{"id":21737,"date":"2012-11-29T20:12:53","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T01:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/blog\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2021-07-25T14:37:42","modified_gmt":"2021-07-25T18:37:42","slug":"msft-powers-data-center-with-sewers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/msft-powers-data-center-with-sewers\/","title":{"rendered":"MSFT Powers Data Center with Sewers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MSFT<\/a>The prize for the most unlikely clean power source may be going to Microsoft<\/a><\/strong> (MSFT<\/a>). Greenbz.com<\/em><\/a> reports that the boys from Redmond are working on powering data centers<\/strong> with sewage<\/strong><\/a>. Microsoft plans to power a demo data center with sewage, yeah poo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Microsoft<\/a>FuelCell Energy<\/a><\/strong> (FCEL<\/a>) recently revealed to the blog, it is working with MSFT on a $5.5 million trial. <\/strong>The trial will use biogas from a wastewater treatment facility<\/a> to power a fuel cell.<\/strong> The fuel cell at Dry Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Cheyenne, WY will provide “ultra-clean and carbon-neutral electricity” to a\u00a0Microsoft data center.<\/p>\n

InfoWeek<\/a><\/em> says<\/a> that biogas consists mostly of methane and carbon dioxide. <\/strong>It may also contain small amounts of other gasses, including hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen. The power is produced by anaerobic digestion<\/a>. A<\/strong>naerobic digestion is a process in which bacteria that live only in places without air break down organic, biodegradable matter.\u00a0 Biodegradable matter is better known as sewage, animal manure, municipal waste, and plant material.<\/p>\n

\"Fuel<\/a>The initial trial will use one of FuelCell Energy’s sub-megawatt Direct FuelCell<\/strong> (DFC) power plant systems. The DFC will generate 200 kW<\/a> of power for a Microsoft IT pre-assembled component (ITPAC) modular data center. <\/strong>The ITPAC is set up to resemble a standard data center environment. Any electricity not used by the data center will help power the water treatment plant. The system will also provide usable heat for the facility.<\/p>\n

Direct FuelCell power plant systems<\/h3>\n

Power Engineering<\/a><\/em> explains<\/a> that stationary DFC power plants convert a fuel source into electricity and usable high-temperature heat suitable for making steam. DFC plants are fuel flexible, capable of operating on natural gas, renewable biogas, directed biogas, and other fuels including propane. The fuel cell generates electricity and heat electrochemically.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Gregg McKnight, general manager for data center advanced development at Microsoft, told Greenbiz.com<\/em> that with the company has recently committed to becoming “carbon neutral<\/strong>” by 2013 it was committed to exploring the viability of a number of renewable energy sources<\/a>. He is quoted in the article, “… Microsoft is researching new methods to help our operations become more efficient and environmentally sustainable,” he said.\u00a0 “This project will study methods to provide an economical and reliable power supply for data centers<\/a> that is also scalable and economical for use by other industries.”<\/p>\n

rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

OK let the snarky comments rip about MSFT software powered from the sewer or as one commenter noted, leave it to Microsoft to power its cloud services with a very different kind of cloud — a smellier, gaseous one.<\/em><\/p>\n

I covered\u00a0HP’s<\/a> (HPQ<\/a>) plans to power its data centers with cow manure here<\/a>. It looks like Microsoft aims to build more data plants near other sources of renewable energy like landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and even dairy farms.<\/em><\/p>\n

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