Why do Data Center Operators Choose Diesel Backup over Cleaner Microgrids?

Operators of data centers — which consume high amounts of electricity per square foot of space — generally choose diesel backup systems over cleaner microgrids, sticking to the tried and true and believing that diesel provides the best reliability option.

But that conservative choice yields emissions of carbon and particulates and misses opportunities to use cleaner microgrids to lower emissions and costs.

That’s the word from microgrid industry members, some of whom are just now beginning to crack the market. They say their efforts to educate data center operators about microgrids’ environmental and cost advantages are slowly beginning to pay off. And, microgrids can meet the data center industry’s requirements for reliability, the industry members say.

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