Data centers have become essential over the past decade as hubs for everything from e-commerce to cloud-based services and storage. With the advent of AI, however, data centers have grown exponentially – there were 5,381 data centers as of March 2024 in the US, nearly half the world’s total, and 10 times as many as the next largest country, Germany.

And while data centers have become more efficient in their power usage since 2007, there’s been little improvement in the past five years. At the same time, they have grown far larger to meet the processing needs of AI models — the average data center today houses 100,000 servers, while Facebook parent Meta operates a 4.6 million square foot data center in Oregon.

Driven by the power demands of those servers – and the massive cooling systems they require – total energy demand in the US is expected to rise 15-20% in the next decade, according to DOE forecasts. By then, EPRI estimates that data centers could consume as much as 9% of all the electricity generated in the country. The scramble for that power is behind Microsoft’s announcement that it has purchased the mothballed Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, which it plans to restart to power its data centers.

All this is pushing the existing grid to – and even beyond – its design limits. EPRI notes that a single AI data center can use power equivalent to what would meet the needs of as many as 800,000 homes – one facility gobbling the same power as a city the size of San Jose. That demand is being made of a grid that’s already near the breaking point: Californians have become accustomed to enduring “rolling” blackouts when climate change-driven heatwaves crank up air conditioners, while Texans are still smarting from the blizzard-driven blackouts in 2021.

This potential has tech leaders greatly concerned. The CTO of Microsoft Azure said in a recent interview that the limits of the grid would cap the size of individual data centers, forcing companies to try to figure out how to link smaller ones together to replicate a larger center. That’s a complex problem that hasn’t been solved yet – and even those smaller data centers could still tax a grid that is years away from becoming more flexible and robust.

Without a solution, those AI data centers could well migrate offshore, undercutting the US lead in AI. So, the answer for data centers has to lie in another approach to meeting power demand. That’s where fuel cells can play a crucial role and why so many companies in the AI sector are choosing Bloom Energy.

With a delivery timeline of as little as 50 days, our fuel cells can be rapidly deployed at data centers as a baseline power source and used to supplement power from the grid. Crucially, they can enable data centers to operate as an “island” without a connection to the electric grid. That eliminates the need to locate data centers based on available grid power but instead lets companies site them based on other business considerations.

Bloom Energy’s fuel cells also help reduce emissions by using a highly efficient non-combustion process to generate cleaner, more resilient energy than conventional alternatives. This helps to address both the causes and consequences of climate change. Bloom Energy Servers offer deep decarbonization potential through their flexibility, including the ability to run on a variety of fuels, including renewable fuels like biogas and green hydrogen, and strong compatibility with carbon capture utilization and storage ecosystems.

With fuel flexibility that allows the Bloom Energy Server® to run on biogas or hydrogen, these fuel cells can provide zero emissions or carbon-neutral power, making them a cleaner choice and an efficient, sustainable alternative for data center onsite power generation.

Fuel cells uniquely address the energy demands of the AI sector – and are the key to unlocking the economic growth and benefits to society that come with it.

The post Powering AI Data Centers: Fuel Cells as the Future of Energy appeared first on Bloom Energy.

Whenever you prompt Chat GPT, scroll through social media, stream a movie on Netflix, or perform a quick Google search, you are relying on data centers.

As technology and new innovations continue to advance, AI data center capabilities are emerging and becoming more in demand to enable breakthroughs and handle the complex operations and optimizations needed for AI workloads.

What is an AI Data Center?

As we increase our reliance on artificial intelligence, AI-capable data centers house the critical infrastructure necessary to fuel the high-performance computing (HPC) needed to meet the surging demands of AI. With racks handling up to a staggering 50kW, these data centers use a significant amount of power to support AI operations. To address this power strain, AI-ready modern data centers are designed with liquid cooling systems that allow for higher-density deployments without overheating issues, which traditional data center air cooling systems struggle to manage.

Three Key Factors: Understanding AI Data Center Power Consumption

As we explore the core of an AI data center, it’s important to consider why AI uses so much power. What contributes to AI’s massive power consumption:

1. Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) clusters are fundamental to the operations as these specialized chips handle complex calculations at high speeds. However, their impressive processing capabilities come at the cost of significant energy usage. Each GPU, designed to accelerate computation, draws substantial amounts of power.
2. Densely packed servers are another key factor. To maximize computational power, AI data centers often house numerous servers within a limited space. This high-density arrangement, while efficient in terms of physical space, leads to increased heat generation. This high-density setup requires extensive cooling efforts to maintain optimal operating temperatures therefore increasing power consumption. Implementing advanced cooling technologies, while more efficient, still demands considerable energy to operate effectively.
3. Unlike traditional computing tasks that may incur downtime, AI processes run continuously. These perpetual operations ensure that AI models are constantly learning and processing data leading to high data center power requirements. However, this relentless requirement results in a nonstop drain on energy resources, as systems remain active around the clock.

How Does AI Enhance a Data Center?

While AI guzzles power, with the average Chat GPT question consuming 10 times as much power as a single Google search, it simultaneously offers innovative solutions to the very challenges it creates. AI is bringing substantial benefits to modern data center operations and aiding in creating more efficient operations.

Starting with AI’s ability to analyze temperature data in real time to predict heat patterns, it can automatically adjust cooling systems, ensuring they operate only when necessary, which leads to lower energy use and water consumption. This smart management of cooling resources significantly reduces the overall power footprint of the data center, enhancing data center energy efficiency.

Dynamic resource allocation further enhances energy efficiency by improving the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of data centers. PUE is a key metric that measures the energy efficiency of a facility. AI dynamically adjusts server usage, storage, and network resources based on real-time demand, creating efficient handling of AI workloads. This means scaling up resources during peak times and down during low demand, ensuring that no energy is wasted on idle infrastructure. By optimizing these resources, AI helps achieve lower PUE values, indicating more efficient use of energy.

