Safety for Large-Scale Hydrogen Fuel Cell Deployments at Data Centers

Caterpillar, Ballard Power Systems, Microsoft, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) worked together to successfully deploy a 1.5 MW PEMFC at a data center to demonstrate hydrogen’s viability for backup power applications. The deployed 1.5 MW fuel cell and battery microgrid operated dynamically, demonstrating how fuel cells can support the grid and provide a viable pathway for data center backup power. This system utilized a liquid hydrogen (LH₂) supply that enabled continuous 48-hour operation of the fuel cell system at a typical data center load profile. A microgrid controller managed the power distribution from the different deployed assets and determined whether the microgrid operated in an islanded or grid-connected mode.

Developing and demonstrating hydrogen technologies are critical for hydrogen systems to be commercially feasible. The successful deployment of a hydrogen system goes beyond the installation and operation of robust hardware. Safety reviews, siting consideration, permitting requirements, construction, and commissioning combine to enable the safe deployment of a hydrogen system. A large-scale fuel cell demonstration at a data center is an excellent case study from which the safety learnings can be shared to help guide future deployments of hydrogen systems at scale. This paper explores the lessons learned and the safety processes to successfully deploy a liquid hydrogen-supplied fuel cell for backup power applications at a data center.