Industry heavyweight joins as the new CEO of the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers

Merima Dzanic • April 17, 2024

The Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers is pleased to announce the appointment of Alberto Ravagni as new CEO of the Innovation Hub. The consortium was launched in September 2023 by industry partners Data4, Danfoss, Google, Microsoft, Schneider Electric and Vertiv.


Alberto Ravagni brings over 20 years of experience in the energy industry and is a clean energy architect and industry expert in clean energy, energy storage, and fuel cell technologies. Alberto has been the co-founder and Managing Director of the consultancy firm InfraPrime℠.


“I am very pleased that Alberto Ravagni has agreed to become the new CEO of the Innovation Hub. Alberto has vast experience and in-depth knowledge of our industry, as well as the energy sector. He has shown great leadership in his previous positions, is very well-respected and brings a strong track record and international experience from positions earlier in his career,” says Dietmar Baro, Chairman of the Board.


Alberto will be responsible for the daily management of the Innovation Hub, working closely with the founding members and project partners, to decarbonize the data center industry in Europe through innovation and cooperation.


"The data center industry has a unique impact on our lives, extending far beyond its energy consumption and environmental footprint. It can lead and accelerate the journey towards achieving net-zero emissions and simultaneously enable circular, sustainable growth. I am looking forward to connecting the ecosystems, converging industry, research, innovation, finance, and public institutions, to collaborate on impactful projects with quantifiable outcomes. This effort relies on your support. Join us in shaping a sustainable tomorrow”, says Alberto Ravagni.


Ravagni has previously contributed to the foundation and served as board member of the Joint Technology Initiative for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells of the European Commission, a public-private partnership which manages a €1 billion innovation program to drive the transition to zero carbon energy systems.


Previously, he was the founder and CEO of SOLIDPower, a market leading fuel cells company, which commercialized fuel cells generators in megawatt scale for residential, SME, and data center clients. Ravagni was a member of the first board.

Alberto Ravagni will start as CEO of the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers on 1 May 2024.


About the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers

The Net Zero Innovation Hub is an industry consortium launched in September 2023 by Data4, Danfoss, Google, Microsoft, Schneider Electric and Vertiv, to accelerate European data centers towards a net zero future.


The consortium will function as a meeting place where key players can enter into collaborations and develop new innovative solutions that can be quickly implemented for the benefit of the green transition.

 

For further information, please contact:

Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers: Merima Dzanic, PR & Communications

 merima@netzerodatacenters.com // +45 20 15 50 21

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By Merima Dzanic • August 27, 2024
Net Zero Innovation Hub board of directors to host a session at the upcoming DCD London conference on 18th September. The session is taking place on 18th September from 15.00 GMT at the Business Design Center in London. During the session, attendees will find out about current and upcoming projects, how to get involved, and meet the team and the board behind the Innovation Hub. The session is open to all attendees of the conference. The Net Zero Innovation Hub is a pan-European initiative led by Danfoss, Data4, Microsoft, Google, Schneider Electric and Vertiv. The scale of innovation projects struggles to keep up with the scale, speed and complexity of data center projects. To master the challenges of the twin transition, towards Net Zero and AI, the data center industry needs new innovation models. This can be achieved through cooperation across the data center industry, with companies driving innovation, start-ups, academia, R&D institutions, industry associations, advocacy entities, public and private investors. The Hub is selecting innovations in the early commercialization phase, to evaluate and execute projects, solutions, and business models based on their “Net Zero Impact” and acceleration capability towards Net Zero. The focus of the first set of projects are within the area of Carbon-Free Energy and Heat Reuse, which we are excited to announce together with our partners. “We are looking forward to the session at DCD, meeting industry partners and developing the partnerships needed to bring innovation projects from First-of-a-Kind (FoaK) to beyond the critical mass”, says Alberto Ravagni, CEO of the Net Zero Innovation Hub. “Net Zero means for us having a zero or positive impact on planet, people and profit, starting with the environmental impact measured by the GHG emissions, and extending to the holistic LCA impact categories”, adds Ravagni. About the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers The Net Zero Innovation Hub is a pan-European initiative which seeks to address key sectoral challenges through concrete innovation projects and establishing stronger links between operators, suppliers, and governments. Workshop link: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/dcd-connect-live/connect-london/2024/dcdworkshop1/ Contact: Alberto Ravagni, CEO ar@netzerodatacenters.com Merima Dzanic, PR & Communications merima@netzerodatacenters.com +45 20 15 50 21