Searching For Better Backup Energy Sources For Data Centers At Bisnow's March 7 Dallas Event

While they are an essential tool in today’s economy to store, process and secure information, data centers also demand a huge amount of power and may be a significant contributor to climate change. It has been estimated that data centers use 200 terawatt-hours of electricity annually and generate 3.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

To reduce the carbon footprint, companies like Kohler want to be a part of the solution by creating more efficient power generators to provide cleaner backup power.

“With data centers demanding so much power, it's our responsibility to offer better solutions that are more sustainable,” Kohler Business Development Manager Ben Crawford said. “At Kohler, we're creating more efficient and environmentally conscious generators to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions.” 

Crawford is speaking at Bisnow’s National DICE event on March 7 at The Statler in Dallas. He will be joined by other speakers to discuss cleaner alternatives to power data centers. Register here. 

Bisnow spoke with Crawford about some of the trends he is observing, the challenges of creating cost-effective and sustainable data centers, and how Kohler is providing solutions. 

Bisnow: What sustainability trends are you seeing today?

Crawford: I think it comes down to advancements on both the demand and supply sides. Data centers are requiring more power, and operators are trying to come up with a strategy that uses less energy output for these processes and demands.

On the supply side, particularly the energy aspect, operators are exploring options to lower the carbon emissions from backup power solutions. When a data center struggles to get grid power in an emergency, we can offer solutions that reduce an operator's expenses and emissions. 

Bisnow: What inspired you to attend Bisnow’s DICE event in Dallas?

Crawford: Attending Bisnow’s Dallas event helps me keep my eyes and ears locked on new trends and advancements in data centers. Also, this gives me a platform to showcase what Kohler is doing and how we are advancing decarbonization strategies. I think it's a great benefit to teach people and also learn from data center operators. 

Bisnow: What are some of the challenges of creating cost-effective and sustainable data centers?

Crawford: Not only are they expensive to run, but I think it becomes challenging to find more sustainable energy solutions while maintaining resiliency. 

While solar and wind can provide intermittent sources of power, there's still a need for a more reliable source that can hold down the entire data center operation, especially when there's a grid outage. The most common conventional solutions would be diesel or natural gas generators. 

At Kohler, we’re focused on making sure we provide optimized products through our advanced combustion technologies. We’re also offering alternative energy sources like hydrogen fuel cells, but there's still work to be done with ongoing hydrogen supply chain issues. One thing all operators have in common is taking incremental, actionable steps toward creating a more sustainable data center system while being more cost-effective. We want to be a part of this progress.

Bisnow: What is Kohler doing to help provide more feasible solutions? 

Crawford: My role in emerging technologies is to find alternative solutions to complement our core portfolio. One way we’re doing that is by advancing our core conventional technologies such as diesel generators. As the primary backup solution for data centers globally today, all of our diesel engines are capable of accepting hydrotreated vegetable oil, or HVO, which is a renewable diesel. It allows operators to lower their carbon footprint because this alternative source has a lower carbon intensity throughout its life cycle. 

The second part is establishing an industry-leading protocol for operations and maintenance for backup solutions. A facility operator for mission-critical applications typically exercises diesel generators monthly, which consumes a lot of fuel, leading to wasted energy and increased costs.

To combat this, we’re offering a maintenance program called Conscious Care to help data center customers reduce their expenses and carbon footprint. This program allows for a fuel-saving, no-load exercise specifically with our diesel generators, reducing carbon emissions by 44%. Also, we can shift to a four-month extended exercise where customers can perform the test every four months when the demand load on the local power utility is at its lowest, reducing total carbon emissions by 69% and fuel consumption by 71%. 

Bisnow: As data center sustainability strategies advance in the next five years, how will Kohler be a part of this evolution? 

Crawford: Going forward, the concern for data center operators is balancing resiliency, sustainability and economics.

Kohler is participating on the energy supply side by providing cost-effective solutions that incrementally meet the needs of our customers as they transition. The more we can make advancements in our engine technology to reduce fuel usage, the more we can come up with inexpensive ways to run data centers while maintaining resiliency. 

Using hydrogen as a fuel alternative is a big topic. We recently announced the Kohler hydrogen fuel cell system, which we've been developing for several years. Leveraging our existing expertise and capabilities, we've designed and manufactured the system to perform as well as conventional solutions, but now with the added benefit of zero emissions at the point of use. We're also exploring the combustion of alternative fuels like ammonia and methanol. We know that one technology does not fit all cases, and we want to be a solutions provider that helps our customers meet a range of goals. 

Register here for Bisnow's National Dice event on March 7. 

This article was produced in collaboration between Studio B and Kohler. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to [email protected]