Mission Critical Power

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ISSUE 2: DECEMBER 2015

10

Heated debate: Why you’re no fool for keeping your aisles cool

14

Power brokers: Volatility and rising prices predicted for 2016

22

Generation game: Cogen?

The smart money’s on trigeneration

See Cover Story, page 12

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Thinking inside & outside the box.indd 1

04/11/2015 08:57

3

IN THIS ISSUE

08

10

Viewpoint

Insight

Ian Bitterlin says it’s time to look at the bigger picture: How can waste heat be harnessed to improve the efficiency of tomorrow’s data centres?

National Grid tells MPs that the power system can handle winter.

But next winter is going to be even tighter. Time to give serious thought to demand response?

22 Power Storage Li-ion battery systems make compact, green backup power solutions for data centres, says Saft. It has some robust data to prove it

30

CHP

Cogeneration is so nineties.

Barts goes trigeneration using a system from Clarke Energy and GE to drive the hospital’s new combined cooling, heating and power energy centre

14

missioncriticalpower.uk

ISSUE 2: DECEMBER 2015

10

Heated debate: Why you’re no fool for keeping aisles cool

14

Power brokers: Volatility and rising prices predicted for 2016

22

Generation game: Cogen?

The smart money’s on trigeneration

Procurement

Brokers say prices will rise in 2016, with the market more volatile.

Is your strategy up to scratch?

Standby Generators

See Cover Story, page 12

18

12

ABB supplies The Hammers with the first of its new automatic transfer switches for the transformation of the Olympic Stadium in east London

Cover Story How Riello UPS3 is protecting Ireland’s telecoms infrastructure

Comment

4

UPS

20

CHP

30

News

6

Power Storage

22

Risk Management

34

Insight

8

Energy Management

24

Products

38

Procurement & Connections 14

Cooling & Air Movement

25

Directory

41

Onsite Standby Generators 18

DCIM

28

Q&A

42

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December 2015 MCP

4

COMMENT

Time to call time on PUE? Power usage effectiveness (PUE) has been a useful tool in raising the awareness of energy efficiency and providing a focus for managers of data centres. Like all useful tools its appeal is in its simplicity. But that is also where its failings lie.

Some say it may not be the metric of the future.

PUE is measured as total energy supplied divided by useful output in this case electricity supplied to the IT equipment. The closer the number us to 1.0 the more efficient the data centre.

However, as efficiency increases there is a need to use metrics that enable the whole data centre to be measured.

A site with an awesome PUE located in the far North with reduced cooling requirement would be less energy efficient overall than one with a higher PUE in London that is able to reuse the waste heat (although to be fair very few UK data centres, if any, have heat offtakers).

If PUE is used too crudely it can also lead to nonsensical action. If virtualisation occurs to 50% of the IT load then the PUE would increase assuming the facility still had the same energy use for its infrastructure lighting, cooling and so on. Yet the data centre would be using less energy overall and achieving the same IT output, an improvement in energy efficiency yet with an increase in PUE. Reducing the power used by the IT load at the server level has to be a good thing, but it will not necessarily reduce the PUE. It will be more efficient and cost less money to run which is surely the whole point of the exercise.

problems with energy efficiency because of the need to have redundancy and headroom built in. Few are running at full capacity.

PUE is a measurement tool, and therefore a management tool and can still be of genuine utility beyond a ë mineí s lower than yoursí marketing hype.

But it is not, and never has been, the be all and end all.

As we into the next phase of the data era, that message is growing louder. ì I am not sure the things we have been focusing on for the past 10 years are going to be the right things to take us into the future,î Schneider Electricí s global data centre lead Kevin Brown said recently. ì We have been focused on things like PUE. It is a very useful metric butÖ It has limitations in the context of overall energy consumption of a data centre. It is a good metric, we need it, but we have to be careful about how we use it.î Brown used the term ë energy effectivenessí . If anyone knows how that can be measured, from data centre stack to end≠u ser app, we may have a new metric.

But I suspect PUE will remain the de facto for some time yet.

Mission critical sites will always have

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missioncriticalpower.uk

6

NEWS & COMMENT

Full power or free data centre Independent central London data centre operator Volta rates its resilience so highly that it will give customers a yearí s free service if racks suffer power failures ñ even for a microsecond.

The EC1≠ based firm launched the deal last month.

Managing director Jon Arnold says Gartner has confirmed that, as far as it knows, no other data centre offers that kind of service level agreement.

Arnold believes the data centre industry has been coasting. ì Data centres are super resilient facilities and yet we offer standard SLAs. So we looked at it from a different

angle,î Arnold told Mission Critical Power.

He says Voltaí s 9MW facility is ì uniquely positionedî in that it has a twin ring connection on UK Power Networksí new 33kV network, feeding its own switches and transformers. ì We have a level of resilience that very few data centres have before we even get to our batteries and generators,î says Arnold.

Confidence in its set up spurred the new ë Platinumí SLA. ì We already offered 100% [uptime]. But we thought why not challenge the way data centres operate? By saying ë if we break 100% power to your rack

you get a yearí s free serviceí , it actually means something,î says Arnold. ì Clearly no customer will want any service credits.

But it is about underlining we are serious about our facility and our resilience.î The move builds upon Voltaí s ë power by the hourí launch this summer, whereby customer contracts literally start at a one≠ hour minimum.

It means clients are not oversizing and paying for services they do not yet need.

Arnold believes the model will become more prevalent. ì Flexibility is starting to become more powerful, not only on the duration of

UK firms braced for 10% power price hikes More than half of company directors surveyed by Mission Critical Power's publisher Energyst Media believe that power prices will rise by around 10% in 2016. That prediction follows a benign 2015 in which wholesale prices have largely trended down.

Early respondents to the annual Directors’ Report have indicated that they are equipped to deal with spikier prices as a result of tight margins and changes to the balancing and settlements regime.

