The missing element here is natural gas fuel cells. A bunch of companies in that particular supply chain have announced AI datacenter deals. Some of those fuel cells use technologies that could be switched to 'green' hydrogen or 'green' methane (Using solar to power electrolysis of hydrogen from water, then producing methane from captured CO2 + the solar-powered methane). There's also bio-methane, i.e. methane collected from fermenting biowaste like manure from factory farming in digesters to capture methane.
This is a pipeline that's very different, separate, and distinct from the natural gas/methane turbine production line. But yeah, the intent is to build essentially on-site power plants powered by these fuel cells, then eventually transition to the grid, but modulate grid usage against the price of natural gas as arbitrage. Then also if the public demands they not consume grid power, or that they go 'green,' they can swap over to green hydrogen or green natural gas with the same facilities.
AI building these power facilities is actually likely to be the 'fiberoptics' of the AI data center bubble; like the internet bubble built out fiber networks that became profitable after the bubble burst, these data center power plants using the fuel cells creates more of a market for green versions of methane (e-methane, bio-methane) and builds out potential demand for green hydrogen.
Last year WaPo cited the International Energy Agency as predicting that natural gas will provide data centers the majority of their power.
FT, Dec 2025: "Data centre developers are turning to onsite gas generation — where power does not come from the grid — to meet their deadlines. OpenAI’s Stargate facility in Abilene, Texas, is set to include 10 natural gas turbines with a capacity of 361MW. Meanwhile, planning documents outline Meta’s goal to add 200MW of this so-called behind-the-meter generation to its Prometheus cluster in Ohio."
The missing element here is natural gas fuel cells. A bunch of companies in that particular supply chain have announced AI datacenter deals. Some of those fuel cells use technologies that could be switched to 'green' hydrogen or 'green' methane (Using solar to power electrolysis of hydrogen from water, then producing methane from captured CO2 + the solar-powered methane). There's also bio-methane, i.e. methane collected from fermenting biowaste like manure from factory farming in digesters to capture methane.
This is a pipeline that's very different, separate, and distinct from the natural gas/methane turbine production line. But yeah, the intent is to build essentially on-site power plants powered by these fuel cells, then eventually transition to the grid, but modulate grid usage against the price of natural gas as arbitrage. Then also if the public demands they not consume grid power, or that they go 'green,' they can swap over to green hydrogen or green natural gas with the same facilities.
AI building these power facilities is actually likely to be the 'fiberoptics' of the AI data center bubble; like the internet bubble built out fiber networks that became profitable after the bubble burst, these data center power plants using the fuel cells creates more of a market for green versions of methane (e-methane, bio-methane) and builds out potential demand for green hydrogen.
Last year WaPo cited the International Energy Agency as predicting that natural gas will provide data centers the majority of their power.
FT, Dec 2025: "Data centre developers are turning to onsite gas generation — where power does not come from the grid — to meet their deadlines. OpenAI’s Stargate facility in Abilene, Texas, is set to include 10 natural gas turbines with a capacity of 361MW. Meanwhile, planning documents outline Meta’s goal to add 200MW of this so-called behind-the-meter generation to its Prometheus cluster in Ohio."
Very interesting article!
Also see related:
https://tucoschild.substack.com/p/volcano-powered-data-centers