Standby generators provide data centers with reliable backup power, new options for sustainability

The Engine Technology Forum recognized International Data Center Day March 26 by highlighting the significant and growing role of data centers and the standby-power systems that are a mission-critical aspect of data-center operations.  

Thanks to new state-of-the-art engine technology, emissions control and fuel options, these systems enhance the sustainability of data-center operations while helping ensure continuous supply of electricity. 

“Data centers are playing an increasingly important role in our connected, online lives,” said ETF Executive Director Allen Schaeffer. “There are currently 5,426 data centers in the United States, and demand for them is expected to grow by more than 10 percent annually through 2030, according to some sources.” 

A key consideration for data centers is a continuous power supply.  

Uninterrupted power is mission-critical for every data center and is becoming increasingly important, Schaeffer noted.  

“The U.S. Energy Information Administration found that U.S. electricity customers averaged 5.5 hours of power interruptions in 2022,” he said. “On average, there are 250 power cuts per year in the U.S. affecting a median average of 80,000 customers.” 

Schaeffer added that power outages from extreme-weather events have doubled over the past two decades, according to the Associated Press.  

“Behind every data-center operation is an insurance policy in the form of standby generators, ready to kick in if grid power fails,” Schaeffer said. “Reciprocating internal-combustion engines, like those powered by diesel or natural gas, have long been the preferred technology for standby-power systems in data centers due to their rapid-response time, load-carrying capacity, reliability, high-quality power output and, in the case of diesel, self-contained fuel storage.” 

As data centers work to improve the sustainability of their operations, more are opting for advanced generators with near-zero emissions performance and powering them with renewable biofuels such as hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel.  

This biofuel is a drop-in replacement for traditional diesel fuel and reduces criteria pollutants as well as carbon emissions.  

Leading manufacturers of standby generators for data centers Caterpillar, Cummins and Rolls-Royce Power Systems have all endorsed the use of these low-carbon renewable fuels.  

“Today’s diesel generators for data-center applications can be equipped with a range of advanced emissions-control systems that reduce emissions by over 90 percent,” Schaeffer said. “A leader in data-center emissions-control systems, Johnson Matthey provides selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, particulate filters and oxidation catalysts available for new installations as well as retrofit options for existing data-center applications. We join with operators, developers and users in recognizing the important and growing role of data centers, and we come together on this day to acknowledge all that goes into keeping our digital world connected and communicating.”