Three quarters of respondents said they had a plan in place to reduce exposure to energy price or supply shocks, and most of those firms have an in house energy manager.

Big lighting spend Virtually all of the early respondents said they planned to implement energy efficiency/demand reduction measures within the next 12 months.

Three quarters of those directors plan to implement lighting. HVAC, building controls, onsite generation and behavioural change also figure in the plans of around 40% of respondents.

The survey, sent to 2,500 company directors, will form the basis of the 2016 Directors' Report, published early January. It also covers demand response, procurement, liquidity and asks directors to give their views of broker/TPI transparency and service.

Directors also give their views on what business taxes changes the treasury should make, and what they believe would help decarbonise the economy at lowest cost.

MCP December 2015

Take the survey The survey takes 5-10 minutes to complete. All those that take part will receive a free copy of the report, which provides a valuable insight into the state of the market – from the market – and where businesses see the best bang for their buck. Directors are invited to take the survey at: http://svy.mk/1PfgXCl Find out what energy buyers think is coming down the track in 2016 on p14

By saying ‘if we break 100% power to your rack you get a year’s free service’, it actually means something contracts but the ability to scale. We have numerous contracts with cloud companies and it allows them to show us their roadmap and work with us to get there.î

Consultants warn of spikier prices Energy brokers have warned of spikier half hourly power prices in 2016. The consensus is that wholesale prices will remain flat.

However, changes to industry balancing processes, tight system margins and increasing in non≠ commodity costs, such as transmission and distribution and green energy subsidies, will drive up power prices.

Brokers predict spikier half≠ hourly power prices will put pressure on heavy energy users to better manage within≠ day consumption, or pay a premium for suppliers to manage risk on their behalf.

Such firms will likely benefit from flexible energy contracts, says Jon Ferris, head of energy markets at Utilitywise, while avoid paying a premium for fixing non≠ commodity costs too far in advance. They should also consider demand≠ side response.

Energy buyers and managers should ì recognise that there is much more volatility in short term pricingÖ and if you can shift your consumption the rewards are increasingî , said Ferris. ì If you caní t, the costs of not doing so are going to grow.î missioncriticalpower.uk

7

Data centres ‘must become like mobile app developers’ Data centre operators must adopt the mindset of mobile phone software developers or risk the wrath of regulators for wasting energy.

That was the message from non≠ profit group The Green Grid following a survey of 150 IT decision makers that found nearly half of data centres have no energy efficiency objectives in place.

It also found less than a third of operators can entirely quantify their data centreí s environmental impact.

Roel Castelein, EMEA marketing chair for The Green Grid, said the results were damning, but unsurprising. ì If you want to improve something, you have to have a measurement instrument in place. So either there is a

breakdown in communications between the guys that are running the data centre and the board. Or they are just paying it lip service, and in the end nothing really happens.î Castelein said he was unaware of any system capable

of measuring the entire chain from facility to app, but called for collaboration to solve the puzzle.

In the meantime, he advised data centre operators to emulate mobile phone software developers to minimise footprints. ì Whereas standard software developers doní t care about the energy efficiency of the code that they write, mobile developers have resource constraints from the start,î said Castelein. ì Every app they write must take into account battery life, energy consumption, bandwidth. If I were running a large, resource≠ intensive data centre business, I would try to find mobile phone developers and just start talking with them.î

Panduit claims it can halve cooling costs US-based Panduit claims it can halve cooling energy costs with a wireless monitoring and control system.

Launching the software into Europe, head of sales Michael Adams claimed that, as cooling accounts for 30-40%

of data centre energy costs, the upshot is a reduced energy bill of 15-20%. The SynapSense kit automates dynamic cooling optimisation in response to load with no requirement for new hardware, via a “non-invasive” process, said Adams.

News in brief Telecity outage Telecityí s Sovereign House Docklands data centre suffered a power outage mid≠ November, losing both primary supply and back≠ up, with significant implications for customers, according to reports covered most comprehensively by tech site The Register.

Diesel money The second UK capacity auction will take place this month. The first auction saw around 1GW of small diesel generators awarded contracts to be available to generate if called upon by National Grid over winter 2018/19.

JCB powers up JCB has bought diesel generator business Broadcrown to capitalise on sector growth. The new business will operate as JCB Broadcrown.

The firm specialises in diesel generators and power generation systems providing power from 6kVA to 30MVA. Loads easier Mafi Mushkila has renamed its data centre testing operation heatload.co.uk

Schneider cool on raising data centre temperatures Raising temperatures in data centres may be a hot topic but it is not necessarily a good idea, according to Schneider Electricí s global data centre lead Kevin Brown. He also believes industry may be putting too much faith in metrics such as PUE. Speaking at DCD Europe, Brown outlined a new white paper that attempts to debunk the ì industry rhetoric that you are a cretin if you doní t raise the temperature of your data centreî .

That view crystalised missioncriticalpower.uk

following Ashrae guidelines published in 2011.

Schneiderí s white paper models the impact of reducing chiller energy upon dry cooler energy, server energy and computer room air handling unit requirements.

Blending in weather data for different regions, the paper finds that total energy in many cases will increase at higher fixed temperatures, although in some cases will improve at floating temperatures. While in most scenarios cooling PUE improves, total costs

also increase, demonstrating that PUE is a ì metric with limitations,î according to Brown. ì Are we saying doní t raise temperatures? No. But we are saying think about IT. Understand IT kit as a function of temperature,î said Brown. ì There will continue to be an energy challenge for data centres. I am not convinced that what we have been focused on [such as PUE] are the right things to take us into the future.î December 2015 MCP

8

INSIGHT

Grid plays down blackout fears, urges more demand response National Grid has disputed figures that suggest the UK will face a significant power capacity shortfall next winter. However, it underlined the need to scale demand response as more generating plant comes off the system. Brendan Coyne reports

F

acing questions from the Energy and Climate Change Committee in late November, system operator National Grid reiterated that winter margins would get tighter but expressed faith in its ability to prevent blackouts.

