Fujitsu installs hydrogen power plant in Silicon Valley campus

Sunnyvale (CA) – Fujitsu today said that it has completed work on a fuel cell power plant that will provide about 50% of the power needed to cool the firm’s Sunnyvale campus data center and labs.

An sense for eco-responsibility is an increasingly important topic in the IT industry and Fujitsu is just the latest to announce an effort to reduce its power consumption. The company is firing up a "clean" fuel-cell based hydrogen power plant to support its need for electrical power.

While the plant will cover only about half of what the company requires to cool the data center and labs at its Silicon Valley campus, the firm claims that the plant utilizes natural gas and creates 35% less CO2 per megawatt-hour than the average fossil fuel-based power plant and about 4000 lbs per year less NOx – which Fujitsu says equals the output of 100 average passenger cars.

Per year, the power plant will also save "at least 800,000 gallons of water per year" (or 12 million gallons over the expected 15-year life of the fuel cells) when compared to a conventional power plant, Fujitsu promises.

Of course, the fuel cell plant isn’t just there to save power (and money) for Fujitsu. The installation is also a large-scale demo unit to showcase the current state of fuel cell hydrogen technology. "Our real-world use of the hydrogen fuel cell is a clear demonstration of the ability of corporations to make a significant and financially responsible investment in reducing harmful impacts on the environment, with the ultimate goal of reversing global warming," said Tetsuo Urano, head of American operations, Fujitsu America, in a prepared statement.