Yeah, lots of little BTSes, relay stations, etc. use Lister LPG reciprocating engines rather than diesel because the long-term fuel stability is better, and because they're a lot more reliable at unattended automatic start than diesels, especially in the 10-20KW range (where the available diesels are particularly bad).
I don't personally know of any datacenters using turbines for backup power. I don't know enough about turbines to know why that is -- maybe they're not available in smaller sizes, or have higher maintenance requirements, or higher capex per MW, or something else. The only turbines I've seen are cogen/prime power with grid backup, or marine.
> I don't personally know of any datacenters using turbines for backup power. I don't know enough about turbines to know why that is -- maybe they're not available in smaller sizes, or have higher maintenance requirements, or higher capex per MW, or something else. The only turbines I've seen are cogen/prime power with grid backup, or marine.
They are just expensive; and then you also need a (safe) way to store gas on site. They also have small efficiency bands and therefore aren't always optimal for certain applications. Larger turbines also need a diesel generator to start them ("black start").
I don't think you'd use natural gas for backup power, you'd probably use Jet-A or actual diesel. (most turbines in the world probably run on Jet-A, being in actual jets; natural gas gets used for stationary power because it's cheaper and cleaner burning, sure, but that shouldn't be a major factor in a backup generator).
I don't personally know of any datacenters using turbines for backup power. I don't know enough about turbines to know why that is -- maybe they're not available in smaller sizes, or have higher maintenance requirements, or higher capex per MW, or something else. The only turbines I've seen are cogen/prime power with grid backup, or marine.