Caterpillar Inc‘s data center power solution – designed and delivered in collaboration with Microsoft and Ballard – has won the ‘Systems Development and Integration’ award at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)‘s Hydrogen Program 2024 Annual Merit Review Awards.
Powered by Ballard using a large-format hydrogen fuel cell module, the data center solution was recognized for successfully demonstrating the viability of zero emission in supplying reliable backup power for data centers.
The demonstration was conducted in a challenging environment and validated the hydrogen fuel cell power system’s performance at 6,086ft (1,855m) above sea level and in below-freezing conditions. The project simulated a 48-hour backup power event at Microsoft’s data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where a hydrogen fuel cell was integrated into a data center electrical plant to support its critical load. A Caterpillar Microgrid Controller was used to operate two Cat® Power Grid Stabilization (PGS) 1260 battery energy storage systems along with the 1.5MW hydrogen fuel cell.
Photo of Ballard
Press release https://shorturl.at/RjHM9