The case for gas engine standby generators in data centres and what it means for the future of diesel

The i3 Solutions Group and EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., (EYPMCF) collaboration on greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement has issued the second in its series of white papers.

Focusing on standby power generation the paper provides a technical analysis of gas reciprocating engines. It provides comparisons of emissions profiles of diesel and gas generators and the performance characteristics of diesel versus natural gas. The paper outlines the case for, and the challenges to, adopting gas reciprocating engines for use in data centres.

“Climate concerns point to the future of diesel generators as the primary standby source of power for data centres looking like one of increasing restrictions on use, tougher tax regimes, permitting, lower emissions targets, improved air quality requirements and lower noise regulations. But adopting any alternative long term energy source requires careful consideration. We have set out the benefits and challenges of moving to gas which can range from required design topology changes to on-site fuel storage,” says Ed Ansett, Ed Ansett, CEng, FIET, FBCS, Founder and Chairman of i3 Solutions Group.

The paper also looks to the future potential of dual fuel engines for net or near net zero carbon standby power. [Note: A full detailed White Paper on this topic is in the pipeline. See below.] White Paper No.2 Titled: “The Case for Natural Gas Generators,” is available for download now.

By providing a technical analysis for data centre operators as they move to carbon net-zero operations, i3 and EYPMCF white papers are designed to spark informed discussion in the data centre sector.

The new series of white papers provide vendor-neutral decision-making support together with insights into the factors associated with the many technology options currently available to the sector for lowering the carbon footprint of data centre operations.

The i3 EYPMCF white paper series is to help inform decision making as data centre owners play their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to move towards carbon neutrality by 2030.

Defining Practical Roadmaps to Carbon Net-zero Data Centres

Formed earlier this year, the i3 EYPMCF GHG Abatement Group was established to deliver a practical roadmap toward GHG abatement and carbon net-zero data centres by 2030.

Paper number one in the series provides an overview and technical insight into areas including Demand Side Response, Data Centre Power Generation, Energy Storage and Sustainable Energy Trading, as well as System Selection criteria such as Sustainability Performance Indices (SPIs) and is available for download.

Further papers will be published throughout 2021 and beyond.

The series will assess the technical, sustainability and financial considerations associated with a range of topics including:

· Assessment and application of fuel cells to data centres

· Demand response opportunities for data centre embedded generation and storage systems

· GHG reduction with blended hydrogen and natural gas generation

White papers will be published at regular intervals and will be freely available as downloads for data centre professionals. For updates on progress, please follow i3 Solutions Group and EYPMCF on LinkedIn.