Director Cordi Oí Hara admitted that no system operator could give guarantees of 100% system reliability.

However, she said that National Grid had procured the right ì insurance policyî to meet the government≠ set security of supply standard of three hours loss of load.

Nobody’s perfect National Grid faced questions about potential system failures following the Notice of Insufficient Supply Margin MCP December 2015

(NISM) issued 4 November.

That tool led the market to respond and ensure no disruption to supplies. NISMs are the first in a set of tools the system operator is mandated to use before asking distribution networks to turn off customers should everything else fail.

Oí Hara said Gridí s own models suggest that between seven and 10 further NISMs may occur over winter, but that other variables could lead to more or fewer market alerts. ì No system operator in the world will give you 100% guarantee [against blackouts],î said Oí Hara. ì I can assure you that we have done extensive and robust analysis overseen by an independent regulator [Ofgem]. The standard is set by government and we were well within that standard at 1.1

Balancing the system was ‘always difficult [hence] we must make sure we have access to the right balancing services, and that is why we have taken early action’

hours loss of load.î Head of commercial operations Duncan Burt said the transmission network itself was ì 99.9999% reliableî while Ro Quinn, head of energy strategy and policy, said that even scenarios such as the winter of 1963 and the hurricane of 1987 were ì baked inî to National Gridí s scenario planning.

Supply crunching National Grid disputed a question from Conservative MP James Heappey about a Centre for Policy Research analysis that suggests a capacity shortfall of several gigawatts next winter due to retiring thermal plant.

Burt said that analysis did not take into account ì at least several gigawattsî of embedded

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A greater focus on data protection

generation ñ or generation connected to the distribution network ñ that would help to counteract retiring plant.

Quinn added National Grid was aware of ì suggested [thermal plant] closures of the order of around 4≠ 5GW Ö But some are still making final decisions as to whether or not they will close, so it is too early to confirm what that answer will beî .

More demand side response Regardless of plant closures, Oí Hara said National Grid was ì taking early actionî to ensure sufficient balancing reserve is procured for next winter, where Gridí s own figures suggest a margin of virtually nothing.

Heappey suggested that would make system balancing next year increasingly difficult.

Oí Hara admitted that balancing the system was ì always difficult [hence] we must make sure we have access to the right balancing services,

and that is why we have taken early actionî .

She added that National Grid will ì need to buy at least what we bought this winter,î reiterating that system operator was currently tendering for more balancing services. The tender closes 30 November, through more rounds may follow.

Gaming the system?

Questioned about system gaming, in light of reports that suggest some generators may be taking advantage of capacity shortfalls to make windfall gains, National Grid said it was Ofgemí s job to investigate any such activity and take action if appropriate.

Enough gas?

Asked about UK winter gas supplies, Quinn responded that the UK may have to call on gas storage for ì one or twoî evening peaks, but that ì we are confident this winterî that the UK would not fall short of gas. l

From NISMs to blackouts explained National Grid’s Duncan Burt explained the steps leading from a tight margin call to disconnections.

First comes the Notice of Insufficient Supply Margin (NISM). If things continue to get tight and generators and demand response providers do not bring forward enough reserve, National Grid issues a High Risk of Demand Reduction (HRDR) warning. “Then we would look at market response and ongoing reliability,” said Burt. “Most of the time that will be adequate. If we continue to have difficulties or further losses we would move into emergency measures, such as calling on generators for assistance.”

Burt said National Grid could also use ‘Max Gen’, where generators are called on “to open all the stops” and generate above their normal load for a short time.

After that, Grid asks the distribution network operators to reduce voltage (brownouts). “Typically that would be enough to achieve balance,” said Burt.

If not, it tells the DNOs to start disconnecting customers (blackouts). missioncriticalpower.uk

As smart metering and energy programmes progress both in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, the focus on data protection and data privacy increases, writes director of sales David Duke (pictured).

It is widely recognised that consumer confidence and engagement will be a key factor in maximising the benefits that smart metering can potentially offer. Underpinning this in the UK are the Competent Independent Organisation (CIO) audits, which are part of the User Entry process for organisations participating in smart metering. This process will assess compliance against the security and privacy obligations in the Smart Energy Code (SEC), making use of the Security Controls Framework (SCF) and Privacy Controls Framework (PCF) to do so.

From a data protection perspective, the SEC includes data privacy obligations on: consent and opt out; processing of data; control of who accesses the data; and limits on what data should be gathered.

For organisations looking to get involved in smart metering, many of these issues can be addressed in part through a robust User Information Security Management System (UISMS).

However, as anyone wishing to operate as a ‘Other Users’ (third parties such as energy switching companies for example) will not be able to access energy consumption records from the Data Communications Company (DCC) until they have undergone a privacy audit, they should not delay in ensuring their privacy controls meet the required minimum standards.

Another pressing consideration is that the volumes of data collected are set to increase – indeed increased volumes of quality data are key to energy suppliers being able to offer maximum smart metering benefits and savings to their customers.

Organisations and regulators need to ensure that they

“A privacy impact assessment (PIA) is the first key step to identifying potential impacts to data subjects” are prepared for handling these increased volumes.

A privacy impact assessment (PIA) is the first key step to identifying potential impacts to data subjects and to establish the controls required to protect personal data. Based on European Commission recommendation 2014/724/EU, it is aimed at providing a common and coherent methodology for data controllers across the EU. The output of the PIA, alongside a thorough information security risk assessment, facilitates management decisions over legal and regulatory requirements. It also enables more efficient decision making on where to invest in the use of technology and outsourced services for data transfer and storage. Recent cases of data breaches and retrospective data protection rulings, such as the recent Belgian ruling against Facebook, have shown how getting it right first time and being able to demonstrate due diligence can save time and cost as well as helping to preserve reputation.

