Honda Motor Co. (Honda), Tokuyama and Mitsubishi (‘Project Members’) will conduct a joint demonstration to operate a data centre using by-product hydrogen and a stationary fuel cell power station designed to reuse fuel cell systems from fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
This project was proposed to and adopted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) as one of the projects for the Development of Technologies for Realizing a Hydrogen Society / Development of Technologies for Regional Hydrogen Utilization.
Conducted in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, it will use by-product hydrogen produced by Tokuyama’s saltwater electrolysis business to supply electricity to a distributed data centre operated by Mitsubishi from a stationary fuel cell power station that Honda will develop based on the assumption of reusing fuel cells from FCEVs.
Project Members will explore the potential of reusing automotive fuel cell systems in a stationary application. The objective of the project is to reduce the economic burden on customers installing and operating stationary fuel cell systems, which will contribute to the decarbonisation of the electric power.
A further increase in power demand for data centres is expected in the long run due to the advancement of technologies that require large-volume data processing, such as Generative AI and automated driving.
In the face of this market environment, by utilising by-product hydrogen and fuel cells to power distributed data centres, the Project Members aim to facilitate the decarbonisation of data centres and the digital transformation of municipalities and local businesses.
The project will run from March 31, 2024, through to the fiscal year March 31, 2026.
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