| UPS systems have long played a vital role in business | | | | efficiency advantage of transformerless modular |
| critical IT power protection, with many data centres | | | | UPSs. They require less de-rating, therefore less |
| still running systems 20 years after installation. But | | | | extra capacity, than traditional systems to handle |
| demand has been increasing exponentially while | | | | leading power factor loads. |
| energy and carbon emission costs have been | | | | Availability and resilience to failure are also greatly |
| escalating. This is motivating data centre operators to | | | | enhanced. A single extra module can introduce n+1 |
| adopt innovative UPS technology where legacy | | | | redundancy without excessive impact on the |
| systems are no longer sufficient. | | | | system's size, loading or efficiency. And hot |
| Continued rapid growth in online business transaction | | | | swapping, by reducing modular repair time to around |
| processing creates a power demand which is not only | | | | half an hour, can increase power availability by a |
| much greater but increasingly critical as well. Many | | | | factor of 10. |
| organisations' continued existence depends on the | | | | A recent customer configuration demonstrates the |
| uninterrupted availability of their online transaction | | | | true savings potential of modular UPS technology. |
| processing resource. Meanwhile, the pressure to | | | | The customer's critical load was 400kVA, expected |
| mitigate this rising demand for critical power isn't due | | | | to rise soon to 500kVA; to meet this with n+1 |
| to spiralling energy costs alone; the Carbon Reduction | | | | redundancy using a traditional transformer system |
| Commitment (CRC) is the latest in a series of | | | | would mean supplying two 400kVA units, which |
| international and Government measures intended to | | | | would each be running at just 50% full loading and |
| cut energy consumption and carbon emissions. | | | | 75% efficiency. The modular version, using 50kVA |
| Qualifying organisations who fail to reduce will be | | | | modules, was configured with eleven 50kVA modules. |
| penalised financially and by reputation. Their energy | | | | This 550kVA capacity provides n+1 redundancy while |
| costs will rise and their position in a league table will | | | | the modules operate at 73% full load and 94% |
| be publically visible. | | | | efficiency. The system also presents an improved |
| Innovative UPS architecture is allowing data centres | | | | power factor of 0.95 - compared with the traditional |
| to address these issues. Earlier UPS's were bulky, | | | | system's 0.85 - to the incoming supply. |
| transformer-based monolithic floor-standing units that | | | | With air conditioning costs included, this improved |
| lacked flexibility in adapting to current or projected | | | | efficiency translates into a total yearly running cost |
| critical loads. By contrast, a UPS configuration can | | | | of £18,657 compared with the traditional |
| now comprise a set of small, rack-mounting modules | | | | system's £97,432. Over 5 years, this achieves |
| that can be incremented or 'right sized' to accurately | | | | a cost of ownership saving of £393,875 and a |
| match the current data centre load. | | | | CO2 reduction of 2,160.3 Tonnes. This carries a |
| By right sizing, the UPS modules run at near full load, | | | | carbon neutral offset of 3,326 trees. |
| increasing their operational efficiency. This cuts costs | | | | On top of the significant cost savings available, many |
| and carbon emission directly through reduced energy | | | | other benefits also apply. While organisations' IT load |
| consumption and indirectly through a reduced cooling | | | | grows, their data centre's physical size typically does |
| load. Further financial and floorspace savings arise | | | | not. This inevitably and increasingly limits both |
| because overcapacity for future expansion becomes | | | | floor-space and access, meaning the reduction of 40 |
| unnecessary - additional modules can be added when | | | | - 50% in terms of both footprint and weight, offered |
| required. With modular growth flexibly tracking that | | | | by modular UPSs, assumes far greater significance. |
| of its critical load, UPS loading and efficiency can be | | | | Therefore, with further benefits including lower input |
| maintained. | | | | current harmonic distortion and lower audible noise, |
| The trend towards leading power factor blade | | | | choosing the right modular UPS has never been more |
| servers within data centres highlights another | | | | important. |