UII UPDATE 155 | Q3 2022
Intelligence Update

Vegetable oil promises a sustainable alternative to diesel

The thousands of gallons of diesel that data centers store on-site to fuel backup generators in the event of a grid outage are hard to ignore — and do little to assist operators’ drive toward tougher sustainability goals.

In the past two years, an alternative to diesel made from renewable materials has found support among a small number of data center operators: hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). HVO is a second-generation biofuel, chemically distinct from “traditional” biodiesel. It can be manufactured from waste food stocks, raw plant oils, used cooking oils or animal fats; and either blended with petroleum diesel or used in 100% concentrations.

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