DCF Show: Data Center Diesel Backup Generators In the News
Premised on DCF's recent article series centered on data center diesel backup generator technology, the latest episode of the Data Center Frontier Show podcast finds site editors Matt Vincent and David Chernicoff recounting how Aligned Data Centers' Quantum Loophole campus was recently called out by the State of Maryland over a permitting snag in a contentiously approved plan for construction of 168 data center diesel generators, amounting to over 500 MW of backup power generation.
Data centers like Aligned's Quantum Loophole campus, which is being raised on the site of a former aluminum smelting plant, seek to do in Maryland what so many others are doing next door in Northern Virginia. Maryland does want the data center business, but isn't having it without certain qualifications to be met in the form of the state's Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) licensing process.
As recorded by DCD, in wake of the permitting snag, Maryland officials are now wondering aloud about clean energy alternatives, to the point of expressing incredulity that use of carbon-emitting technology is even on the table -- especially given certain outside realities, not least being Aligned's use of microgrid power in its Plano, Texas data center.
Chernicoff and Vincent sidle up to the conclusion that a modular, incremental technology approach allows for a mosaic of available data center backup power generation technologies including diesel to be used, which the overall industry currently requires. Chernicoff also notes how Tier 4 standards for data center diesel power have gotten significantly cleaner after two decades of refinement.
Listen to today's show:
Here’s a timeline of points discussed on the podcast:
- 1:05 - The Issue with Aligned Data Centers' Quantum Loophole Campus In Maryland
- 2:00 - Diesel Power and the State of Maryland Are At Loggerheads
- 4:00 - If Someplace Ever Screamed Out for a Microgrid ...
- 5:20 - Perceptions of Diesel Power
- 6:00 - Cleaner Generators and Backup Power Runtime Realities
- 6:42 - The 3 Big Players in the Data Center Diesel Generators
- 7:14 - Competitive Advantages of No-Load Maintenance
- 8:20 - Alternatives to Diesel: Microgrid, Battery Backup, SMR, and Biodiesel Technologies
- 9:44 - A Catch-22 Situation for Data Centers
- 10:41 - Bits and Pieces of Technology
- 10:59 - The Benefit of Building from a Clean Slate
- 11:29 - Building an Entire Data Center Campus, You Expect To Be There For a Decade or Three
- 12:00 - Could a Microgrid Ever Furnish On-Demand Gigawatt Power?
- 12:27 - Enclosures for Diesel Backup Power Generators
- 13:21 - Quality of Support a Huge Competitive Factor
- 14:17 - The Scoop on Supply Chain
- 15:15 - Diesel Generator Sizing Concerns
- 16:01 - Overprovisioning for Backup Power Is an Issue
- 17:10 - Where Diesel Power Generation Meets Sustainability
- 18:08 - A Stepping Stone to Other Backup Power Solutions?
Here are links to some recent DCF articles on backup power for data centers:
- Top-Level Issues to Consider When Selecting Backup Generator Technology
- Sustainability Advantages of HVO Fuel for Diesel Generators
- Virginia Ends Effort to Shift Data Centers to Generators in Grid Alerts
- New Technology and Practices Improve the Environmental Performance of Diesel Generators
- Beyond Diesel: Sustainable Onsite Power for Data Centers
- Microsoft Plans to Stop Using Diesel Generators by 2030
- Google Looks to Batteries as Replacement for Diesel Generators
- Rethinking the Data Center: Hydrogen Backup is Latest Microsoft Moonshot
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About the Author
Matt Vincent
Matt Vincent is Editor in Chief of Data Center Frontier, where he leads editorial strategy and coverage focused on the infrastructure powering cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy. A veteran B2B technology journalist with more than two decades of experience, Vincent specializes in the intersection of data centers, power, cooling, and emerging AI-era infrastructure. Since assuming the EIC role in 2023, he has helped guide Data Center Frontier’s coverage of the industry’s transition into the gigawatt-scale AI era, with a focus on hyperscale development, behind-the-meter power strategies, liquid cooling architectures, and the evolving energy demands of high-density compute, while working closely with the Digital Infrastructure Group at Endeavor Business Media to expand the brand’s analytical and multimedia footprint. Vincent also hosts The Data Center Frontier Show podcast, where he interviews industry leaders across hyperscale, colocation, utilities, and the data center supply chain to examine the technologies and business models reshaping digital infrastructure. Since its inception he serves as Head of Content for the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit. Before becoming Editor in Chief, he served in multiple senior editorial roles across Endeavor Business Media’s digital infrastructure portfolio, with coverage spanning data centers and hyperscale infrastructure, structured cabling and networking, telecom and datacom, IP physical security, and wireless and Pro AV markets. He began his career in 2005 within PennWell’s Advanced Technology Division and later held senior editorial positions supporting brands such as Cabling Installation & Maintenance, Lightwave Online, Broadband Technology Report, and Smart Buildings Technology. Vincent is a frequent moderator, interviewer, and keynote speaker at industry events including the HPC Forum, where he delivers forward-looking analysis on how AI and high-performance computing are reshaping digital infrastructure. He graduated with honors from Indiana University Bloomington with a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing and lives in southern New Hampshire with his family, remaining an active musician in his spare time.
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