A new article in Mining Weekly reports that platinum-based proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells are increasingly being incorporated into data centre power solutions as a response to increased electricity demand.

According to the article, the International Energy Agency estimates that global electricity demand from data centres will more than double to about 945 TWh by 2030. This is more than the entire electricity consumption of Japan today. As a result, data centre operators are developing their own tailor-made energy systems designed to deliver power faster, reliably, and more sustainably.

The article explains that hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen gas into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen, producing only water as a by-product. With their quick start-up times and high power density, PEM hydrogen fuel cells can provide reliable back-up power and are efficient in managing fluctuating energy demands. Digital infrastructure provider Vertiv, for example, has partnered with fuel cell technology provider Ballard to develop, supply and install zero-emission UPS systems for data centres using Ballard’s PEM fuel cells.

Other notable projects involving PEM fuel cells mentioned in the article include simulating a 48-hour back-up power event at Microsoft’s data centre in the US, and a study carried out by cloud computing firm Equinix and the National University of Singapore’s College of Design and Engineering. This study evaluated the use of hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells for sustainable data centre back-up power generation.

Read the full article here.