For more information on data protection or information security within the energy and utilities sector please contact us on +44 (0)20 7090 1091 or info@ redisland.co.uk

10

VIEWPOINT

The holy-grail of improving data centre energy effectiveness It’s time to look at the bigger picture and consider how we can better use waste heat to reshape and improve the design of data centres in the future, believes Ian Bitterlin

I

deliberately did not use the word ë efficiencyí in the headline as that, from an engineering perspective, implies that we have energy or power going ë iní and some useful ë workí coming out ñ like a gearbox whose efficiency is 90%.

In fact data centres are, in the vast majority of cases, 100% efficient at turning energy ë iní into 100% of waste heat coming out. There are examples where the waste heat is used for another process but they are few and far between; in the Netherlands there are some adjacent horticulture heat loads and in some Scandinavian cities there are data centres that are connected into district heating schemes and their waste heat is used to contribute heat to other uses on the ring, homes included.

MCP December 2015

Of course, you need to have the infrastructure ë beforeí you can achieve such energy effective strategies.

Take Stockholm, for example ñ thermal power stations in the city centre with both hot water and chilled water being piped around the city centre along with electrical services.

A data centre that I visited took in chilled water, passed it through three stages of plate heat≠ exchanger removing 1MW of data centre waste and returning it to the hot water loop ñ and getting paid for it.

It now seems inconceivable that we had coal≠ fired stations like Battersea and Southbank in the heart of London that could have been used in this way had they survived. Instead we now have thermal stations sited far outside the centres of demand that are incapable

75°C

The temperature of liquid cooled waste heat compared with <35°C for air cooled

of using all of the energy in the fuel ñ maybe 53% using combined cycle gas turbines but then losing another 8% in the distribution network ≠ down to 45% end≠ to≠ end and much lower for coal. That is, of course, ignoring the energy used in getting the gas from Norway in the first place and it is rather ironic to consider that Norway is such an exemplar for an almost 100% renewably fuelled grid but that its natural gas fuels 40% of the UK grid.

Anyway, it is very fortunate if you have the ë perfect stormí of coincidental city≠ centre data centres, a district heating scheme and a cold climate where the waste heat can be found a use for 8,760h/year.

So what about the rest (>99%?) of the data centres in the world?

The most recent efforts missioncriticalpower.uk

11 have been to concentrate on minimising the PUE (power usage effectiveness) which represents the overhead energy that it takes to run the facility power and cooling systems compared to the net ICT load.

This has resulted in the likes of Google and Facebook to build air≠ cooled facilities ë huge and northí in places where energy is low cost and the air is cold and clean.

With market leading PUEs from 1.07 to 1.10 the hyper≠ scale brigade have minimised their energy requirements.

However, it has a downside from the perspective of reusing waste heat ñ the heat is low grade warm air and there is no one, or thing, close enough around to benefit from it.

Consider what to do with a continuous stream of 100MW worth of warm≠ air at 35∞ C? Thatí s a whole lot of lettuce, but horticulture also needs copious quantities of sunlight, which is in short supply for much of the year in northern latitudes.

The reuse of waste heat has long been recognised as a very energy effective option to fully use the energy delivered to the data centre, whether the utility fuel mix is renewable or not, and ISO/IEC 30134 Series ë KPIs for Resource Effective Data Centresí will include a metric for waste heat, called ë EREí , Energy Reuse Effectiveness, or maybe ERF, with F for factor, or RWH, Reuse of Waste Heat.

Whatever it ends up being called, one key factor will not be the capacity of the data centre to export heat but the extent to which that waste heat is actually consumed, taking into account the losses along the path from source to load.

For completeness ISO/ IEC 30134 already has PUE (annualised energy, not power despite the name), & REF (renewable energy factor) in final draft form and has ERE, and ITEE/ITEU (metrics for measuring the ICT performance) with CUE (carbon) & WUF (water) coming along soon.

So how could the reuse of missioncriticalpower.uk

waste heat reshape all (or part) of the design of future data centres?

The key may be found back in those existing Scandinavian data centres ñ they use a chilled water cooling system rather than indirect air:air heat exchange or direct fresh≠ air supply and exhaust.

Their PUE will never be <1.25 even with >90% free≠ cooling in cold climates but if they can export >80% of their waste heat the energy effectiveness is unmatchable by any remote hyper≠ scale facility that does not reuse its heat but relies on minimising PUE. The advantage of chilled water systems is that water is 4,000x more effective at carrying heat than air at the temperature differentials we are considering.

We can consider taking this a bit further with a possible change from air transport inside the data room to direct liquid cooling of the server.

Now, the technologies for direct liquid cooling of IT servers already exist (in at least three flavours) but the market penetration is tiny as it is quite disruptive in a very conservative industry that is not littered with early adopters.

The original ë cooling energy reductioní argument that the liquid guys played out has largely evaporated (no pun intended) with the advent of very low energy air≠ based solutions of evaporative and adiabatic technologies that can achieve the same energy consumption (decreasing PUE, albeit with increasing WUF) but using ë standardí commodity servers. The feature that most of the direct liquid proponents do not emphasise enough is temperature of the waste heat, for example,. 75∞ C instead of <35∞ C, but this may form a part of the future data centre if we look at future technology road≠ maps that will depend upon data centres. These topics include such as: ï The doubling of compute capacity per Watt consumed every 18 months, making a ë microí data centre

Their PUE will never be <1.25 even with >90% free-cooling in cold climates but if they can export >80% of their waste heat the energy effectiveness is unmatchable by any remote hyper-scale facility that does not reuse its heat but relies on minimising PUE increasingly powerful ï Smart cities, buildings and transport with integrated intelligent control systems enabling energy optimised residential, commercial and even industrial zones within the city ï Smart grids and micro≠ grids, with integrated control of diverse production facilities and fuels, load scheduling and energy storage ï The ë internet≠ of≠ thingsí with multi≠ millions of sensors per km2 ï It is unlikely that we shall see large scale district heating installed in European city centres for reasons of cost and disruption, not least from reintroducing thermal power stations downtown (and would that be nuclear?)

