Rolls-Royce and Cellcentric, a joint venture company set up by Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group AB, are taking the next step in their strategic cooperation for the deployment of cellcentric hydrogen fuel cell modules. Rolls-Royce, through its Power Systems business unit, is to develop complete mtu hydrogen fuel cell solutions based on cellcentric’s fuel cell modules that emit nothing other than water vapour.
This will enable CO2-free, climate-neutral generation of emergency power for data centres. Rolls-Royce is among the world’s top three suppliers of emergency gensets for data centres. Both Rolls-Royce and Cellcentric are keen to play a part in driving the fuel cell breakthrough and are convinced that the technology – and time – are right for successfully launching commercial fuel cell applications for the mass market.
Each fuel cell module will in the future deliver a net power output of around 150 kW – sufficient to power approximately 10 homes – and can be connected together into scalable fuel cell power plants with outputs in the megawatt range – capable of providing clean back-up power for large data centers.
Rolls-Royce commissioned a fuel cell demonstrator earlier this year and plans to bring one more demonstrator plant on line in 2022. The first pilot plants with customers will be installed in 2023, with Rolls-Royce launching standard production fuel cell systems in 2025. Recently a fuel cell module was displayed on the Rolls-Royce stand at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
