The Diesel Dilemma explores the risks, inefficiencies, and hidden costs of relying on diesel-fueled backup power for mission-critical operations, using a 500 MW data center to show how large-scale operations are impacted.
The Diesel Dilemma was originally published as a series of articles that explored the risks, inefficiencies, and hidden costs of relying on diesel-fueled backup power for mission-critical operations, using a 500 MW data center to show how large-scale operations are impacted. The series begins by exposing how extreme weather events can cripple fuel supply and delivery networks, leaving facilities stranded when their generators are needed most. From there, it examines the hard math behind refueling logistics, showing that even modest runtimes require an impractical number of trucks, drivers, and coordination under crisis conditions.
The discussion then turns to the regional impacts of clustered demand and supply-chain constraints, where too many facilities competing for the same limited diesel resources push the system past its breaking point. A deeper look into onsite operations reveals the true cost of maintaining diesel readiness, from the land consumed by massive fuel storage tanks to the constant security, staffing, and regulatory burdens of handling millions of gallons onsite. Finally, the series uncovers how supplier dependencies and fragile logistics networks expose a weak link in diesel’s promise of reliability, and it’s one that fails precisely when the grid does.
Presented in this white-paper format, these articles collectively dismantle the myth of diesel dependability and present a compelling case for smarter, cleaner alternatives that deliver the flexibility, resilience, and sustainability needed to power the digital age.