Therefore, it is not inconceivable that a ë microí data centre, say of 200kW ICT capacity, could be collocated in a multi≠ use building complex (residential, hotel or hospital), serving the local applications and demand for ICT services, liquid cooled with the waste heat at >75∞ C exported into hot≠ water for domestic services or a micro≠ loop of district heating at >45∞ C. For example,

a 200≠ room hotel or small hospital can use 200kW of hot water supply 24x7x52 regardless of the external climate. So ë guaranteed loadí and ë climateí can be removed from the application prerequisites. There could literally be hundreds of such facilities in every integrated ë smartí city ñ multi≠ MW of networked grid≠ scale computing, all using >80% of the embedded energy in the source fuel where it is carbon≠ rich fossil or nuclear based.

Even in 100% renewable grids the reuse of waste heat reduces the required capacity of power generation and storage.

Just thinking about 200kW for a moment, it is interesting to consider that just 15 years ago the same compute capacity would have needed 1,000x more power, a whopping 200MW. As it happens, starting in 2015, the idea of more ë microí data centres is not as futuristic or optimistic as it sounds.

Ití s just another way of what has become known as ë edgeí computing ñ where the ICT processing and storage/cache capacity is pushed close to the consumers rather than hauling vast amounts of data between urban and far≠ remote locations. This has advantages of lower transport energy and faster access to popular content (such as viral video and social networking).

So, will this reuse of waste heat solution happen? Yes, I believe it will as it makes good financial sense as fuel costs rise in the future and money usually shouts loudest.

Will this replace the hyper≠ scale facilities? No, I think that they will still be a dominant part of a complex infrastructure of ë cloudí ñ in whatever form that means ñ but the embedded ë edgeí will most likely contribute to fulfilling most of the exponential demand for data and services. It is only a matter of when? l Ian Bitterlin is a consulting engineer and visiting professor at Leeds University December 2015 MCP

12

COVER STORY

Protecting Ireland’s telecoms infrastructure When eir, Ireland’s largest telecommunications operator (formerly eircom), embarked on a project to repurpose existing space into a brand new data centre to support its current and future business enterprise, resiliency was a key factor

B

uilt on a strong reputation for delivering a range of services across the whole spectrum from fixed line voice and mobile to broadband and television, eir is investing heavily in its network, having been the first to launch 4G and being the only current provider of ë quad playí in the Irish market. This service allows customers to get their broadband, mobile, TV service (eVision) and home phone in one package. Strong fibre connectivity is integral to ensuring that customers receive superfast services. eir required a power solution for a highly critical environment that would effectively support its core business functions including management information systems and general business enterprise but also covering customer care, TV services and other business critical services.

The €6.7m project was part of an overall plan to consolidate five operational and enterprise data centres into two, driving efficiencies and giving the company the ability to expand.

Building on a legacy data centre Early in 2014, eir signed contracts to build a new data centre at an existing site on brownfield land in Blanchardstown. The site was already home to the companyí s telephone exchange, television service and a legacy data centre ñ the new data centre was to be developed within old office space at this site. As a core site for eir, the location offered the best fibre connectivity to ensure that the data centre would operate at high speeds whilst maintaining high levels of resiliency and reliability.

MCP December 2015

Ian Jackson (left) and Owen Wynne

Additionally, as a freehold site, the cost overheads were more attractive both for capital and operational expenditure purposes.

Owen Wynne, contracts manager at eir, said: ì For us, this data centre was about future, readying ourselves to allow for the companyí s growth over the

next five or six years. Resilient power was a key driver for this project ñ even though we built two power plants theyí re only as good as the uninterruptible missioncriticalpower.uk

13

when doing our on≠ site testing.

We also had to carry out stringent load acceptance tests through a set of detailed load bank autonomy procedures to verify the UPSí and batteries were capable of supporting the load for the specified time of 20 minutes,î Jackson continued.

power supplies (UPS) protecting them.î Speaking about the importance of having UPS in place, Wynne said: ì The UPS is absolutely essential to our business operations.

Each time power is switched over from the mains supply to the generator supply, such as in the event of a power cut or a monthly test, the UPS prevents a breakage in power by taking the load for the few seconds between the mains and generators starting up. It is an absolutely essential piece of our infrastructure.î Introducing Pure Power Systems Pure Power Systems is the Irish distributor of Riello UPS equipment and was appointed to provide the ultimate solution for eirí s backup power requirements in the data centre following a competitive tender process.

Pure Power Systems selected the Riello Master High Efficiency (HE), a product known for its premium protection, power quality and green energy.

The €573k project included: ï Eight Riello Master HE standalone units at 400kVA ï Configured in a 2N system (four UPSí on each side) ï Five strings of batteries per UPS (210 batteries per UPS) ï Total batteries 1680 Pure Power Systems delivered, positioned and commissioned the UPS systems as well as liaising with switchgear and control companies whose equipment would be interfacing with the UPS systems. It also built an missioncriticalpower.uk

Key stats on the new data centre • 3000 sq ft of white space • Modular design • 850 kW of IT load • 100 cabinets set in high density racking • Plant rooms and cooling equipment on roof and under floor pipes • Low voltage and medium voltage distribution • 2.2 MW supply into site • Two A and B 10,000V transformers • Equivalent of Tier 3 Uptime Institute classification (not certified) • Nine month project

ultra≠ resilient battery system with each UPS having five strings of batteries in order to achieve the desired autonomy as well as offer another level of redundancy. One of the major challenges on the project was transporting and installing 60 tonnes of batteries into the data centre by hand.

