Microsoft Azure: Microsoft replaces diesel power with battery energy system at Swedish data center

Microsoft has replaced the criticized diesel backup generators used at a Swedish data center with a battery energy storage system (BESS). The BESS system supplied in June provides 16MWh of storage and black start capability to guarantee instant recovery of the power grid, all without greenhouse gas emissions. 

This system includes eight Intensium Max 20 High Energy battery containers, arranged in four groups. Each group has a 4MWh capacity, for up to 80 minutes of backup energy, suggesting an average power delivery of about 12MW. 

Microsoft signed a deal with TotalEnergies, the parent company of Saft for the provision of the BESS system since 2021 as part of its plan to remove diesels by 2030. Eoin Doherty, general manager, EMEA, Microsoft Cloud operations & innovation said, “Finding alternatives to diesel backup is an important step towards our 2030 goal to become carbon negative, and is integral to our 2050 goal to remove from the environment all the carbon that Microsoft has emitted since it was founded in 1975.”

Cedric Duclos, Saft’s CEO,said, “TotalEnergies is proud to support Microsoft in its goal to reduce its emissions from data centers. The collaboration with Microsoft has allowed its affiliate Saft to deliver this system, which shows the huge potential for battery energy storage to decarbonize the digital industry.”