Energy source optimization is another crucial benefit. AI can prioritize renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power, seamlessly integrating them into the data center’s energy mix, a key aspect of machine learning for IT operations. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels and promotes a more sustainable operation. By optimizing energy sources, AI ensures that data centers can make the most of available green energy, thus lowering their carbon footprint.

Lastly, AI facilitates better integration with smart grids, allowing data centers to participate in demand response programs. This integration enables these facilities to adjust their energy consumption based on grid signals enhancing their use of alternative power sources and contributing to overall grid stability.

AI drives high power consumption but can also play a critical role in optimizing energy use, reducing waste, and promoting sustainability. By leveraging these capabilities, data centers can achieve a more balanced and efficient operational model.

The Future of AI Data Centers

As the demand for AI and data processing grows, the power consumption of data centers is placing unprecedented strain on the electrical grid, impacting the entire data center industry. According to the CBRE, data centers and data transmission networks account for nearly 2% of global electricity use, with some estimates suggesting this could rise to 9% by 2030​​​​. This surge in demand often outpaces the supply capabilities of traditional power grids, leading to challenges in maintaining a stable and reliable power supply.

The situation is exacerbated by the aging infrastructure of many power grids, which are struggling to meet the escalating energy needs of modern data centers. For instance, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the grid in many parts of the United States is decades old and needs significant upgrades to handle increased loads​​. The time it takes to upgrade grid infrastructure can span several years, leaving data centers in a precarious position without sufficient power.

To address these challenges, data center developers and operators are increasingly turning to alternative energy sources. Renewable energy options like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power are becoming vital components of the energy mix for data centers. However processes for implementing solar and wind can be lengthy. Advanced energy solutions such as fuel cells and microgrid systems can be deployed quickly to ensure a more stable and sustainable power supply.

In 2023, onsite power system failures accounted for 44% of data center outages, creating a serious concern. The Bloom Energy Server® offers a solution that provides reliable, sustainable, and resilient power. Built for the power needs of the digital economy, the Bloom Energy Server provides high power availability, mission-critical reliability, and the ability to operate independently of the grid.

The post What’s an AI Data Center?: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Bloom Energy.

With the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence and its integration into our daily lives, reliance on power grids has significantly increased. While this technology has improved efficiency and convenience,  it places heavy pressure on the grid, and in turn, the world is grappling with finding ways to ensure time-to-power delays are greatly reduced. The data centers powering AI require a minimum of three years to get up and running and are estimated to use up a staggering 9% of total electricity generated in the U.S. by 2030, almost one-third of the energy used by all homes and businesses in the country combined. AI is making doing tasks more trouble-free, but is also making consistent access to electricity troublesome.

In 2019 alone, California experienced 25,281 blackouts, a 23% increase from the year before. The reasons for this leap, outside of AI, are twofold: age and lack of infrastructure investments. Some U.S. power lines have not been updated or replaced for years, some close to 30-40 years. Hazardous weather conditions can permanently damage the power lines, going unnoticed until a power outage occurs. Hand in hand is the lack of investment. The government has a large budget for updating the grid, but only a fraction has been approved and put into use.

As climate change intensifies its effects on the planet and we move towards a more electricity-reliant future, power outages will become inevitable. The solution to this dire issue is to pivot to alternative primary power sources that are cleaner, more reliable, and more efficient to decrease the time it takes to power our planet.

Why the Grid is Failing: Capacity and Accessibility Issues

The U.S. power grid is struggling to meet demands as the population becomes more reliant on technology, and climate change is resulting in more extreme weather conditions. Unlike other parts of the world, the U.S. relies on three separate grids further broken down by regions. When a storm impacts a state like Texas, for example, it can only rely on its own region’s power grid, bouncing back a costly and even life-threatening endeavor. Businesses are also greatly impacted by planned and unplanned power outages, losing between $300,000 and $1 million every hour without power. Residents and businesses can no longer rely solely on the grid for power. To make electricity more accessible, pivoting to localized power generation would make for a more dependable solution. A hidden cost of using electricity from power plants is transmission fees. Energy consumers are burdened with paying billions each year in shipping and handling costs that could be eliminated through localized power.

What Are Hydrogen Fuel Cells and How Do They Work?

In simple terms, a hydrogen fuel cell is a technology that converts hydrogen into electricity. It does so using the three components of the fuel cell (anode, cathode, and electrolyte), which allow hydrogen gas and oxygen from the air to interact and create energy. Although this technology has been around for hundreds of years, its successful implementation is much more recent. Stacks of hydrogen fuel cells can now power entire buildings with minimal carbon emissions and maximum efficiency. In the future, a single stack may be able to power a small home cleanly.

Benefits of Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Renewable Energy Technologies

Hydrogen fuel cells are unique to many of today’s widely used power sources for a few reasons. One of the most significant advantages of utilizing fuel cells is the environmental benefits. These products only emit water vapor and heat, offering a zero-emission power source. Moreover, they are cost- and space-effective as they do not require much maintenance and take up minimal space compared to grid lines. With a rise in natural disasters due to climate change, having a decentralized power system is essential to keeping the lights on.  Renewable energy systems benefit rural communities by allowing them to store energy for extended periods and not depend on sparse power sources.

Looking forward to a more sustainable and reliable power future requires us to embrace hydrogen fuel cells. While efforts to “pause” and even reverse climate change have been put into place through legislation, adopting cleaner systems, like The Bloom Energy Server, will aid in creating more long-term solutions.

Time to Power FAQs

1. What is time to power?
   Time to Power is the time it takes for a new facility to receive the necessary power from the grid. This process can take months or even years, leading to delays in operations and increased costs for companies waiting to become fully operational. Such delays can be especially problematic for industries, such as data centers and facilities, such as hospitals, that rely on continuous and reliable power.
2. How do hydrogen fuel cells decrease the time to power?
   Hydrogen fuel cells provide decentralized, on-site power generation that can be deployed quickly, reducing the time it takes for a facility to become operational. Unlike traditional grid connections, which can take months or years, hydrogen fuel cells offer an immediate, reliable power source, ensuring continuous operation even during grid delays. This capability significantly shortens the time to power, especially in critical or remote locations.
3. What new renewable energy technologies are impacting time to power?
   Renewable energy technologies like solar, wind, and solid oxide fuel cells significantly reduce the time to power by providing faster, decentralized power solutions. These systems can be deployed faster than traditional grid connections, allowing facilities to start operations sooner while supporting sustainability goals.