Reliability with Riello UPS Pure Power Systems has a strong relationship with Riello UPS as its single Irish distributor of UPS products and services. Speaking about this, Ian Jackson, managing director of Pure Power Systems, said: ì We place a particular emphasis on the service capabilities of our skilled engineers. We learn from the best and Riello pride themselves in offering top class training to ensure resellers have a thorough understanding of the products and exactly how to run and maintain them properly. ì The Riello systems are very well designed with a user friendly parallel hardware/ control system. This makes the difficult job of commissioning the UPS somewhat easier as we can trust this tested design

Driving efficiencies Pure Power Systems has been exclusively selling Riello UPS in Ireland since 2004. Jackson said: ì Resilience was a key consideration, which is why the UPSí were arranged in this configuration. If one UPS was to fail there would still be the required 1200kVA of capacity.

This level of redundancy was also increased by mirroring the system in a 2N arrangement.

Ití s the same with the batteries ñ by having five strings per UPS, if one battery fails, there is inherent redundancy within each UPS module.î ì The multi≠ module redundant installation using standalone systems offered the perfect solution for us because it presented the most efficient and cost effective solution but with the additional redundancy,î Wynne added. ì The Riello product gave us the necessary resilience and allowed us flexibility in how we use it. We can tap into this power resource and grow according to the business needs because it is a modular design data centre. Every piece of redundancy we can think of has also been put in but in such a way that it has been optimised.î Contact Riello UPS: 0800 269394 or email sales@riello-ups.co.uk December 2015 MCP

14

PROCUREMENT

Power is only half your power bill Wholesale power prices declined in 2015 with further softening anticipated into 2016.

Yet bills are expected to rise and the market to become increasingly volatile. What does that mean for energy procurement strategies? Brendan Coyne reports

A

verage wholesale prices are currently at multiyear lows. But tighter system margins, more intermittent renewable power and changes to the way the energy industry has to balance supply and demand will make half hourly prices much more volatile in 2016, says Jon Ferris, head of markets at Utilitywise.

That is something major energy users will need to watch carefully: if it is more expensive for suppliers to balance their portfolios they will inevitably pass on the cost to customers. Then there are rising non≠ commodity costs, which make up about half of the bill.

The non-energy bill Transmission and distribution elements make about a fifth to a quarter of the total ñ and they are on the rise. Charges to subsidise renewable energy

make up a similar proportion and are also rising. During the next couple of years other government policies such as the capacity mechanism ñ which pays generators to be available when needed ñ will kick in, adding percentage point increases to the total bill.

The government has agreed to protect energy≠i ntensive industries from the impact of rising policy costs. But that means everybody else will pick up the tab, adding more cost to the equation.

The net result is more expense. For mission critical firms, where energy costs are often the single biggest overhead, energy management will therefore become at least as important as energy procurement.

Procurement: fix or flex?

It is tempting for some businesses to lock in current

low wholesale prices. But Utilitywiseí s Ferris says energy buyers should stay flexible. He thinks the market may fall further. ì We recommend large consumers employ a long≠ term flexible framework that allows you to buy and sell in response to the changing markets,î says Ferris. ì If there is an opportunity to buy, you doní t have to go through a lengthy tendering process ñ because you have already been through it.î Deeper and down Germany provides an example of the impact renewable generation can have on power prices and why fixed contracts may prove expensive. ì Increased renewables on the grid have reduced German wholesale prices for 10 years.

It is certainly not a given that we will see a bounce in wholesale prices next year,î

We recommend large consumers employ a long-term flexible framework that allows you to buy and sell in response to the changing markets Jon Ferris, head of markets at Utilitywise

Why will energy prices get spikier in 2016?

Prices will be volatile for several reasons.

Over winter, prices will spike within 24-hour periods because energy supply margins are thin.

National Grid has used conservative methodology to calculate excess power versus expected consumption – and 5% tolerance is lean. Power generators will take advantage of scarcity.

The recent Notice of Insufficient Supply Margin (NISM) was the first in almost four years. It saw power prices soar for a short period of time. National Grid anticipates 7-10 more NISMs over winter. Next winter will be even tighter.

Meanwhile, changes to industry rules, called ‘cash out’ arrangements, MCP December 2015

mean suppliers must pay more if they generate or consume more or less power then they contracted.

Regulator Ofgem made those changes to create sharper price signals – that is, make it more expensive – for suppliers failing to accurately forecast customers usage. Suppliers will pass increased costs both for balancing and more volatile within-day prices to customers.

Major energy users may find themselves either exposed or in the black, according to procurement and demand management strategies.

As well, transmission and distribution costs are expected to rise 8-10% (see Table 1). missioncriticalpower.uk

15

£s

%

Forecast

Energy (incl. losses)

4,638,102

51.2

➔

Supplier costs (incl. margin & risk)

180,000

2.0

➔

Transmission charges (TNUoS)

736,458

8.1

➔

Distribution charges (DUoS)

897,116

9.9

Balancing use of system charges (BSUoS)

165,329

1.8

Renewables obligation

1,285,600

14.2

Feed-in-Tariff charge

405,000

4.5

Climate Change Levy

554,000

6.1

Contracts for Difference (CfD)

161,112

1.8

Capacity Mechanism (CM)

1,046

0.0

➔

Other charges (BSC, AAHEDC, metering)

30,014

0.3

TOTAL ESTIMATED COST

9,053,776

➔

➔

➔

➔

➔

➔

Description

➔

TABLE 1: BREAKDOWN OF AN ELECTRICITY BILL

100.0

Costs are scaled to 100GWh | 55-60% load factor | Customer in London | Source: Noveus Energy Ferris says. ì With a flexible framework, if you see a bounce in prices, you are in a good position to respond however the market reacts.î However, he says firms must mull their contract tariff structure and whether they want to fix the policy plus other rising non≠ commodity costs. To do so carries a premium, says Ferris. ì So it may be preferable to fix [non commodity costs] year by year when there is more certainty about what the absolute total will be.î Shape up Then come choices about the missioncriticalpower.uk

tariff structure. There are ë baseload and shapeí options where for a fee consumption is flattened so that firms do not have to worry about spikes in prices.

