Data centres have a unique opportunity to utilise one BESS to provide emergency power across their entire site, rather than several smaller UPS across multiple servers. With the pressure to ensure power resilience while tackling rapidly rising energy costs and pressure from partners to improve sustainability, the data centre sector is embracing increasingly innovative energy solutions. Microgrids increasingly play a key role in ensuring varied new technologies work together as effectively as possible.
One such innovative project undertaken by Powerstar was a data centre that combined a BESS with solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and a microgrid to create both emergency and long-term backup power functionality with substantially better sustainability that older technologies.
A Powerstar Battery Energy Storage system with UPS functionality is paired with longer-term backup utilising SOFCs to protect the site from both short-term and long-term disruption. In the event of a blackout, the Powerstar BESS seamlessly switches over to provide emergency power for this data centre to ensure data is not lost, while providing time for the long-term SOFC backup to kick in in the event of a prolonged outage.
As well as providing UPS capability, the battery storage system stores energy provided by the site’s rooftop solar PV when the site’s energy demand is lower. In turn, this stored energy can be tapped into when solar is generating less power than the site requires, such as overnight, or to minimise energy costs during periods of peak energy costs. The battery also opens up the option to generate new revenue streams by providing National Grid with support in balancing demand or frequency on the grid.
Alongside the BESS, a Powerstar HV-MAX unit combines a low-loss transformer with voltage optimisation technology, which significantly reduces the data centre’s energy losses. The benefits of voltage optimisation are threefold: energy costs are substantially lowered, sustainability is improved due to reduced Scope 2 emissions, and lower, conditioned voltages reduce wear and tear on electrical infrastructure.
The installation also substantially bolsters the energy security of the site, minimising the risk of a damaging outage and loss of data. As well as replacing an aging transformer that was a potential point of failure, voltage optimisation can also prevent minor dips or spikes in voltage from disrupting sensitive computer infrastructure.
Speak to our team to find out how we can help you with your Microgrid
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