Mega data centers have become a sore thumb for environmentalists. They suck up lots of power not only to run mega computer servers but also to cool down huge buildings that shelter mega data centers. No wonder why Microsoft wants to explore methane powered fuel cells to overcome inefficiencies of electricity and help the environment. Traditional data centers also uses power efficiency through transmission and conversion.

Fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen electrical current and heat, generating only water as the waste product. Even if they use methane gas, it will still generate less pollutant than natural gas combustion. The new technology also expected to improve the efficiency of data centers. It will be reliable than the traditional electrical power and will not require battery backup that traditional data centers grown accustomed to. Besides Microsoft other data center behemoths like Google and Facebook are showing interest in the idea. Fuel cell run data centers will be cheaper to build reducing the cost by about 25 percent. It will also eliminate the need for data center wide power distribution systems too. Over all the idea will be win for environmentalists.