Use of Hydrogen Fuel Cells to Optimize Data Center Operations

Resumo

The rapid growth of data centers, driven by increasing demand for processing capacity, has led to a significant rise in energy consumption and its environmental impact. This article explores using hydrogen fuel cells as a clean and efficient energy solution to meet the power needs of largescale data centers, known as hyperscale data centers. Hydrogen fuel cells produce clean electricity with minimal emissions and generate by-products such as heat and water, which can be repurposed to enhance the system's overall efficiency. Solutions like combined heat and power (CHP), waste heat recovery (WHR), absorption chillers, and closedloop water cooling systems aim to establish a circular economy model within data center operations. Despite challenges related to hydrogen production emissions, infrastructure requirements, and costs, ongoing technological advancements are promising. This paper concludes that implementing hydrogen fuel cells in data centers and optimizing this technology can significantly reduce carbon footprints, lower operational costs, and address energy inefficiencies, ensuring a sustainable future for large-scale data centers.