Microsoft’s Trial with Fuel Cell Energy

Microsoft experiments with methane-powered fuel cells are extremely fascinating. Without further a a due, lets get into the topic:

So what is Fuel Cell?

Fuel cell is a device that generate electricity through chemical reaction. Fuel cell has gained intrigue and popularity through its environmentally healthy benefits. Unlike fossil fuels the by products of fuel cells are just simply heat and water. The beauty of a fuel cell is the fact that the flow of chemicals is constant, this means that it never goes dead - as long as there is a flow of chemicals into the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell.

With a growing trend and consumer expectations for large companies to take more proactive steps for green efficiency, Microsoft has take the initiative and is building a data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming that will be powered by methane generated at a waste water treatment plant. Microsoft has also released a research paper indicating its plans to construct smaller methane fuel cells right in their server racks - essentially putting tiny power plants inside of the data centers. The Cheyenne data center will be powered by 300-kilowatt fuel cell located near the waste water plant, the new concept would use thousands of 10 to 20 kilowatt fuel cells.


Microsoft have claimed that this initiative could save about 20 percent of the cost of the data centre, but also argue that they win out because of reliability. The set-up would be based around multiple fuel cells, so there would be no single point of failure.

“Why this hasn’t been done before is that the fuel cell technology has evolved to the point that the power efficiency that would normally need a large turbine can now fit in a rack,” Sean James, a senior research program manager for Microsoft’s Global Foundation Services, told the magazine.

So with this exciting trial underway, it’s success or failure will undoubtedly pave the way for further improvements in green technology.

Ref:

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/11/microsoft-fuel-cells/

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/fuel-cell1.htm

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/microsoft-fuel-cell-data-centre-131728