Hydrogen fuel cells could provide emission free backup power at datacenters, Microsoft says.
Hydrogen fuel cells packed into a pair of 40-foot-long shipping containers here ramped up on an overcast day early this June as engineers gathered around laptops displaying data on the state, health and power output of the cells in this first-of-a-kind hydrogen generator.
Mark Monroe, a principal infrastructure engineer on Microsoft’s team for datacenter advanced development, said:
This is it, it’s running at three megawatts right now.
A round of applause and shouts of joy from engineers at Plug, who built the fuel cell system, pierced the white noise from fans atop the shipping containers and pipes venting steam.
The moment was the latest milestone on Microsoft’s quest to find a zero-carbon emissions replacement for the backup diesel-powered…