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Computerworld - American Power Conversion Corp. (APC) yesterday unveiled a backup power system for data centers that uses fuel cell technology to keep the centers running during a power failure.
The InfraStruXure with Integrated Fuel Cells system, which fits within a single 42U rack, provides up to 30 kilowatts of power using bottled hydrogen gas as fuel. Bill Hunt, product line manager at the West Kingston, R.I., vendor of backup power systems, said the system sells for between $50,000 and $100,000 and is aimed at data centers where generators are impractical -- such as in high-rise buildings -- and that require longer runtimes than universal power supplies alone can deliver.
The Integrated Fuel Cells system, which APC showed off at its headquarters, includes up to three 10-kilowatt fuel cell "stacks" built by APC, a DC-to-DC converter that boosts the DC voltage so that power can be routed through a UPS, and a management console accessible via a Web browser. From the front, each fuel cell module appears as a sealed black metal box. At the rear of the rack, power cables were visible, as was a clear drainage tube, about 1 in. in diameter, that emptied waste water into a small container on the floor.
Fuel cell systems generate water vapor as a byproduct, so data centers will need a drain or container to trap that, said Hunt, although APC plans to add a system that automatically captures waste water and removes it from the room.
Because the fuel cell modules require up to 20 seconds to come up to full power, the system also requires a separate backup UPS that bridges the power gap in the initial moments of an outage. Fuel cells also don't respond well to fluctuating power demands, so the backup batteries also "work like a shock absorber between high and low steps," Hunt said. The fuel cell system also continuously charges the batteries when running.

APC's InfraStruXure with Integrated Fuel Cells backup system fits into a 42u rack.

A single 10-kilowatt fuel cell module generates a total of 13 kilowatts of usable power, with 3 kilowatts used to recharge the batteries and the rest available to power IT equipment.
The InfraStruXure system consumes fuel from standard hydrogen gas "T cylinders." The cylinders, which are 60 in. high by 9 in. in diameter, must be stored outside of the building and connected to the data center with stainless steel tubing. One cylinder can run a 10-kilowatt fuel cell pack for 79 minutes, APC said, with runtimes extended by adding