The post Time to Power: Hydrogen Fuel Cells and the Future of Onsite Power Solutions appeared first on Bloom Energy.

However, the critical operations of these data centers come at a cost—high energy consumption. As digital demands surge, so too does the power required to keep these data centers running efficiently and effectively. Recent analyses highlight a significant uptick in the energy requirements of data centers, raising concerns over their potential environmental impact due to increased electricity use and associated carbon emissions.

Recognizing these challenges, the industry has witnessed a shift towards more sustainable and energy-efficient practices. Innovations in green technology and a commitment to reducing carbon footprints have started shaping the future of data center operations. This blog post explores how green power solutions are not only feasible but also beneficial for data centers, ensuring they can meet future demands sustainably and responsibly.

The Current Landscape of Data Center Energy Consumption

Data centers are among the largest consumers of electrical power, with data center electricity consumption accelerating alongside advancements in technology, particularly AI workloads, and increasing online activity. According to a recent EPRI study, data centers could consume up to 9% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030, doubling the current use [1]. This is expected to rise as digital data creation and consumption continue to grow.

This significant energy use is not without its impacts. Data centers are pivotal in driving energy demand, which in turn has substantial environmental repercussions due to the associated carbon emissions. The conversation around data center energy consumption is complex, with a focus on the balance between operational efficiency and the environmental footprint.

Over the past decade, data centers have made considerable strides in improving energy efficiency through advanced designs, better management practices, and more effective cooling technologies. This decoupling of energy use from data growth signals a positive trend toward reducing the overall environmental impact per byte of data processed.

Defining Green Power in Data Centers

The quest for sustainability in data centers revolves around the concept of green power, which entails the use of energy sources that significantly reduce or eliminate carbon emissions associated with operational activities, but what exactly is green power?

What is Green Power?

Green power in the context of data centers refers to electricity generated from renewable energy sources that are naturally replenishing and environmentally friendly. This includes power from solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric sources. These energy sources contrast sharply with traditional fossil fuels, which are not only finite but also major contributors to carbon emissions and climate change.

Sources of Green Power

The integration of renewable energy into data center operations is increasingly being recognized as both a sustainable practice and a strategic advantage. According to a report by CBRE, major data centers are setting ambitious targets for renewable energy adoption, with some aiming for up to 100% renewable energy use by 2030 [2]. This shift towards green energy is driven by both environmental considerations and the economic benefits associated with renewables, such as lower operational costs and more predictable energy pricing over time.

Benefits of Green Power

The benefits of utilizing green power in data centers extend beyond just environmental impacts. Renewable energy sources can provide long-term cost savings compared to traditional power sources, which are subject to volatile fuel prices. Additionally, the use of renewables can enhance a data center’s public image, appealing to environmentally conscious consumers and businesses increasingly valuing sustainability in their service providers.

Technological Innovations Driving Energy Efficiency in Data Centers

Cooling is one of the most power-intensive needs in data centers, traditionally accounting for a significant portion of the total energy usage. However, recent innovations in cooling technology have begun to change this dynamic significantly. Advanced cooling methods, such as liquid cooling and evaporative cooling systems, are proving to be game changers, allowing for more direct and efficient heat removal from server components, significantly reducing the amount of energy required to maintain optimal operating temperatures.

The evolution of server technology has also contributed to greater energy efficiency in data centers. The shift from traditional spinning hard disk drives (HDDs) to solid-state drives (SSDs) is a notable development. SSDs are not only faster but also consume less power, generate less heat, and take up less space. This transition supports higher data processing speeds and energy savings, allowing for the consolidation of hardware and a reduction in overall data center power requirements.

AI is not just fueling the energy demand; it’s also fixing it. The integration of AI and machine learning (ML) into data center management, known as “smart infrastructure,” is enhancing energy efficiency. These energy technologies enable predictive maintenance and dynamic power management, optimizing energy use across the data center floor. AI algorithms analyze data from numerous sensors within the facility to predict equipment failures before they happen and adjust cooling and power systems in real time to match the actual demand.

Strategies for Maximizing Data Center Energy Efficiency

Two of the most effective strategies for reducing energy consumption in data centers are virtualization and server consolidation. Virtualization allows multiple server environments to operate on a single physical server, significantly reducing the physical server count and, consequently, the overall data center power requirements for power and cooling. Similarly, server consolidation involves combining workloads onto fewer but more efficient servers, maximizing utilization while minimizing energy waste.

These practices not only decrease energy consumption but also reduce the need for physical space, further lowering cooling demands. This dual reduction significantly enhances the overall energy efficiency of data centers.

Advanced power management tools and data center power distribution systems, along with Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) systems play a crucial role in optimizing data center energy usage. These tools, working in tandem with AI, allow for real-time monitoring and management of energy consumption, helping to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. For example, DCIM systems can precisely adjust cooling systems and server power loads based on current demand rather than peak capacity, which significantly reduces unnecessary energy expenditure.

Furthermore, advanced power management tools can automate energy-saving practices, such as shutting down idle servers during periods of low demand and dynamically managing power distribution across the data center floor. This level of detailed control and automation not only cuts down on energy costs but also extends the lifespan of the hardware by reducing overheating risks, ensuring data center uninterruptible power, and operational strains.

A notable example of successful energy-efficient practices can be seen in major tech companies such as Amazon. Through its AWS (Amazon Web Services) Cloud infrastructure, Amazon has implemented server consolidation and virtualization to achieve significant energy efficiencies. According to their sustainability report, AWS is designed to be more energy efficient than the average enterprise data center by up to 3.6 times [3]. This substantial improvement in energy efficiency is attributed to Amazon’s continuous innovation in server utilization and advanced architectural designs that reduce energy consumption across their massive scale of operations.

