CommScope Offers Outdoor Hydrogen Backup Power Solution for Businesses

CommScope, Inc. now offers its hydrogen fuel cell solution to provide reliable backup power for small-to-medium enterprises in North America. CommScope's outdoor cabinet fuel cell solution can provide up to 16 hours of reliable, environmentally-friendly backup power to enterprise core business computing systems. This is enabled through an existing partnership with Hydrogenics Corporation. The proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cells are housed inside an outdoor environmentally secure cabinet, about the size of a phone booth, with a smaller footprint than other solutions currently available on the market.

“Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, have shown us that traditional backup power generators can be unreliable when put through the test of time and exposure to the elements,” said George Brooks, senior vice president, Enterprise Product and Market Management, CommScope. “These generators are commonly powered by fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide. As fuel prices continue to fluctuate, businesses are searching for an alternative that is more reliable and has less of an impact on the environment.”

CommScope’s hydrogen fuel cell solution converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy without any combustion. The system provides highly efficient, reliable and uninterrupted backup power for commercial building systems without the need for costly regular maintenance. It does not emit any greenhouse gases and the only by-products are heat and a small amount of water.

“This is a smart fit for businesses, such as banks, large retailers and other commercial buildings needing something they can count on to keep their business systems operational, without interruption, anytime there is a loss in power,” Brooks said. “Hydrogen fuel cell technology not only has a lower total cost of ownership, but provides an opportunity to meet sustainability goals through an alternative power solution that is clean, quiet and runs on an abundant resource. Hydrogen is safer than fossil fuels and I’m confident we will see more uses for it in the coming years.”