Or buyers can choose exposure to the real time cost of consumption, explains Ferris. ì But for that you need an understanding of how consumption can be managed and feed that into control project evaluation.î And there lies the rub: many businesses cannot easily change consumption patterns.

Even those that can may see insufficient incentive to do so.

However, that may change as power becomes the smallest

element of the bill.

Demand response Changing consumption in response to market signals takes many forms, but is known collectively as demand response. Ferris thinks the demand response market is ì at a turning pointî . ì If you can shift your consumption the rewards are increasing,î he says. ì If you caní t the costs are going to grow.î But he feels that the incentives for mission critical industries may be insufficient. ì The problem is that there are so many beneficiaries of demand response that the costs are centralised,î says Ferris. ì If organisations bearing the full cost doní t receive the full benefit, it is hard to make a business case for it. The supplier may benefit, the distribution company may benefit, National Grid may benefit and consumers may benefit from less spiky pricesÖ But [for the business investing], in many situations, the cost benefit doesní t really stack up.î Perhaps that will change over the next year, as more businesses are moved onto half≠h ourly metering and settlement. Firms that fail to manage consumption may find power bills far higher then pre≠h alf hourly settlement.

But other policies, such as the capacity market, may end up dampening price signals, which would further fragment signals for demand response, according to Ferris.

Data centres fixing?

Data centres that pass energy costs to their tenants like fixed contracts because they can lock≠i n low prices, says Bobby Collinson, managing director of consultancy Noveus Energy. ì With wholesale prices at such a low level, fixed priced »

With wholesale prices at such a low level, fixed priced deals for data centres that are passing through costs will be very attractive Bobby Collinson, managing director of consultancy Noveus Energy December 2015 MCP

16

PROCUREMENT

Utilitywise’s forecast model for electricity costs deals for data centres that are passing through costs will be very attractive,î says Collinson. ì They may not get the best price for their energy, but it is low risk.î But he says ì more progressiveî data centre operators will consider how to lower operating costs while planning for growth. Fixed contracts may not cater for big energy increases.

Growing pains ì Volume growth is a big issue for data centres. The majority are not fully occupied and are still growing. If they take on clients and double their volume, their [contract] is not going to allow them to do it,î says Collinson. ì Those contracts usually contain a ë shape clauseí , which says if your volume or shape materially affects the commerciality of the contract, they have the right to revisit it ñ that is their get out.î For many data centres, ì buying a fixed price contract exposes them to a risk they are not even aware ofî , says Collinson. ì So volume management within a fixed price contract is a risk.

MCP December 2015

Flexible contracts allow them to manage that dynamicallyî .

Risk and reward Collinson agrees that the energy market will be increasingly volatile, but says thatí s no bad thing. ì At the moment, volatility is the name of the game. But volatility is good, because it creates opportunity for people who are actively managing their energy,î he says. ì Overall in the energy market, the active buyer generally gets better results.î For the past three years, Collinson says the day ahead market has outturned monthly purchasing by about 5≠ 6%, which has outturned seasonal (annual) pricing by around 10%.

That is even before risk premiums are factored in and premiums for long≠ term contracts will rise as the market becomes spikier, says Collinson. ì In a volatile world, the risk premium becomes quite expensive, even disproportionate,î he warns. ì To optimise your position you are better off buying flexibly ñ buying short with a strong risk management

policy on when to lock out,î says Collinson. ì Take advantage of the market falling but protect yourself from the market rising.î Matt Osborne, trading risk manager at energy procurement firm Inenco, agrees the wholesale market looks depressed and that opportunity exists for smarter purchasing and risk management. ì There is still potential for prices to come off, so we are not necessarily saying that customers should fix out their energy cost,î he says. ì If the market should bounce, then they should start locking out.

But for now they should enjoy the low [prices].î Energy promanagement Osborne agrees that procurement and energy management can no longer be separate given pass through charges will soon be the largest bill element.

He thinks between 15≠ 20% of the bill is controllable.

Such a significant chunk ñ along with enabling technology ñ is largely why mission critical sites are waking up to market mechanisms such as demand response, says Osborne. ì The big driver is cost and revenue. Once consumers start to see the market is a lot peakier and NISMS are having a material impact on their costs, they are going to respond,î he says.

When firms see competitors using the balancing mechanisms to generate additional revenues, says Osborne, the incentive to ì step up and start thinking actively about how they manage consumption, reduce costs and increase revenueî will be plain. l

The big driver is cost and revenue. Once consumers start to see the market is a lot peakier and NISMs are having a material impact on their costs, they are going to respond Matt Osborne, trading risk manager at energy procurement firm Inenco

missioncriticalpower.uk

»

CONNECTIONS

17

The early bird connects to the grid The key to a successful grid connection is to start early. It will still be an expensive, lengthy process, but independent connections providers say they can shave up to a third off the costs. Brendan Coyne reports

E

nergy is becoming a key factor in where a business chooses to locate itself, says Robert James, infrastructure and energy project manager at Savills. But getting a grid connection can be a minefield, in some cases, literally. For larger sites, the key is to apply early, says James. ì The grid network is at capacity in much of the country, so apply and reserve capacity early. Even if a project doesní t work out there will be plenty of people willing to take the capacity off your hands, potentially at a higher price.î James says not all distribution network operators (DNOs) are equal when it comes to pace and price of connections. He says savings of around a third can be made by actively managing the connections process and shopping around. ì Actively managing works is the most important element,î says James. ì The DNOs woní t push it along for you.î Contest and save Connections costs can be broken down into two parts: The work that must be done by the local grid operator, called ë non≠ contestableí works; and the work that can be undertaken by a third party, called ë contestableí works.

