When Data Center Diesel Backup Generators Make the News

Premised on DCF's recent article series centered on data center diesel backup generator technology, the latest episode of the Data Center Frontier Show podcast finds site editors Matt Vincent and David Chernicoff recounting how Aligned Data Centers' Quantum Loophole campus was recently called out by the State of Maryland over a permitting snag in a contentiously approved plan for construction of 168 data center diesel generators, amounting to over 500 MW of backup power generation. Data centers like Aligned's Quantum Loophole campus, which is being raised on the site of a former aluminum smelting plant, seek to do in Maryland what so many others are doing next door in Northern Virginia. Maryland does want the data center business, but isn't having it without certain qualifications to be met in the form of the state's Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) licensing process. As recorded by DCD, in wake of the permitting snag, Maryland officials have wondered aloud about clean energy alternatives, even to the point of expressing incredulity that use of carbon-emitting technology is even on the table -- especially given certain outside realities, not least being Aligned's use of microgrid power in its Plano, Texas data center. Chernicoff and Vincent sidle up to the conclusion that a modular, incremental technology approach allows for a mosaic of available data center backup power generation solutions including diesel to be used, which the overall industry currently requires. Chernicoff also notes how Tier 4 standards for data center diesel power have gotten significantly cleaner after two decades of refinement. Here’s a timeline of points discussed on the podcast: 1:05 - The Issue with Aligned Data Centers' Quantum Loophole Campus In Maryland 2:00 - Diesel and Maryland Are At Loggerheads 4:00 - If Someplace Ever Screamed Out for a Microgrid ... 5:20 - Perceptions of Diesel Power 6:00 - Cleaner Generators and Backup Power Runtime Realities 6:42 - The 3 Big Players in the Data Center Diesel Generators 7:14 - Competitive Advantages of No-Load Maintenance 8:20 - Alternatives to Diesel: Microgrid, Battery Backup, SMR, and Biodiesel Technologies 9:44 - A Catch-22 Situation for Data Centers 10:41 - Bits and Pieces of Technology 10:59 - The Benefit of Building from a Clean Slate 11:29 - Building an Entire Data Center Campus, You Expect To Be There For a Decade or Three 12:00 - Could a Microgrid Ever Furnish On-Demand Gigawatt Power? 12:27 - Enclosures for Diesel Backup Power Generators 13:21 - Quality of Support a Huge Competitive Factor 14:17 - The Scoop on Supply Chain 15:15 - Diesel Generator Sizing Concerns 16:01 - Overprovisioning for Backup Power Is an Issue 17:10 - Where Diesel Power Generation Meets Sustainability 18:08 - A Stepping Stone to Other Backup Power Solutions? Here are links to some recent DCF articles on backup power for data centers: Top-Level Issues to Consider When Selecting Backup Generator Technology Sustainability Advantages of HVO Fuel for Diesel Generators Virginia Ends Effort to Shift Data Centers to Generators in Grid Alerts New Technology and Practices Improve the Environmental Performance of Diesel Generators Beyond Diesel: Sustainable Onsite Power for Data Centers Microsoft Plans to Stop Using Diesel Generators by 2030 Google Looks to Batteries as Replacement for Diesel Generators Rethinking the Data Center: Hydrogen Backup is Latest Microsoft Moonshot