UPS & STANDBY POWER SUPPLEMENT FEATURE
CAN ‘ECO’ PLAY A PART in your critical power path?
Protecting the critical power path to mission sensitive IT within any data centre is essential. The most common form of protection being the installation of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and a suitably sized battery and standby generator. Here, Eco Power Supplies explain further
W
hilst data centres continue to receive poor press for their energy
consumption, trade associations have introduced energy efficiency measures. Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is an attempt to focus operators on electricity usage and offers a means of best practice industry benchmarking. Hardware suppliers into the industry have also launched more efficient systems (uninterruptible power supplies, CRACs, air handlers and servers) and have innovated to find ways to reduce electricity usage. The Eco-Mode function now found on many UPS systems is a good example of this as it runs an online system into a line interactive or standby mode to achieve 99% operating efficiency. At the top table of the data centre
industry, the global players and thought leaders like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have the resources to introduce ‘green’ energy usage plans into their facilities. Some have chosen to purchase only renewably generated power (wind, solar or hydro) through energy aggregators, whilst others prefer on-site generation in the form of fuel cells and solar PV farms with energy storage.
Above: it is now far easier to introduce an ‘Eco’ approach into the modern data centre - both new builds and existing facilities
CHANGING POWER USAGE Elsewhere in the industry it can be argued that operators can adopt ‘Eco’ into their critical power paths but with less large scale investments. This is not ‘greenwash’ but a strategic and operational attempt to change an organisation’s electrical power usage. The first step is an energy usage audit
to identify areas where efficiencies can be stripped out and working practices improved. The audit will generally identify ‘low hanging fruit’ and some quick wins (with little investment) principally relating to cooling and airflow. The next step is to look at the systems deployed within the critical power path and consider - (1) the introduction of more efficient solutions and (2) the adoption of more eco- friendly power generation. Many large UPS systems in use today
were installed pre-recession as part of an initial expansion wave within the data centre industry and the emergence of the internet itself. Their operating efficiencies will probably be around 85-92% and more than likely they will use lead acid batteries. Upgrading these systems to the latest UPS
standards could achieve online operating efficiencies of 95-96%, generating both reduced energy usage and governmental tax breaks. The actual UPS back-up power method
should also be reviewed. Lead acid batteries are the standard for UPS systems. Developments in fuel cells and other forms of energy storage such as compressed air generators, lithium-ion and flow batteries provide ‘Eco’ alternatives. These help to pave the way for integration of a data centre’s on-site energy generation into a potential smart grid when excess power is not required or storage for use by non-critical systems.
SUMMARY It is now easier to introduce an ‘Eco’ approach into the modern data centre - both new builds and existing facilities. Technologies are stabilising, prices are reducing and energy efficiency improvements can generate a financially and eco-friendly viable proposition.
Eco Power Supplies
www.ecopowersupplies.com T: 0800 210 0088
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