These strategies, supported by real-world applications and innovative management systems, are not just theoretical solutions but practical actions that leading data centers around the world are currently adopting to optimize performance and sustainability.

Challenges and Solutions in Adopting Green Data Center Technologies

Transitioning to green technologies in data centers presents a myriad of challenges. However, with careful planning and the right strategies, these obstacles can be overcome to harness the benefits of sustainable energy practices.

The most significant challenges in adopting green technologies in data centers include high initial costs and infrastructural compatibility, especially in older facilities. Older data centers often require substantial retrofitting to accommodate new, energy-efficient systems, which can be both costly and disruptive. Additionally, the infrastructure of these older facilities might not be capable of supporting modern green technologies without significant modifications.

The initial investment required for transitioning to green technologies is considerable, covering the costs of new equipment, installation, and potential downtime. However, the long-term savings and ROI from reduced energy expenses and possibly lower maintenance costs can offset these upfront investments. While the upfront costs are high, the reduction in operational expenses due to energy savings can lead to substantial financial benefits over time. Many regions offer incentives such as tax breaks and grants for data centers that implement green technologies, which can further aid in mitigating the initial financial burden.

Adaptive strategies for older data centers include phased upgrades and modular technology implementations. By upgrading systems in phases, data centers can spread out the financial and operational impacts over time, making it more manageable and less disruptive. For instance, incorporating modular UPS systems, or modular cooling units that can be scaled as needed allows data centers to adapt without undergoing a complete overhaul.

Additionally, implementing virtualization and software-defined data center technologies can maximize the use of existing hardware and reduce the need for physical expansions, which further aids in reducing the energy footprint.

The potential of green power to revolutionize the data center industry cannot be understated. By adopting sustainable energy practices, data centers not only reduce their environmental footprint but also enhance operational efficiencies and cut down on long-term costs. While adopting green technologies in data centers presents financial and infrastructural challenges, strategic planning and phased implementation can effectively address these issues.

The future of data centers lies in continuous innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability, particularly in optimizing the data center power supply to meet growing energy demands responsibly. As technology advances, so must our approaches to energy efficiency and green power. The industry must keep pace with the latest developments in renewable energy sources and eco-friendly technologies, ensuring that data centers remain at the forefront of sustainability efforts.

Dive into how Bloom Energy’s fuel cell solutions can address your immediate energy needs. Our team of experts is ready to create a tailored solution built to fit your energy requirements. Together, let’s power a more sustainable and resilient future. Contact our fuel cell solutions experts to start your journey towards efficient and reliable energy management with Bloom Energy.

Data Center Power Supply FAQs

1. What is green power for data centers?
   Green power for data centers refers to electricity sourced from renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric systems. Utilizing these energy sources reduces data center energy consumption and enhances the energy efficiency of these facilities, supporting sustainable data center design.

2. What are some effective strategies for improving energy efficiency in data centers?
   Effective strategies for improving data center energy efficiency include virtualization, which allows multiple software environments to run on a single server rack, and server consolidation, which reduces power consumption by combining workloads on fewer servers. Both strategies lead to significant efficiency gains in energy usage and enhance the overall energy efficiency of data centers.

3. What challenges do data centers face when transitioning to green technologies?
   The transition to green technologies poses challenges, such as high initial costs and the need for extensive upgrades in data center design to accommodate new cooling systems, storage drives, and backup generators. These changes are crucial for developing an energy-efficient data center but require strategic planning and phased implementation to manage energy consumption effectively.

[1] Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). EPRI Study: Data Centers Could Consume up to 9% of U.S. Electricity Generation by 2030. https://www.epri.com/reports/data-centers-electricity-usage.

[2] CBRE. Global Data Center Trends 2023. https://www.cbre.com/insights/reports/global-data-center-trends-2023.

[3] Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS Sustainability. https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/products-services/the-cloud.

The post Data Center Power Supply: Big Data Doesn’t Have to Mean Big Emissions appeared first on Bloom Energy.

The recent declaration by the U.S. Energy Information Administration highlights the critical importance of addressing rising power consumption levels, stating that the U.S. is projected to reach record highs in 2024 and 2025, underscoring the need for robust emergency power systems to ensure uninterrupted service during peak demand and unforeseen outages.

What is considered emergency power?

Emergency power refers to backup power systems designed to provide electricity during interruptions of the primary power supply. These systems are essential for maintaining critical operations in various settings, such as cities, businesses, and national infrastructure, during power outages caused by natural disasters, equipment failures, or other emergencies. 

Ensuring City Resilience with Urgent Power

Cities are hubs of economic, social, and cultural activities, making the availability of emergency power and a reliable power generation system crucial. Urban centers rely heavily on electricity to power infrastructure, healthcare facilities, public transportation, and communication systems. When a power outage occurs, the impact can be widespread and severe, affecting millions of residents and disrupting daily life.

Ensuring Public Safety

Emergency power systems in cities are vital for maintaining public safety. Traffic lights, streetlights, and surveillance systems depend on a constant power supply. During a blackout, standby power ensures these systems remain operational, preventing accidents and maintaining order.

Healthcare Services

Hospitals and healthcare facilities cannot afford to lose power, even temporarily. Emergency power is essential for running life-saving equipment, refrigeration for medications, and ensuring the overall functionality of medical facilities. In natural disasters or large-scale emergencies, having reliable standby power can be the difference between life and death. Backup power supplies for hospitals, as well as other mission-critical facilities, are required to adhere to the standards set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Communication and Information Systems

In today’s digital age, communication networks are the backbone of urban life. Emergency power ensures these networks remain up and running, allowing residents to stay informed and connected during crises. This includes everything from mobile networks to internet services and emergency broadcast systems.

Reliable Emergency Power Systems for Business Continuity

For businesses, a reliable power supply is not just a convenience but a necessity. Power outages can lead to significant financial losses, disrupt operations, and damage reputations. Emergency power systems are a crucial investment for businesses of all sizes.

