Data centers without generators: The groundwork is being laid

In 2012, Microsoft announced that it planned to eliminate engine generators at its big data center campus in Quincy, Washington. Six years later the same group, with much the same aspirations, filed for permission to install 72 diesel generators, which have an expected life of at least a decade. This example illustrates clearly just how essential engine generators are to the operation of medium and large data centers. Few — very few — can even contemplate operating without a generator.

Almost every operator and owner would like to eliminate generators and replace them with a more modern, cleaner technology. Generators are dirty — they emit both carbon dioxide and particulates, which means regulation and operating restrictions; they are expensive to buy; they are idle most of the time; and they have an operational overhead in terms of testing, regulatory conformity and fuel management (i.e., quality, supply and storage logistics).