Saft battery replaces diesel backup at Microsoft data centre

Author: Isha Jain

Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has delivered a battery energy storage system (BESS) to replace diesel backup power generators at Microsoft’s sustainable data centre in Sweden. The system entered operation in June 2023 as a key milestone on Microsoft’s path to diesel-free data centres by 2030.

The new BESS results from a collaboration formed between TotalEnergies and Microsoft in March 2021 to drive towards net zero goals with opportunities for wider deployment.

Until now, diesel generators have been essential for data centre power continuity in the case of a grid outage. Running generators for backup and testing was an unavoidable source of greenhouse gas emissions. The new large-scale BESS overcomes this by providing four groups of 4MWh each for up to 80min of back up energy.

Saft deployed the BESS over 16 months following Microsoft’s approach to data centre architecture. This focuses on safety and reliability by creating backup systems in groups that work independently to ensure a high level of redundancy.

As well as displacing the diesel generator, the BESS supports grid stability and provides black start capability to ensure rapid recovery of the power grid in the case of an outage.

Saft delivered the BESS on a turnkey basis with integrated power conversion and control equipment divided across four independent groups. The scope included a total of eight Intensium Max 20 High Energy containers organised in four groups, each capable of delivering a peak power rating of 3MW.