Using Data Center Waste Heat for Hydrogen Production

Data centers are anticipated to consume up to 9% of global electricity by 2030 and have a corresponding large carbon and water footprint. This study provides the first known comparison of systems that reuse waste heat from data center equipment for hydrogen production. The produced hydrogen can then be stored for later use in fuel cells as backup power in case of grid power failure. This scheme replaces diesel combustion in generators for backup power, potentially significantly reducing carbon emissions since no combustion of diesel is required for electricity production. Four approaches are explored for hydrogen production using waste heat: first, through electricity production using an organic Rankine cycle, which in turn generates zero-carbon, green hydrogen using electrolysis; second, through steam methane reforming from biogas generation using anaerobic digestion; third, through methane pyrolysis of biogas generation using anaerobic digestion; and fourth, through using an organic Rankine cycle to run a thermolysis process to produce hydrogen. Preliminary calculations suggest that the four approaches could provide annual backup power for up to 68 hours, 1,950 hours, 2,300 hours, and 51 hours, respectively, which surpasses anticipated outage times. Other factors, however, need to be addressed in the practical implementation of these systems.