"Ready for H2" Jenbacher engines selected as emergency power solution for new Dutch data center

Source: Energy & Management Powernews , December 21 2022

A world-first data center is getting a backup generator that will run on green hydrogen. This agreement was reached by Innio and North C Datacenters.

Innio announced on December 20 that "Ready for H2" Jenbacher engines from "NorthC Datacenters" (North C) have been selected as the emergency power solution for its newest data center in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Six Jenbacher hydrogen engines are to supply CO2-free emergency power there in the event of a power failure. The Series 4 H2 engines have a total output of 6 MW and will be delivered to the customer as containerized solutions.

The data center in Eindhoven, including the hydrogen backup power plant and the on-site hydrogen storage solution, is a greenfield project. It is scheduled to be commissioned in the second half of 2023, he said. "We are excited and proud to partner with North C to implement the world's first 100 percent green backup power supply with hydrogen-powered engines for a data center," said Olaf Berlien, president and CEO of Innio.

Building block for a greenhouse gas-free data center

"We chose Innio's Jenbacher technology because the company has a proven track record and many years of experience with specialty gases such as hydrogen," explained Jarno Bloem, COO at North C Datacenters. "Innio's hydrogen-based Jenbacher emergency power solution, combined with renewable energy from the power grid, enables us to decarbonize our entire power supply infrastructure," Bloem continued.

North C says it aims to be completely CO2 neutral by 2030. To achieve this, it has developed a strategy based on four pillars of sustainability: 100 percent green energy, modular construction, efficient use of residual heat and green hydrogen. The data center in Eindhoven is supplied with solar and wind energy from the power grid

Recourse to natural gas possible in case of emergency

To provide North C with additional flexibility and security, the Jenbacher engines are designed for dual fuel switching. In the event of a power grid failure, the engines will run on hydrogen stored on site. In the event of prolonged power outages, North C has the option to switch to natural gas as an energy source while the engines are running, should hydrogen supply shortages occur. Innio's cloud-based digital platform solution "myPlant Performance" offers North C secure real-time monitoring of the emergency power supply with the Jenbacher engines, he said. The Eindhoven project supports the Netherlands' strategy to achieve CO2 neutrality by 2050, it adds.

Author: Susanne Harmsen