Amazon is looking to power three Oregon-based data centers using natural gas fuel cells.
This is due to the company's inability to obtain sufficient power to supply its vast data center network.
- Amazon
has been using grid electricity provided by the Umatilla Electric
Cooperative to run a portion of its Oregon data centers. However, data
centers require massive quantities of electricity to function properly,
and Amazon has exceeded the amount of electricity allotted by the
cooperative.
- To get
the power it needs to keep its data centers running, Amazon is looking
to buy power generated with natural gas, which it would likely source
from California-based Bloom Energy.
- This would be the first time Amazon uses fuel cells to power its data centers anywhere in the world.
- The
use of natural gas fuel cells has sparked concern among Oregon state
regulators, who say that it is a greenhouse gas contributing to climate
change and that it goes against Amazon's commitment "to procure 100% renewable energy" by 2025.