Data center operators have for some time been flirting with the idea with using fuel cells to increase the use of off-grid energy and cleaner power. And as reported by GigaOM's Katie Fehrenbacher, data center giant Equinix, working alongside a German project developer and fuel cell maker Fuji Electric, is advancing the idea that fire prevention may turn out to be another salient benefit of using fuel cells in data centers.
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As noted by Fehrenbacher, "beyond the fact that fuel cells can be cleaner and more efficient, data center companies like eBay and Microsoft have been using them as a way to take smaller data centers off the grid -- that way they are more resilient if the grid goes down." However, in addition to benefits resiliency and environmentalism, Equinix claims that the clean-running Fuji Electric fuel cells produce nitrogen-rich air that can fill buildings and actually help to prevent fires.
Full story:A new reason to use fuel cells for data centers: fire prevention (gigaom.com)