Biodiesel Mandates and Backup Generators

State legislation in Minnesota, Washington and Oregon will require the use of biodiesel in backup generators, and several other states are considering similar measures, according to SearchDataCenter.

“Derived from vegetable oils or animal fat instead of petroleum, biofuel blends can increase water and biological contaminants in fuel supplies,” writes Matt Stansberry. “If handled improperly, biodiesel fuels can stop a data center’s backup systems cold, according to a recent report from the Uptime Institute.” The story relates the experience of UnitedHealth with a usage of biodiesel mix in a Minnesota data center.

Read the full story for more info and some useful resource links.

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About Rich Miller

Rich Miller is the founder and editor-in-chief of Data Center Knowledge, and has been reporting on the data center sector since 2000. He has tracked the growing impact of high-density computing on the power and cooling of data centers, and the resulting push for improved energy efficiency in these facilities.