Microsoft has entered into an agreement with ESB that will see its data centre power control and administration building in Dublin being powered by zero emissions green hydrogen power.
It is the first time that hydrogen fuel cells will be used to provide electricity to a Microsoft data centre in Europe, supplying up to 250kW of clean energy to the Dublin campus over an eight-week period.
ESB's zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells convert stored green hydrogen to electricity, with the only by-product being pure water.
The pilot is part of a series planned by ESB in 2024 and 2025 to showcase the versatility of hydrogen fuel cell technology in different power applications.
"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," said Eoin Doherty, Vice President, EMEA Regional Leader, Microsoft Cloud Operations + Innovation.
"If scaled successfully, it could provide new ways of advancing sustainability in our sector and beyond," Mr Doherty said.
Jim Dollard, ESB Executive Director, Generation and Trading said that 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," Mr Dollard said.
