‘If this pilot delivers what we expect, it adds real momentum to Ireland’s decarbonisation story,’ said Equinix’s Irish head Peter Lantry.

Global data centre giant Equinix is testing its first hydrogen-powered backup units in Ireland.

The 12-week pilot programme will test two hydrogen power generators developed by UK clean energy company GeoPura situated at Equinix’s DB3 data centre in Dublin’s Blanchardstown. The units are currently being used to support cooling systems within the facility.

The pilot is in conjunction with GeoPura and ESB – which owns one of the units. A similar joint project between ESB and Microsoft was launched in 2024.

The three partners believe that the project could provide solutions for Ireland’s grid constraints, which faces mounting pressure from data centres that consumed 22pc of the country’s total metred electricity in 2024. That figure is only set to rise as more companies situate these massive energy users in Ireland.

Equinix and ESB said they will gain valuable data insights into carbon reduction potential as a result of the project, which could be beneficial to policymakers and universities as they assess Ireland’s renewable needs.

Currently, Ireland has 72 data centre buildings that “underpin” more than 850,000 jobs and added more than €100bn in annual gross value to the economy, according to a March report from KPMG. The Government says data centres directly employ only 21,000.

Meanwhile, climate activists say that the rapid expansion of data centres cost the Irish economy €715m between 2015 and 2023. Climate group Friends of the Earth Ireland, in a recent report, said that households could face an additional €1.43bn in electricity costs linked to data centre growth between 2026 and 2034.

In January, the Government launched a new plan to attract more investments in highly energy-intensive sectors by offering companies the ability co-locate alongside indigenous renewable energy resources. However, companies can still locate developments outside these locations.

“As data demand continues to grow, solutions like hydrogen power units offer a reliable, clean alternative to traditional backup generation,” said Paul Lennon, the head of asset development at ESB generation trading.

Peter Lantry, the managing director of Equinix Ireland said: “If this pilot delivers what we expect, it adds real momentum to Ireland’s decarbonisation story.”

The new hydrogen generators are a first for Equinix’s 280-plus data centre footprint worldwide. The two deployed generators have helped Equinix bring its power use effectiveness (PUE) – a metric used to measure the efficiency of power usage by data centres – to below 1.3 at the DB3 centre, the company said.

A lower PUE means data centres are using a majority of the energy consumed for computing. An ideal PUE is 1, which would mean that all the energy consumed by the facility is used for IT, with no overhead for cooling, lighting or other support.

The units, housed in shipping containers, are powered by green hydrogen and use advanced fuel cell technology that allows the system to produce “clean, silent” energy, Equinix said.

They make “zero” direct on-site emissions, and only produce water and heat as byproducts at the point of use. The backup generators can also respond in real-time to changes in grid capacity and switch on when needed.

“As demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow, operators are facing increasing pressure to secure reliable power, reduce emissions and minimise the impact on local communities,” said GeoPura CEO Andrew Cunningham.

“This trial shows how hydrogen can help address those challenges today. By combining hydrogen fuel cell technology with battery systems and uninterruptible power capabilities, we’re delivering reliable zero direct on-site emission power that can respond instantly when required.”

The partners also believe that hydrogen power in this context could offer a viable lower-carbon alternative for construction sites and other temporary power needs traditionally reliant on diesel generation. Hydrogen fuel units such as these are scalable up to 50MW to support both backup and prime power applications.

According to the trio, the waste heat could also make potential uses for future district heating projects and the water can be recycled into the on-site cooling systems.

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