Energy Smart Award
Winner: Microsoft

This award recognizes the world’s most energy-aware and innovative approaches to building sustainable digital infrastructure.

This innovative project tested generators composed of hydrogen-powered fuel cells rather than traditional diesel equivalents. The resulting system responded to sudden load shifts, ran very quiet, and emitted only warm water vapor as exhaust. A 48-hour duration test showed the fuel cells, originally designed for use in automobiles, could perform the technical requirements of the generator task, pointing towards a smarter energy future.