Continuity of Operations:

In the event of a power outage, businesses with emergency power systems can continue their operations without interruption. This is especially important for industries such as finance, data centers, manufacturing, and retail, where even a short downtime can result in substantial financial losses.

Data Protection

Businesses today generate and rely on vast amounts of data. Emergency power is critical for protecting this data, ensuring that servers, storage devices, and IT systems remain operational during power outages. This helps prevent data loss, which can be costly and time-consuming to recover.

Customer Trust and Satisfaction

Maintaining customer trust and satisfaction is essential for any business. Emergency power systems ensure that customer service operations, such as call centers and online services, remain functional during outages. This reliability fosters trust and can set a business apart from its competitors.

Ensuring Stability: Emergency Power Supply for Nations

At a national level, emergency power systems are integral to national security, economic stability, and disaster resilience. Governments must prioritize the development and maintenance of robust emergency power infrastructures to safeguard their citizens and economies.

National Security

National security agencies, including defense installations, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement, require a constant power supply to function effectively. Emergency power systems ensure these critical operations continue uninterrupted, even during widespread power outages.

Economic Stability

A nation’s economy relies heavily on a stable power supply. Emergency power systems support the continuity of industrial activities, financial transactions, and other economic activities. This stability helps prevent economic downturns that can result from prolonged power outages.

Disaster Resilience

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods can cause extensive damage to power infrastructures. Emergency power systems enhance a nation’s resilience to such disasters by ensuring that essential services, including healthcare, communication, and public safety, remain operational. This capability is crucial for effective disaster response and recovery efforts.

Technological Innovations in Emergency Power Systems

In recent years, emergency power and power generation systems have seen significant technological advancements. These innovations enhance the efficiency, reliability, and sustainability of emergency power systems.

Renewable Energy Integration

Renewable power sources, such as solar and wind, are being increasingly integrated into emergency power systems. This not only reduces dependence on fossil fuels but also ensures a more sustainable and resilient power supply. Battery storage systems complement renewable energy by storing excess power for use during outages. Microgrid systems also enhance sustainability by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions. While diesel generators provide a reliable source of electricity during power outages, they have several drawbacks, particularly in terms of their environmental impact.

Smart Grids

Smart grids leverage advanced technologies to monitor and manage the flow of electricity more effectively. They can detect power outages quickly and automatically switch to standby power sources, minimizing downtime. Smart grids also facilitate the integration of distributed energy resources, enhancing the overall reliability of the power supply.

Microgrids

Microgrids are localized power grids that can operate independently from the main grid. They are particularly useful for providing power to critical facilities such as hospitals, military bases, and emergency response centers. Microgrids can incorporate renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. These clean energy sources produce electricity without emitting harmful pollutants or greenhouse gasses, reducing environmental impact and mitigating climate change.

Challenges and Solutions in Implementing Emergency and Standby Power

While the importance is clear, implementing these systems comes with its own set of challenges. Addressing these challenges is essential for maximizing the effectiveness of emergency power systems.

High Initial Costs

Installing emergency power systems can be costly. However, the long-term benefits of enhanced resilience and operational continuity justify this investment. Governments and businesses can explore financing options, subsidies, and incentives to offset initial costs.

Maintenance and Testing

Regular maintenance and testing are crucial for ensuring that emergency power systems function correctly when needed. Establishing strict maintenance schedules and conducting routine tests can help identify and address potential issues before they become critical.

Training and Awareness

Personnel responsible for operating emergency power systems must be adequately trained. Regular training programs and drills can ensure that staff prepare to respond effectively during power outages. Raising awareness among stakeholders can also support its implementation and maintenance.

Case Studies Highlighting the Importance of Emergency Power

Examining real-world examples underscores the critical role of emergency power in various scenarios.

• Community Protection from Storms: After a hurricane and storm caused an 11-day power failure in the City of Hartford, Bloom installed an 800kW system to power critical facilities. These Bloom Microgrids have since provided a reliable safe haven for the community, ensuring continuous power through multiple outages.
• Keeping Businesses Open During Disasters: A business aiming to remain open during disasters to provide safety supplies to the local community sought to eliminate the need for diesel generators, which reduce air quality and are difficult to maintain. Bloom has since powered their facilities through over 100 utility outages, ensuring uninterrupted service and environmental benefits.
• Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Protection: In 2019, California utilities implemented transmission-level “public safety power shutoffs,” leaving millions of customers without power for up to a week. During an October PSPS, Bloom powered a large Santa Rosa, CA campus for 5.5 days, ensuring continuous operation amidst widespread outages.

Future Trends in Emergency Power Supply

As technology and society continue to evolve, so too will the field of emergency power. Several trends are shaping the future.

Increased Use of AI and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are enhancing the management and operation of emergency power systems. These technologies can predict potential outages, optimize power distribution, and improve the efficiency of backup power systems.

Decentralization of Power Supply

The trend toward decentralization involves moving away from large, centralized power plants connected to the electric grid to smaller, localized energy sources. This decentralization enhances the resilience of the power supply, making it less vulnerable to widespread outages and facilitating the use of renewable energy. Microgrids, in particular, represent a transformative solution. By decentralizing energy production and distribution, microgrids offer communities and businesses a resilient alternative to traditional centralized power grids.

Enhanced Battery Technologies

Advancements in battery technology are improving the storage capacity and efficiency of emergency power systems. High-capacity batteries can store more energy and provide power for longer periods, making them ideal for supporting critical infrastructure during extended outages.

Sustainability

Microgrids are localized energy networks that can operate independently from the main grid, incorporating a diverse mix of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower. Companies like Bloom are revolutionizing the capabilities of microgrid technology with Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). SOFC microgrid technology represents a significant step forward, bridging the gap between traditional energy methods and the future demands for cleaner, more efficient power solutions. By integrating SOFCs into microgrids, we can achieve a more sustainable and resilient emergency power infrastructure capable of supporting critical operations with minimal environmental impact during power outages. This innovation is essential as we move towards a greener and more reliable energy landscape.

