Bharti Airtel has partnered with Bloom Energy for the fuel cell installation at its subsidiary, Nxtra.
Adding to the renewable energy installations, Nxtra would be the first data centre company in India to deploy fuel cell technology. Located in Karnataka, this unit is aimed to start on non-combusted natural gas before switching to 50% hydrogen in future.
The primary usage of natural gas-powered cells is for power generation with utility electrical grids and generators as backup sources. The supply of much cleaner energy to would lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions. Nxtra plans to start the unit without any significant investment.
Mr. Rajesh Tapadia, COO, Nxtra by Airtel said, “Nxtra is committed to set new benchmarks in sustainability for the data centre industry and play a leading role as India emerges as the leading data centre destination in APAC. With an ambition to reach net zero by 2031, we have embarked on our sustainability journey by making all possible efforts to adopt innovative energy solutions. Our partnership with Bloom Energy is a testament to our future-ready energy strategy to supply much cleaner energy to our data centres.
Tim Schweikert, senior managing director, international business development, Bloom Energy added, “Bloom Energy’s technology is distinctly capable of helping India meet its decarbonization objectives as it transitions to a hydrogen economy. We are proud to collaborate with Nxtra to support them in their pursuit of using clean, reliable and affordable power for their data centres.”
Nxtra has over 12 large and 120 edge data centres across the country and has already partnered with 8 organisations to source more than 180,000 MWh of renewable energy. It targets to achieve 50% of the power requirements through renewable energy sources in the next 12 months.
