Vertiv taps tech cos to build low-carbon fuel cells for data hubs

Vertiv said it has partnered with a slew of technology companies to develop low-carbon fuel cells for data centres, as experts feel that the step could reduce carbon emissions from operations by up to 100%.  

Fuel cells are a solution that can be deployed on-site at a data centre campus and operated using natural gas, biogas, LPG or green hydrogen—which can be transported and distributed over existing gas networks.  

Companies including Equinix, InfraPrime, RISE, Snam, SolidPower, TEC4FUELS and Vertiv will be integrating solid-oxide fuel cells with uninterruptible power supply (UPS) technology and lithium-ion batteries to provide power to data centre deployments and other critical infrastructure.   

Industry experts opined that implementation of natural gas solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) as a prime power application will help in using green hydrogen for fuel cells application, for both backup and prime power systems.

“Digitalisation and the data centre industry are growing at an increasing pace and thus it is even more vital to fast-track our journey towards an environmentally sustainable future,” said Giordano Albertazzi, President for Vertiv in Europe, Middle East and Africa.  

“This can only be made possible by developing clean, innovative technologies such as fuel-cell solutions to provide sustainable power for the digital world,” Albertazzi added.