Rolls-Royce, AVK Hit Generator Milestone, Selling Over 500 HVO-Powered Units

AVK and Rolls-Royce Power Systems achieved a sales milestone in 2024: Over 500 hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)-powered mtu generators were sold and supplied to the data center market, providing almost 1.3 GW of standby power capacity for mission-critical environments. In addition to data centers, these units were sold to the industrial and building sectors, bringing AVK’s total standby power capacity to more than 3.5 GW. AVK also received 120 additional orders for HVO-powered gensets, yet to be delivered.

“AVK and Rolls-Royce have cultivated an alliance to address today’s energy challenges,” said Vittorio Pierangeli, Vice President Global Powergen at Rolls-Royce. “Together, we are meeting the immediate demand for dependable power and paving the way for a more sustainable energy landscape with solutions that our customers can rely on for years to come.”

Partnership Details

Throughout 2024, the companies delivered sustainable, standby power solutions to customer projects across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Europe overall. The high-profile deployments included data centers and commercial real estate developments in London, both of which use Rolls-Royce’s mtu Series 2000 and 4000 gensets powered by HVO.

“The future of power generation lies in sustainable solutions like HVO. As we transition to a net-zero world, HVO offers a critical bridge—providing up to 90% reductions in CO₂ emissions today while paving the way for even more advanced renewable technologies tomorrow," said Ben Pritchard, CEO of AVK. "At AVK, we are committed to helping our industry adopt these innovations, ensuring a cleaner, more resilient energy landscape for the future.”

The companies supplied their joint offerings to large-scale, energy-intensive industries attempting to satisfy climate change regulations. In addition to the HVO-fueled genset, which reduces net CO₂ emissions by up to 90%, AVK and Rolls-Royce provide hydrogen-ready gas gensets to decarbonize data centers, financial institutions, and the healthcare and industrial sectors.

“In an era where sustainability is paramount, our partnership with Rolls-Royce Power Systems sets a new standard for reliable and environmentally friendly prime power solutions,” said Pritchard. “By providing businesses with access to HVO-powered generators and engineering expertise at-scale, our customers have an immediate pathway to reduce emissions while maintaining high levels of resiliency and power reliability.”

HVO-powered generators, in addition to significantly lower CO₂ emissions, recorded lower NOx and particulate matter levels during operation. Rolls-Royce is currently developing and testing gas engines and power plants with a 25% by volume hydrogen mixture, with plans for a 100% by volume mixture for operation.

Rolls-Royce News

In mid-November 2024, Rolls-Royce agreed to deliver 16 mtu Series 4000 generators for EcoDataCenter, a Sweden-based data center operator, which recently switched its emergency power generator fuel from fossil diesel to sustainable HVO. EcoDataCenter’s location in Falun, Sweden is expanding, with 32 mtu systems currently providing backup power to ensure data protection during a public grid outage. BOS Power is also involved in the expansion project.

The switch from fossil fuels to HVO will help EcoDataCenter reduce the carbon footprint of its Falun data centers. With HVO100, or Neste MY Renewable Diesel, lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions can be cut by up to 95% when compared to fossil diesel. HVO will also reduce local pollutant emissions—particulate matter will decrease by up to 80% and NOx by 8% on average.

Also in November, Rolls-Royce agreed to deliver 10 mtu Series 4000 L64 FNER natural gas gensets to Collicutt Energy Services for five end-user installations—specifically, distributed energy sites—in Alberta, Canada, with the first site now operational. The genset-equipped installations will dispense electricity into the local grid during peak demand hours, offering continuous power availability for the community and industry.