H2Datacenter – Development of scalable, hydrogen-based Energy Supply Concepts for Data Centers in Chile
Project description
The project team of RLI scientists and experts from H2 Powercell is working on the goal of building a green hydrogen system as a replacement for diesel generators in a data center in Patagonia (Chile) and is analyzing the associated application possibilities. The hydrogen system stores surplus solar power and is intended to support the development of climate-friendly emergency power supply. The main task of the RLI scientists is to analyze the design and integration of the green hydrogen system into the energy mix of the data center as well as the transferability of the approach to other locations.
Green hydrogen as an emergency power supply for data centers in remote regions
Data centres need electricity around the clock and often have diesel generators with high CO₂ emissions ready for outages. Remote regions such as Patagonia in particular need sustainable and reliable alternatives. Green hydrogen is produced with electricity from renewable energies and can be such an alternative. The project team is testing the hydrogen system in pilot operation and analysing how it can best be designed, integrated and expanded in order to replace the previous diesel emergency power system in the long term.
Dual operational management: emergency power supply and solar power storage in a hydrogen system
The project team is integrating the modular hydrogen system into the data centre’s existing energy mix of grid power and solar power. In dual operational management, it stores surplus solar power from the photovoltaic system on site and contributes to the emergency power supply.
Results: Operating data, transferability and virtual tours in the digital twin
The scientists are collecting reliable operating data and examining how the solution can be scaled and transferred to other locations. A digital twin maps the data center virtually and enables the public to take digital tours, in which the hydrogen system will also be integrated in the future.
The project serves as a pilot project for Chile and comparable applications worldwide.
Project period: October 2026 to September 2029
Tasks
- Analysis of the design and integration of the green hydrogen system into the energy mix of the data center
- Integration of the modular hydrogen system into the data center
- Collection and evaluation of reliable operating data from the pilot operation
- Analysis of the roll-out potential: scalability and transferability to other locations.
- Integration of the hydrogen system into a digital twin
Funding
The H2Datacenter project (FKZ: 67EXI9501A) is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) as part of the ‘Environmental Protection Export Initiative’ (EXI). As the project managing organisation for the EXI, Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH supports the Ministry in carrying out its tasks. As a project within the thematic focus ‘green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for decentralised energy supply’ under the Environmental Protection Export Initiative, NOW GmbH, in its capacity as the programme management organisation, provides substantive support for the H2Datacenter project.
Partners
