Poster Spotlight: Green hydrogen enables 24/7 carbon-free energy for data centers

Background, Description, Delivery and Learning Objective A team of recent Carnegie Mellon University graduates analyzed the feasibility and costs of replacing diesel backup generators at a datacenter with hydrogen fuel cells.

Hydrogen fuel cells can enable data centers to meet their backup generation needs for up to 48 hours without emitting any carbon dioxide or particulate matter emissions.

Hydrogen fuel cells powered by green hydrogen can, for a modest price premium, fully replace diesel generators and eliminate 100% of on-site carbon and PM2.5 emissions.

This work is immediately relevant to any data center operators, particularly those located in populated area, where PM2.5 emissions from backup generation may have immediate health effects on the local community.