supplies to fabricate the power can also be considerably totally different.
“Hydrogen makes use of pure gasoline, which is achievable and attainable,” Farney stated. “With nuclear, there are some extreme restrictions on who will get the fabric to used generate the ability. Uranium and plutonium are extremely regulated.”
Challenges to Deploying Hydrogen Energy in Information Facilities
Johnson stated among the many drawbacks of the expertise is that hydrogen is “extraordinarily tough” to retailer and transport, however he added these are issues that may “inevitably” be solved sooner or later.
“One other problem is getting a dependable, totally inexperienced supply of the hydrogen,” he stated.
Hydrogen must be liquified to be transportable, and since the molecule is so small, requires specialised expertise to retailer it.
As a result of hydrogen doesn’t have the power density of pure gasoline, extra cubic toes are wanted for a similar quantity of energy.
Whereas some gasoline cells can extract hydrogen from pure gasoline (with some CO2 emissions), and this may be problematic when sustainability targets are involved.
One other challenge is scale – merely build up the gasoline cell trade to the dimensions wanted.
From Farney’s perspective, the limitations for hydrogen are coming down.
“It’s like liquid cooling, which is now brazenly embraced due to AI’s energy density,” he stated. “Hydrogen has had some damaging notion prior to now.”
He famous neighboring communities have been nervous that they could possibly be in proximity to a hydrogen bomb – fears primarily based on uncertainty, doubt, and an absence understanding.
One other challenge is an absence of neighborhood consciousness and normal operational procedures.
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“It’s not normalized, so it is perceived even to the native authority having jurisdiction as one thing that isn’t buttoned up from an operational perspective,” Farney stated. “That results in worry, uncertainty, and doubt.”
Bachar identified that hydrogen is a protected gasoline when managed correctly, citing its properties and the rigorous protocols designed for its dealing with.
“Hydrogen is non-toxic and, if launched, dissipates quickly into the ambiance, decreasing dangers of accumulation or explosion,” Bachar stated.
Not like standard fuels, hydrogen is lighter than air, so it disperses shortly when leaks happen, stopping giant concentrations which may result in hazardous circumstances.
Moreover, the trade has established stringent requirements for hydrogen storage and transportation, which embody specialised tanks and sensors to detect leaks.
“Our expertise integrates a number of layers of security checks,” Bachar stated.
He added that developments in supplies and monitoring assist be certain that hydrogen methods meet or exceed regulatory security requirements.
“When correctly saved and used, hydrogen is as protected as conventional fuels and holds important potential as a clear power supply,” Bacher stated.
