ECL placed a firm order for PowerCell PS190 hydrogen fuel cell systems for its 35 MW CSC-1 AI data center campus in Santa Clara, California. The containerized deployment will provide capacity in the 5 MW class and integrate into ECL’s FlexGrid microgrid alongside utility power, natural gas generation and battery storage. PowerCell valued the order at approximately SEK 30 million ($3.1 million), with delivery scheduled by the end of 2026.
The companies also signed a separate, non-binding memorandum of understanding covering approximately 300 MW of potential additional hydrogen fuel cell capacity across ECL’s planned FlexGrid data center footprint. The MOU does not represent committed capacity or revenue; future deployments will require definitive purchase agreements. Bosch, PowerCell’s largest shareholder and manufacturing partner, will provide manufacturing capacity and North American service support.
PowerCell’s Distributed Master Controller will connect with ECL’s Lightning management platform to balance workloads across fuel cells, batteries, grid power and natural gas generation. The CSC-1 deployment builds on more than two years of operational testing at ECL’s MV-1 facility in Mountain View, California, where hydrogen serves as the primary power source for high-density AI systems.
• Firm order covers PowerCell PS190 fuel cell systems with capacity in the 5 MW class
• Contract value: approximately SEK 30 million ($3.1 million)
• Deliveries scheduled for completion by the end of 2026
• CSC-1 will provide 35 MW of total capacity, starting with a 2.5 MW phase
• Separate non-binding MOU covers approximately 300 MW of potential future capacity
• PowerCell’s controller will integrate with ECL Lightning for real-time power orchestration
• Bosch will support manufacturing, system integration and North American servicing
“We evaluated multiple fuel cell technologies under real operating conditions over two years at our MV-1 facility before selecting PowerCell and Bosch,” said Yuval Bachar, founder and CEO of ECL. “This is not a pilot or a proof of concept. We are deploying these PowerCell PS190 units with the operational data to back it up.”
🌐 Analysis: The firm 5 MW-class order moves hydrogen fuel cells into the primary power architecture of a commercial AI data center rather than limiting them to backup generation. The larger 300 MW figure signals ECL’s expansion objective, but its non-binding status makes the initial CSC-1 deployment, hydrogen supply arrangements and operating results the more important near-term milestones.
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