Green IT: Data Center of a Bank entirely powered by Fuel Cells
The First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO – Nebraska, USA) wanted to insure its data center against any power outage. So they built a new “underground” data center in Omaha, lined with concrete. The facility is powered by hydrogen fuel cells, fully operational “off the grid”, not connected to the national electricity grid.
“If the entire city of Omaha loses electrical power, we don’t lose it,” says CIO and SVP Ken Kucera.
The FNBO data center’s servers and cooling equipment are supported by four phosphoric acid fuel cells that generate up to 225 kW of power.
FNBO is among the few data centers in the United States that are wholly or partially powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which is more expensive than traditional sources of electricity.
APC recently introduced “Fuel Cell Extended Run (FCXR),” a hydrogen fuel cell-based energy backup solution that integrates with InfraStruXure’s rack and enclosure system.
The main obstacle to fuel cell adoption is cost. According to the EPA, most companies take nearly 16 years to get a return on fuel cell plants, even with government grants and tax credits.
First National Bank of Omaha paid $2.6 million for its four fuel cell generators, for an equivalent of 15 cents per kWh, as opposed to the local cost of 3.5 cents. But the company has a different logic of supporting its investment. Ken Kucera claims that FNBO “gets the ROI in part from not needing to build and maintain a new $75 million backup center.”
