Microsoft will pilot using hydrogen to power its data centre control and administration building in Dublin, Ireland.
Under an agreement with Irish firm ESB, the project will use hydrogen fuel cells to provide electricity to the data centre, supplying up to 250kW of clean energy to the Dublin facility over eight weeks.
The pilot project represents part of ESB’s 2024 and 2025 series designed to showcase hydrogen fuel cell technology in different power applications.
H2 View understands that the fuel cells – which are set to replace the diesel generators – will be provided by ESB’s supplier GeoPura which develops 250kW fuel cell units in collaboration with Siemens Energy.
“This pilot project is another important step in our journey to transition to carbon-free electricity supply for our data centres, buildings and campuses around the world,” explained Lavinia Morris, General Manager at Microsoft’s EMEA Data Centre Operations.
“As we look to advance a more sustainable future, we hope to build on the success of this pilot project and continue to find innovative ways to decarbonise our operations.”
Eoin Doherty, Vice-President, EMEA Regional Leader, Microsoft Cloud Operations & Innovation, added that if the project is scaled successfully, “it could provide new ways of advancing sustainability in our sector and beyond.”
In January (2024), Caterpillar and Ballard Power Systems demonstrated a 1.5MW hydrogen fuel cell system providing back-up power to a Microsoft data centre in Wyoming, the US.
Read more:Ballard hydrogen fuel cells provide back-up power to Microsoft data centre
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