Backup power solutions are an indispensable component of modern infrastructure, essential for ensuring the continuity of operations across cities, businesses, and nations. As our reliance on technology and electricity grows, so does the importance of having robust emergency power systems in place. These systems provide a lifeline during crises, protecting public safety, maintaining economic stability, and enhancing disaster resilience.

Investing in standby power is not just about preparing for the worst; it is about ensuring that society can function smoothly and effectively, regardless of the challenges it faces. As the demand for resilient and sustainable energy solutions continues to grow, microgrids are poised to play a pivotal role in safeguarding against power disruptions and building a more resilient energy infrastructure for the future. As technological innovations continue to advance, the capabilities of emergency power systems will only improve, offering even greater reliability and sustainability.

Ensure your operations remain uninterrupted during a crisis. Contact our emergency power experts at Bloom Energy today to learn more.

Emergency Power FAQs

Q1: How do emergency and standby power systems work during a power outage?

When the main power supply fails, emergency power systems, such as generators and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), play a crucial role in maintaining the continuity of operations. These systems are designed to automatically activate upon detecting a power outage, ensuring that essential services and critical infrastructure remain operational. Power generators, often fueled by diesel or natural gas, are capable of supplying electricity for extended periods, providing a reliable backup source when grid power is unavailable. Additionally, UPS systems offer immediate backup electrical power, serving as a bridge until generators start and stabilize. This seamless transition between power sources helps minimize downtime and prevents disruptions to vital functions. But sometimes, this isn’t the more environmentally conscious solution. For data centers, microgrid energy technology produces exceptionally efficient and environmentally friendly power, boasting versatility in fuel usage and resilience against future energy challenges. By harnessing renewable energy, organizations can reduce their carbon footprint, mitigate environmental impact, and ensure a more sustainable energy future.

Q2: How are microgrids the solution for protection against grid outages and extreme weather disruption?

Microgrids, such as Bloom’s fuel cell platform, offer a solution for protection against grid outages and extreme weather disruption by providing reliable and resilient power supply. Bloom’s fuel cell microgrid technology has proven effective in safeguarding facilities through thousands of power outages, ensuring continuous operation even during emergencies. These microgrids generate highly efficient and clean energy, reducing reliance on traditional grid power and mitigating the environmental impact of energy consumption. Additionally, Bloom’s fuel cell platform is fuel-flexible and future-proof, enabling organizations to navigate the transition to decarbonization while maintaining operational stability. By fixing a significant portion of electricity costs and offering scalability, Bloom’s microgrid solution allows organizations to hedge against price volatility and meet growing power demands effectively.

The post The Critical Role of Emergency Power for Cities, Businesses, and Nations appeared first on Bloom Energy.

In May, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) took a bold and controversial step to accelerate development of new high-voltage power transmission lines across the nation.

A new rule levies novel requirements for interstate grid operators’ long-term planning, obligating advanced determination of “the transmission we know we will need in the future” and how it will be paid for.

But why is this so urgently needed?

The U.S. suffers from a severe dearth of adequate grid infrastructure. Our customers are telling us loud and clearly. Worse yet, the glacial speed at which new transmission lines are approved and deployed has led to widespread interconnection delays for celebrated renewable energy projects, fundamentally hampering our country’s capacity to respond to the climate crisis.

That same climate crisis also exposes our ancient electrical grids and their users to the specter of blackouts. A variety of new threats in the form of extreme, power-disrupting weather are presenting extraordinary challenges to a broad cross section of electricity consumers.

But it’s not just renewable energy projects that are on the losing side of this equation. From residential to industrial, from hospitals to data centers, virtually every large-scale land use project may be forced to endure months if not years of interconnection delays to local electric utilities, wreaking havoc to bottom lines and regional economies across America.

Additionally, the rise in the promising but energy intensive AI technologies that will transform our society will hit a wall without resilient, reliable and responsive new supplies of electricity. Recent reporting by The Washington Post detailed the stunning but nevertheless foreseen rise in carbon emissions associated with a booming AI sector that is now “exhausting the power grid.” In fact, a recent Goldman Sachs study found that data centers will consume 8 percent of all electricity generated in the United States by 2030. Our nation’s aging grids are in such a dire state and our electrical generation capacity is so far from meeting demand that coal power plants are being resuscitated to power the growth of the high performing computing data centers that support these new technologies.

That is why FERC’s new transmission and cost allocation rule represents a meaningful and desperately needed step towards upgrading America’s electric grid. However, because this problem was decades in the making, the regulation’s desired results will unfortunately take a similarly long amount of time before they are broadly experienced.

However, the American economy cannot wait for the benefits of FERC’s action to be realized. Leaders in burgeoning high tech industries– artificial intelligence, data processing, chip manufacturing – refuse to accept their critical facilities must await painstakingly slow interconnections to local electric utility infrastructure before they become operational. Instead, they are choosing Bloom Energy.

Fuel cells can play a crucial role as low emissions power sources where additional generation resources are needed. Fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical process rather than combustion. This nearly eliminates the release of harmful air pollutants that cause respiratory issues. One of the last clean energy technologies predominantly manufactured in the United States, fuel cells also significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to the traditional power grid that often relies on the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity.

Our Series 10 Energy Server offers customers an immediate solution that meaningfully circumvents the same crippling “Time to Power” challenges FERC’s action aims to solve in the long-term. In an era of widespread energy availability constraints, our products’ capacity to deliver on-site, off-grid power generation that is clean, affordable, and reliable fundamentally changes the way America can do business.

While Bloom Energy celebrates the federal government’s decision to take head-on long term grid planning, we’re here to support the American economy in the meantime.

The post The Economy and A.I. Won’t Wait for the Grid to Catch Up: How Bloom Energy Offers American Business a Fighting Chance appeared first on Bloom Energy.

