Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has begun a joint demonstration project in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, to operate a data center using by-product hydrogen and a stationary fuel cell (FC) power station developed from repurposed automotive fuel cells.
The project is being conducted in collaboration with Tokuyama Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation, and was adopted by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) as part of its hydrogen utilization program.
The demonstration uses a stationary FC system derived from Honda’s fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), powered by hydrogen generated from Tokuyama’s salt water electrolysis business. Electricity from the FC station will support a distributed data center operated by Mitsubishi.
The initiative will explore multiple operational scenarios, including use as a backup power source, off-grid primary power, peak-shaving solution, and grid balancing resource. The Energy Management System (EMS) will integrate power from fuel cells, the grid, stationary batteries, and renewable sources.
Honda emphasized that the project aims to advance both the green transformation (GX) of data centers and the digital transformation (DX) of municipalities and businesses, as demand for large-scale computing power grows due to AI and autonomous driving technologies.
Honda has been developing hydrogen technologies for over 30 years, and its stationary FC power station is capable of supplying up to 1,000 kW of clean electricity, with rapid startup in just 10 seconds. Designed for flexible installation and zero emissions, it is expected to play a key role in advancing the company’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
