within conventional data centres . What are the possible synergies of converting these systems to hydrogen production to achieve carbon savings and drive-up use of VRE ?
Joe Sheehan , Technical Director at i3 Solutions Group
Where to start ?
Of the many ways to produce hydrogen , the electrolytic splitting of water is the focus of the paper .
Due to the low-temperature operation and the established and commercialised status of the technology , alkaline electrolysis is considered for the concept . The VRE energy storage regime studied in the paper requires a method for storage of generated hydrogen between periods of low grid carbon intensity when hydrogen would be produced on-site and periods of high grid carbon intensity when hydrogen would be consumed .
Having produced and stored the hydrogen through electrolysis , the focus of the paper then turns to turning hydrogen into electricity . The paper states : “ The use of fuel cells to achieve . . . energy extraction is more efficient
and avoids due to the combination of any fuel with heat in the presence of air which includes both nitrogen and oxygen . The results show that carbon emissions saving can be achieved by employing onsite hydrogen production coupled with additional consumption of grid energy at times of low carbon intensity . However , the reductions achieved are very low .”
Location , location , location
The concept examines the viability of utilising additional grid electricity during periods of low grid carbon intensity to produce and store hydrogen . And using that stored on-site hydrogen to offset grid electricity consumption during periods of high carbon intensity .
To explore the possible merits or deficiencies of such a concept , a
A new whitepaper from i3 Solutions Group , The Case for On Premise Hydrogen Production in Data Centres for Greenhouse Gas Abatement Benefits , considers an energy regime of the continuous operation of hydrogenpowered generation equipment during periods of high grid carbon intensity .
In such a scenario , the principal purpose of on-site hydrogen production and power delivery equipment is to operate as the prime source continuously for extended periods . This is a departure from the current situation where data centre power generation is operated as the prime source of electricity and the grid reverts to a standby source .
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