APC 400kW1MW User Manual download pdf (Page 44)

Low noise levels offer flexibility in data center siting. Because they are so quiet, fuel

cells are able to be placed within close proximity of the load. This practice has been proven

successful in the designs of hospitals, housing facilities, and New York City’s Police Department

near Central Park. The low noise levels are also beneficial to maintenance workers because

hearing protection is not required [58; 10, p. 7].

5.2 Low Emissions

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), emissions from data

center energy use has doubled from the year 2000 to 2006 and have risen to be 1.5% of the

country’s total emissions. If this rate of growth continues, data centers will surpass the airline

industry in emissions by the year 2020 [3, p. 30]. With their low emissions, fuel cells are able to

slow down the increasing rate of data center emissions.

The low emissions of fuel cells are attributed to the fact that they produce electricity

without combustion. The emissions produced from fuel cell systems are given off at the fuel

processor. The chemical reactions that occur during the fuel reforming process produce

carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur oxides. However, if pure hydrogen is used, there are zero

emissions since there would be no need for fuel reforming [11, p. 45; 20, p. 2-6, p. 5-11].

California’s Air Resource Board is focused on reducing the air pollution emissions from

vehicles, fuels, factories, and power plants. CARB creates standards to increase air quality in

order to benefit the health of people and the environment. The CARB standards set limits on

the concentration level of air pollutants and the time that a pollutant can be present in the air

before it can begin to cause health problems for the general public [60, p. 1]. There are also

federal standards given in the Clean Air Act. Currently, the CARB standards are more stringent

than those of the Clean Air Act [61, p. 1].

Fuel cell emissions are much lower than those of conventional combustion systems and

well within air quality regulations [13, p. 8]. The emissions from fuel cells are dependent on the

type of fuel processor and the source of fuel. According to the UTC Power PureCell Model 400

data sheet in Appendix B, this fuel cell meets the 2007 CARB standards. The PureCell Model

400 with natural gas supply emits 0.035 pounds per megawatt-hour (lb/MWh) of nitrogen

oxides. The PureCell Model 400’s sulfur dioxide emissions are so low that the data sheet

doesn’t give a value, but rather says that the amount is negligible [56]. According to the

DFC300 data sheet, it only emits 0.01 lb/MWh and 0.0001 lb/MWh of nitrogen oxides and sulfur

oxides, respectively, when supplied natural gas [57, p. 2]. The emissions of the DFC300 also

meet the 2007 CARB standards [22, para 11].

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APC 400kW1MW User Manual Page 44