CONRAD ENERGY TO DEPLOY FUEL CELLS TO PROVIDE CLEAN, COST-EFFECTIVE AND RESILIENT POWER TO TELEDATA’S MANCHESTER FACILITY.

Large energy users are increasingly looking for innovative energy solutions to help to ensure a cheaper, cleaner, uninterrupted energy supply. Teledata, who provide premium co-location, cloud hosting and data centre services and Conrad Energy, the UK’s largest resilient power producer and complete energy solutions provider, have agreed to install an initial 1.2 megawatts of solid oxide fuel cells from Bloom Energy at Teledata’s 1500m2 data centre in Manchester. Conrad Energy will fully fund the installation of the efficient and hydrogen ready Energy Servers from Bloom, enabling Teledata to increase the resilience of the data centre and future proof their power supply.

Teledata chose to work with Conrad Energy on this project because of their flexible approach to financing new technologies and experience of applying innovative energy solutions on their own and customer sites. The two companies were introduced via ENWCML, who are working with Conrad Energy and Bloom Energy in a strategic collaboration to offer these hydrogen ready, behind the meter applications to their customer base.

“It is becoming incredibly important for data centres to take control of their energy supply, both for technical and commercial certainty and for sustainability reasons. This solution not only reduces our carbon emissions through a cleaner, hydrogen ready fuel supply, but it also gives us a second power feed into the facility from a completely different fuel source - a European data centre industry first,” says Matt Edgley, Director, Teledata. “This level of resilience running in parallel with the existing mains supply will give our clients even more certainty when hosting business critical equipment at our data centres.”

“The Teledata deal comes hot on the heels of our announcement with Bloom Energy and ENWCML,” says Mark Kelly, Conrad Energy’s Head of Power Solutions. “Forward thinking companies like Teledata recognise the need to future-proof their energy supply whilst taking control of their energy costs. On site generation from fuel cells is a viable solution which is available today. The fuel cells will operate under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) which brings real added value, helping Teledata on their path to net zero carbon emissions.”

“We are delighted Teledata has selected Bloom’s energy platform as their technology of choice to bring clean and resilient power to the UK,” said Tim Schweikert, Senior Managing Director of International Business Development at Bloom Energy. “Teledata is a progressive leader in the data centre industry, and we look forward to supporting their mission critical infrastructure with clean, always-on power while facilitating a transition to a net-zero future.”

“To be able to announce the first collaboration with one of our existing customers so quickly evidences the huge potential fuel cell technology has for the UK energy sector,” says Charles Hesketh, ENWCML Market Sector Manager. “Not only is it our first project, but also Bloom Energy’s first foray into the European market. To be able to bring this exciting technology to the UK is a mark of our intention to be at the forefront of new technologies. Teledata’s vision to adopt this solution at their Manchester site is testament to their energy strategy and one that we are sure others will adopt.”