Stack Infrastructure uses 100% renewable diesel in backup generators at new data center in Oslo, Norway

Data-center developer and operator Stack Infrastructure announced Oct. 15 that it has successfully implemented the use of 100 percent hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO100), also known as renewable diesel, as a standby power source for a new data center on its OSL04 campus in Holtskogen (Oslo), Norway.

Stack said it is committed to reducing and eventually eliminating scope 1 emissions from its data centers, as noted in its recently published ESG Report.

After rigorous testing, HVO100 is now being utilized in lieu of fossil fuel-based diesel.

Advanced biofuels such as HVO are typically made from vegetable oil or used cooking oil and generally produce fewer emissions than regular fuel.

Research suggests 1,000 liters of HVO releases 195 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide compared to 3,600 kg for the same amount of regular diesel.

HVO100 has also been shown to produce approximately 33 percent lower levels of fine particles, 9 percent fewer nitrogen oxides, 30 percent fewer hydrocarbons, 24 percent lower carbon monoxide, and lower levels of polyaromatic hydrocarbons than traditional diesel.  

Lower smoke and soot emissions were also recorded when using HVO.

“Stack understands that sustainability is a business imperative that shapes how we design, construct and operate critical infrastructure in an increasingly digital world,” said John Eland, CEO of Stack’s Europe, Middle East and Africa operations. “To address our scope 2 emissions, we already utilize 100 percent renewable energy across our global data-center portfolio. Implementing HVO100 aligns with our commitment to reducing our scope 1 emissions, marking a significant step toward a greener future.”

Geir Vistung, the manager of Stack’s OSL04 Campus, added, “We are proud to be pioneering green initiatives in Norway. Our heat reuse program in Oslo is award-winning, we harvest rainwater to support our cooling systems at several of our data-center campuses, and the use of HVO100 is yet another example of industry-leading innovation.”

In addition to this latest facility on the OSL04 campus, two more Stack data centers became operational this year in Oslo, increasing Stack’s footprint in Norway by another 18 megawatts.

Stack’s continued expansion in the Nordics also includes a 72-megawatt campus under development in Copenhagen and an 18-megawatt campus under development in Stockholm.

Stack’s EMEA presence spans additional key markets including Milan, Geneva, Zurich and Frankfurt, with an operational and planned portfolio amounting to more than 1 gigawatt across the region.