Tom Sperrey is Managing Director of UPS Systems plc and a leading authority on the practical application of fuel cells in the UK.

The trend for organisations to host their information and web services in purpose-built data centres has increased dramatically in recent years. Data centre power requirements were approximately 1 kW per rack in 2001, today this has risen to 20 kW per rack, and many data centre managers are planning for double that amount. As a result, demand for power has soared and power management is now one of the most pressing issues facing data centres.

The problem is especially bad in London, as preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games, the £30 billion Crossrail link and the expansion of the financial services industry are pushing power limits to capacity.

The findings of a 2009 survey by Digital Reality Trust confirms the problem. It discovered that 69% of companies with more than 2,000 employees were planning to grow their data centre capabilities in 2010.

What does this mean for data centres?
Shortage of power is a real threat to business growth. It limits the number of sites with sufficient capacity, and restricts the number of new-build data centres.

Another threat facing businesses is blackouts; as power consumption continues to rise, so do the risks associated with power outages. For some organisations, the affects of a power interruption – even if only for a millisecond – can have disastrous consequences for their mission critical systems.

The problem of high power demand and limited supply is affecting almost everyone in the data centre industry. Without having a viable solution, it looks set to continue for many years to come.

Fuel cells for prime and standby power
Fuel cells are a clean energy alternative to mains power, batteries and generators. While many people in the industry think of fuel cells as ‘technology for the future’, fuel cell products are commercially available now for both prime and standby power applications.

Fuel cells for prime power
There are manufacturers servicing the prime power needs of data centres, enabling them to be completely independent of the National Grid. Larger 200 kW – 400 kW natural/biogas fuel cells are available to the market and in commercial use across the world now. This kind of plant first reforms the gas to produce hydrogen before using it in the fuel cell.
First National was the first business to use fuel cells for powering a data centre. The units have stood the test of time, and since the 340 kW system was installed, the bank has not experienced a power outage in over ten years. It describes the system as the cleanest and most reliable power source available, and says that it provides a win-win situation for the business and environment.

T-Systems installed the world’s first fuel cell for combined power and cooling to supply computers in its server room. Its 250 kW biogas fuel cell produces 1,400,000 kWh of power each year to make them independent of the mains grid and ensure that they maintain a reliable supply of electricity at all times.

Fuel cells for standby power
Data centres that use mains prime power can still benefit in several ways from using fuel cells for standby power. Fuel cells run silently and produce no emissions except water, which means that with the appropriate plumbing in place you can locate them inside buildings, in a standard rack, next to the equipment that they protect. You can also configure them to provide continuous protection by simply swapping out hydrogen cylinders.
Winton Capital Management needed a secure IT infrastructure, protected against any power failure. Its city centre location limits the office space and having residential neighbours means that using a traditional diesel generator is unacceptable. Three 10kW hydrogen fuel cells were installed and mounted in the same rack to provide 30kW of power linked to a three-phase standby power unit that provides them with unlimited runtime. The whole unit is located in their computer room.

Plan ahead
Relentless pressure on the National Grid means data centre managers have to consider alternative sources of power. Fuel cells are serious contenders for data centre power, but plan ahead – procuring a 400kW natural gas fuel cell is a complex task – a 12-month lead time is not unrealistic.