Project to power European data centers with hydrogen cells.
The European Clean Hydrogen Association has announced the Eco Edge Prime Power project, with which it intends to build hydrogen fuel cells to power data centers. This European initiative will receive financial support of 2.5 million euros to create the first proof of concept of a technology that aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry.
Reducing energy consumption is one of the great challenges facing the data center industry, and in Europe different paths are being explored to increase efficiency and seek alternative power sources for facilities, with a focus on renewable energies.
In recent years, different initiatives have emerged, including the creation of the European Clean Hydrogen Partnership (EU Clean Hydrogen Partnership), which has just launched the Eco Edge Prime Power (E2P2) project.
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It will have a budget of 2.5 million euros to develop a proof of concept of hydrogen batteries that will serve to power the data centers. Eco Edge Prime Power will be run by a seven-member consortium, including data center company Equinix, electrical equipment company Vertiv, and other technology companies and research organizations.
E2P2 partners intend to combine solid oxide fuel cells with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and lithium-ion batteries, which will provide primary power for data centers and other critical infrastructure. Initially, the cells will consume natural gas, but the goal is to exchange this fuel for green hydrogen, to provide both primary and backup power, in the event of a supply interruption.
Hydrogen is considered as a viable alternative source to gaseous fossil fuels in gas cells, such as natural gas or biogas, since it can be obtained in a sustainable way and its combustion does not generate polluting waste. To produce it, an electrolysis process is used, using renewable electrical energy, and it can be delivered through the natural gas pipeline network.
This project has set out to demonstrate that hydrogen fuel cells can be reliable and efficient enough to be an alternative to mainstream decentralized power sources on an industrial scale. And data centers are a perfect customer, as many operators look for alternatives to diesel generators and traditional electricity supplies.
To make their proposal more attractive, they want to develop an open standard for fuel cell applications, which will meet the resilience requirements of data centers and facilitate commercialization at the European level. And those responsible for E2P2 say that turning datacenter operators into users of green hydrogen could accelerate the development of a new green energy industry in the region.
During the presentation of this association, formerly known as the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU).
Bart Biebuyck, Executive Director of the Association, commented that:
with his continued support for the research and development of fuel cells for stationary applications, the Clean Hydrogen Partnership has laid a solid foundation for European industry to lead the deployment of new technologies.
And he is satisfied because “the E2P2 project will provide clean fuel cell-based applications for data center decarbonization, within a solid consortium that brings together fuel cell suppliers, system integrators, as well as data center operators and energy companies ”.
He believes that these types of projects are essential to provide new clean energy options and move towards meeting the EU climate targets.
Project to power European data centers with hydrogen cells, December 20, 2021