“Vast swaths of the United States are at risk of running short of power as electricity-hungry data centers and clean-technology factories proliferate around the country, leaving utilities and regulators grasping for credible plans to expand the nation’s creaking power grid,” the Washington Post reported earlier this month.

The story continues:

• In Georgia, demand for industrial power is surging to record highs, with the projection of new electricity use for the next decade now 17 times what it was only recently.
• Arizona Public Service, the largest utility in that state, is also struggling to keep up, projecting it will be out of transmission capacity before the end of the decade absent major upgrades.
• Northern Virginia needs the equivalent of several large nuclear power plants to serve all the new data centers planned and under construction. Texas, where electricity shortages are becoming routine on hot summer days, faces the same dilemma.

Barber says Bloom’s ability to deliver power 24/7 within a few months to support customer needs will help fill the gaps. With more than 1 gigawatt of deployment, Bloom is a market leader for distributed baseload, always-on power generation with its proven solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology and groundbreaking Energy Server® platform.

Barber highlights the recent offering unveiled by Bloom, the Be Flexible™ Energy Server, a new flexible load following solution designed specifically for customers like data centers, EV chargers and commercial industries. This solution rapidly handles fluctuations in supply and demand for heavy power consumers, ensuring them power certainty and quality while delivering significant cost savings.

Added Aman Joshi, Bloom’s chief commercial officer: “I have been in the power generation business for more than a decade and selling gas turbines for the past six years. Providing utilities with a significantly cleaner dispatchable source of electricity with Be Flexible, which ramps up and down significantly more than turbines, reciprocating engines and other alternatives, will enable them to add more renewable electricity in the mix.”

In cities around the world, variable load, power-intensive applications, such as AI data centers, EV charging stations and commercial developments are rapidly coming online. Intermittent electricity sources are struggling to meet this demand, leaving substantial shortages in power.

The new “Be Flexible” offering can operate on either side of the meter, providing both utilities and end customers with an on-demand solution. With the “Be Flexible” offering utilities are better able to deal with disparities between their peak and non-peak demands due to its dispatchable nature. Customers behind the meter are better able to accommodate the variability of their loads.

“We are already working with many data center clients across the U.S. and we are poised to do more,” Barber said. “With Be Flexible, our new load following capability, Bloom has now extended its value to new applications where the ability to ramp power output up or down quickly is required to address a customer’s variable load and demand throughout the day.”

“The rapid response time of ‘Be Flexible,’ due to its solid state architecture, is immensely important when we consider the intense energy fluctuating demands like those from AI data centers, which we are increasingly dependent on,” said Peter Gross, a leading expert on data centers and advisor to Bloom Energy. “Data center power demands can nowadays easily jump from 50 percent to 100 percent in a matter of seconds. A power source that can’t deliver in such a short time will trip the entire site’s power, causing costly disruptions.”

Bloom executives attended Nvidia’s GTC 24 for the first time to discuss its energy technology and the flexibility and reliability the energy servers provide, specifically to AI data centers:

• Quick Ramp-to-Power: The Bloom Energy Server generates electricity through the direct conversion of fuels like natural gas, biogas or hydrogen, eliminating multiple energy conversion processes and the mechanical inertia of combustion-based solutions such as turbines. This enables them to reach the target power more than five times faster than other power generation technology.
• Cost Advantages: Compared to gas turbines where the efficiency dramatically reduces at lower loads compared to full load, load fluctuation has minimal impact on the efficiency of Bloom’s Energy Server. This provides as much as a 50 percent cost advantage depending on the application.
• Sustainability: CO2 emissions from Bloom’s Energy Server are significantly lower (up to 50 percent at part load) and minimally impacted by load fluctuation compared to gas turbines. They require practically no water during operation and emit no NOx or SOx particulates because they operate through electrochemical, non-combustion processes.

The post Bloom’s Energy Server® platform solves major challenges facing AI data center power needs appeared first on Bloom Energy.

SK ecoplant, a Korean company that is a long-time partner of Bloom Energy, has announced that it will be using Bloom’s innovative fuel cell technology when it builds a new data center in Singapore for GDS, China’s largest data center developer. The Singapore Economic Development Board and the Infocomm Media Development Authority selected GDS as part of a group of four data center operators that will share in what could eventually be about 80 megawatts (MW) of new capacity for Singapore’s information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.

“Bloom Energy is excited to be a partner with SK and provide our Energy Servers to power a GDS data center in Singapore,” says Bloom Energy Founder, Chairman and CEO, KR Sridhar. “The grid constraint in Singapore is similar to the lack of power availability in most data center hubs around the world today. This lack of supply is making distributed power that can be deployed quickly with our modular AlwaysOn fuel cells the right choice for data centers. It is also the cleanest available technology today and can operate on net-zero fuels like hydrogen as they become available, thereby enabling the ICT segment to meet their sustainability goals. We look forward to supporting our partner SK in this project.”

The project will be Bloom’s first in Singapore as it expands its Asian footprint. In Taiwan recently, the company cut the ribbon on the initial phase of a 10MW project in Taiwan for Unimicron, a chip substrate and printed circuit board maker. Working with SK ecoplant, Bloom has installed more than 400 MW of fuel cells in South Korea. Bloom inaugurated a 100 kilowatt (kW) hydrogen-powered Energy Server® project in Korea in April 2021. The company also put in its Bloom Electrolyzer™ there and began producing hydrogen from it in January 2022.

Bloom’s fuel-flexible solid oxide fuel cells have become a key power source for data centers in Asia, the United States and Europe. Last fall Bloom installed 500kW of fuel cells in Bengaluru, India, for Nxtra by Airtel, which has 12 large and 120 edge data centers across India. In a report earlier this year, Frost & Sullivan named Bloom the leading company in the stationary fuel cell market and said that data centers are key to that sector’s growth. As Jeff Barber, Bloom’s Vice President of global data centers, has noted, data centers’ already substantial power appetite could get even larger with the surge in demand for generative artificial intelligence. The large power demands from data centers spurred Bloom’s latest development, the Series 10 Bloom Energy Server. Series 10 enables customers like data centers to rapidly meet growing power needs and net-zero compliance at competitive costs and without committing to a long-term contract or worrying about cost increases.

