A new agreement between Microsoft and ESB has been created and this deal makes it possible to supply zero emission green hydrogen power to Microsoft’s data centre power control and administration building. This building is located in Dublin and the project itself is incredibly significant as it is the first time that Hydrogen Fuel Cells will be put to use to provide a Microsoft data centre with electricity.

The data centre is based in Europe and the plan is to supply a maximum of 250kW of clean energy to Microsoft’s Dublin campus. This plan will be carried out throughout an eight-week period.

Microsoft’s choice to use ESB’s zero-emission Hydrogen Fuel Cells, stems from their ability to convert stored green hydrogen to electricity and a huge benefit of ESB’s specific approach, is that during this process, the only by-product that is produced is pure water.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells do not create any carbon emissions and they do not produce harmful local air pollutants. These pollutants could be things such as, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, and finally, nitrogen oxides. Due to how beneficial they are to the environment; Hydrogen fuel Cells have been specifically designed to replace diesel generators.

This new project which has been set up between the two companies aligns with the ‘Principles for Sustainable Data Centre Development’, which was set out by the Government in their 2022 policy statement. The innovative new project aligns to this policy through the support it is offering to the development of data centres, which are designed to make excellent and efficient use of the electricity grid as well as delivering renewable energy.

On top of this, this excellent project is part of a series that has been planned by ESB in 2024 and 2025. The purpose of this planned series is to showcase the versatility of hydrogen fuel cell technology, through applying it to different power applications. This pilot project, which was recently established, will be the first step towards demonstrating the potential impact that hydrogen energy could have, when it comes to decarbonising the strategically important data centre sector that is based in Ireland.

Overall, the announcement that revealed that this project would be taking place and it would be focusing on harnessing green hydrogen, is one of the first of many steps and innovation that Microsoft has planned to bring to the data centre sector. The purpose of their plan is to make sure that existing and future cloud and AI infrastructure is supported and is sustainable. It was in 2020 that Microsoft revealed their goal of ‘encompassing all global infrastructure and operations, to be a carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste company that protect ecosystems by 2030.’

Vice President, EMEA Regional Leader, Microsoft Cloud Operations + Innovation, Eoin Doherty commented on the launch of the pilot, stating that, “The green hydrogen project we’re launching with ESB is a pioneering first for Microsoft in Europe, demonstrating how zero-emissions hydrogen can be harnessed to power our digital lives. If scaled successfully, it could provide new ways of advancing sustainability in our sector and beyond.”

General Manager, Microsoft’s EMEA Data Centre Operations, Lavinia Morris, added, “This pilot project is another important step in our journey to transition to carbon-free electricity supply for our data centres, buildings, and campuses around the world. As we look to advance a more sustainable future, we hope to build on the success of this pilot project and continue to find innovative ways to decarbonise our operations.”

ESB Executive Director, Generation and Trading, Jim Dollard, mentioned, “ESB believe green hydrogen will play an important role in the net zero energy system of the future. We’re delighted to be working with Microsoft on this innovative pilot project that will showcase the potential for green hydrogen as part of zero emission electricity generation for data centres.”