Growing power demands are being felt in markets like Singapore, which is considered a global data center hub with more than 70 data centers already in operation. Since data centers need to store and distribute a lot of information in real-time every day without a break, they need a reliable and efficient power system that can also maintain a constant internal temperature and humidity.

Bloom’s fuel cells are decentralized power sources that reliably generate electricity from natural gas, biogas or hydrogen without combustion, resulting in low or no CO2 emissions. They can also compensate for the intermittency and volatility of renewable energy.

The Singaporean government has announced it will promote a plan to supply half of the country’s power through hydrogen for carbon neutrality by 2050. SK ecoplant plans to actively seek to win additional orders for fuel cell projects in the growing Southeast Asian new and renewable energy market, including Singapore.

“As we now have experience ranging from small, medium to large-scale fuel cell power supply solutions, we will accelerate our efforts to target various markets, such as markets for power generation and commercial use,” said SK ecoplant CEO Park Kyung-il. “We intend to lead the global fuel cell market through continuous collaboration with local Korean companies, as well as top-tier companies worldwide.”

The post Singapore Data Center to Expand Capacity with Bloom Energy Fuel Cells appeared first on Bloom Energy.

The relationship between the complexity and capability of generative AI models and their power consumption is a significant concern from both environmental and practical perspectives. The energy consumption associated with powering these models not only contributes to carbon emissions and environmental degradation but also poses challenges for data center operators and centralized utility infrastructure providers.

Generative AI models are capable of understanding and analyzing vast amounts of data, detecting patterns humans cannot, and generating novel and remarkably accurate outputs. The training process involves feeding the model with extensive datasets and iteratively adjusting the network’s parameters to optimize its performance and output. This iterative process is computationally intensive and demands substantial computational resources, often in the form of powerful GPUs or specialized hardware accelerators. But the vast majority of existing data centers are not equipped to handle the rack densities these devices require.

To accommodate the energy-intensive nature of AI workloads, integrating GPUs (and other high density platforms) into the data center infrastructure requires significant modifications, including the need to upgrade power distribution systems, utility transmission and substation capacity, deploying new cooling technologies, and rethinking physical space arrangements. It’s a balancing act, finding the sweet spot between power availability and rack utilization, ensuring efficient resource utilization while attempting

Here’s where industry leaders can truly make a difference. The centralized electrical grid is struggling to keep up with the surging energy demands of AI workloads, especially with the increasing adoption of GPU-intensive tasks. This strain on the power infrastructure not only challenges its capacity but also contributes to a concerning rise in carbon emissions, hampering global efforts to combat climate change. To address these pressing issues, a shift towards distributed energy solutions is imperative.

Distributed energy solutions offer a decentralized approach to power generation, enabling data centers to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce their reliance upon traditional centralized grids. However, the benefits extend beyond environmental concerns. Embracing distributed energy solutions bolsters the predictability, the resilience, and the reliability of the power supply, safeguarding the industry against disruptions caused by centralized power infrastructure limitations and un-forecasted cost increases.

In this landscape, Bloom is poised to seize a unique opportunity. By providing solutions that supplement existing power infrastructure in data centers, Bloom can swiftly meet the increased energy demands without the need for lengthy substation or transmission upgrades. This agility enables developers and colocation providers to upgrade their capacity, accommodating the higher power requirements of GPU workloads in a timely manner. Bloom energy servers can work seamlessly with existing utility and data center infrastructure, especially when there is also grid power available. We can simply supplement the existing power, directly to the building, working in unison with the centralized supply.

Jeff Barber is Bloom Energy’s vice president of global data centers. This piece is part of a three-part series on power constraints and AI workloads, adapted from his LinkedIn newsletter “Net Zero.” You can read it in full here.

The post To Handle Generative AI, Data Centers Need Decentralized Power appeared first on Bloom Energy.

Nxtra by Airtel is the data center subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, India’s leading telecom company. It has 12 large and 120 edge data centers across India and has pledged to expand its capacity by 2X to over 400 MW in the next few years. It also has pledged to do so with clean energy.

In installing 500kW of Bloom fuel cells at a site in Bengaluru, Nxtra is meeting both its clean power and time to power needs. The Bloom Energy Server®, as our solid oxide fuel cells are known, creates electricity from a wide variety of fuels without combustion, which means no particulate pollution. Nxtra’s installation currently runs on natural gas, but the company hopes to switch to hydrogen as soon as commercial quantities of the clean fuel is available. As for speed, the deal was inked in September 2022, and the fuel cells were installed and providing power in December.

“As Nxtra continues to play a leading role in India’s emergence as hub of data center industry in the Asia-Pacific region, we continue to be deeply committed to set new benchmarks in sustainability for the data center industry,” said Rajesh Tapadia, chief operating officer of Nxtra. “We embarked on our sustainability journey with an ambition to reach net zero by 2031 and have adopted strategic efforts to adopt innovative energy solutions. Our partnership with Bloom Energy is in line with this commitment and aims to fulfil our future-ready energy strategy to supply more cleaner energy to our data centers.”

The Nxtra installation marks a significant step forward in India for Bloom, which was founded by an Indian immigrant to America, KR Sridhar. His work for NASA on life support systems for Mars missions became the foundation of a company that now makes the future-proof fuel cells installed in India, and the Bloom Electrolyzer™ that produces hydrogen with the greatest efficiency of any electrolyzer technology now on the market. Bloom maintains support operations in India, including a center that monitors the performance of its fuel cells around the world in real time. This also includes the Nxtra data center in Bengaluru.

Where will the future take us? Hopefully towards more greener data centers, in India and beyond. Regions like Asia and Africa are increasingly building data center capabilities but these regions face power growth challenges. This is where Bloom technology can step in and help data centers to meet their power needs sustainably.

The post How Bloom Energy Fuel Cells Support India’s Data Center Growth appeared first on Bloom Energy.