James says customers are not always aware they may use an independent connections provider (ICP) for the contestable part. There are more than 200 ICPs vying for the work. ì It can be much cheaper [to

missioncriticalpower.uk

use an independent provider],î says James. He cites a recent client in Mossmorran, Fife, as an example of the savings achieved by taking an active project management role. ì On a 33kV line, the offer from the DNO was £2.2m.

But we reapplied and instead undergrounded an 11kV line to avoid planning headaches. We got an ICP to do some of the work and the new cost came in at £1.5m. So we saved the client £700,000, or 32%,î says James. ì It would be nice to get that on all projects but it is achievable.î Minefield Phil Sykes of Morrison Utility Connections agrees the process can be a minefield. Morrison has come across unexploded ordinance in the course of building connections, he says.

Sykes says it can take up to 18 months for connections to be completed ñ and agrees businesses should start connections planning as soon as possible. ì New data centres, hospitals, these are long≠ term projects. Making sure you have the utilities in place is the most critical part,î says Sykes. ì Transformers are long lead≠ time items, they will take three to six months. Then you have all the site surveys, crossing road legal applications, which are Section 50s, and they take time to come back. So these are long≠ term projects and you need to get the utilities in first. Clients doní t always understand the process that has to be undertaken long before you start digging and laying anything.î

Shave and save Sykes agrees that ICPs can shave up to a third off connections costs and ì can very often deliver more quickly than DNOsî .

While energy regulator Ofgem has published customer research that suggests Western Power Distribution is one of the better DNOs in terms of facilitating competition in connections provision, Sykes is reluctant to name less obliging network operators. ì A lot of it depends on your relationship with the DNO, and it also comes down to how many people are trying to connect to their network at the same time,î says Sykes. ì ì But if you start early, shop around and bring partners into the project early on you stand a better chance of getting what you want for the best price.î l

Connecting a central London data centre Volta’s central London data centre has a twin ring 33kV connection to UK Power Networks’ recently upgraded grid. Head of facilities John Speers (pictured) says the build was completed before he joined the company – but its legacy is highly resilient headroom.

“UKPN put in a brand new 33kV network due to the volume of construction planned in the city of London.

That meant anyone connecting to it had to buy their own transformers,” says Speers. “So we have two 33kV feeds coming into our own switches feeding our own transformers.”

He says the system enables Volta to parallel its onsite generators to the grid without worrying about system faults due to the network’s higher fault tolerance.

As well as “very high” availability, says Speers, “our feed has something like 45MVA of availability, of which we are taking up 9.6MVA. That can be uprated to 60MVA should the need occur”.

That means plenty of room for growth, which Volta anticipates.

“It is a good thing to have. Especially when, with all the new data centres they are trying to bring online, they are struggling for capacity in Docklands at the moment.”

December 2015 MCP

18

ONSITE STANDBY GENERATORS

Automatic transfer switches in Olympic Stadium transformation Len McGanity, product manager for ABB low voltage breakers and switches in the UK, describes how ABB supplied the first of its new-generation automatic transfer switches for the transformation of the Olympic Stadium in east London as a multi sports stadium and concert venue

T

he transformation of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford is an important element of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The project will alter the stadium from an athletics venue with a capacity of 80,000 to a multipurpose facility with a capacity of 54,000 for pitch sports and athletic events, or for concert audiences of up to 80,000.

Lead contractor Balfour Beatty built the original stadium, and for the transformation project it has delivered major changes to the seating bowl, delivered new hospitality suites and a new cantilevered roof to provide more shelter ñ the largest of its type in the world.

Since the original construction, Balfour Beatty has worked with technical service provider Imtech for elements of the stadiumí s building services infrastructure.

In turn, Imtech has turned to ABB to deliver the electrical distribution system.

During the transformation in 2015, ABB delivered major alterations to the main low

MCP December 2015

voltage distribution panels as well as new equipment to control power to ensure the stadiumí s electrical supply would meet the demands of its new role. ABB scheduled its work around major sporting events such as the Sainsbury Anniversary Games and the Rugby World Cup. Major deliveries of equipment took place in early 2015, with commissioning in late summer.

Ensuring continuity of supply for the stadium was an essential part of the transformation and ABB supplied automatic transfer switches (ATSs), which are used widely in applications where uninterrupted power supply is essential. A constant and reliable source avoids loss of supply to services and prevents serious consequences due to interruption or absence from the electrical grid. As increasing demand is placed on the grid, such switches are becoming more critical.

ABB introduced its latest generation ATSs in 2014, a few months before the project began, making the stadium one of the first installations for the new technology.

ABBí s ATSs are rated at 40 to 1600A and are manufactured and tested in the UK. The range includes manual and automatic switches, controllers and accessories for motors, resistive loads, mixed loads and off≠ load applications.

In operation, ATSs monitor the incoming power supply for loss of supply and switch to and from backup power automatically. Switches with higher levels of control have

Ensuring continuity of supply for the stadium was an essential part of the transformation and ABB supplied ATSs, which are used widely in applications where uninterrupted power supply is essential

timer functions, dead pan and back switching, bypass functionality, generator start/stop switching, energy metering and load shedding capabilities, as well as communication with a building management system.

For the transformation project, ABB supplied enclosed transfer switches at the maximum rating of 1600A without bypass functionality.

ABB has delivered infrastructure for several high≠ profile sporting venues for Imtech. The transformation project built on these and ABB met Imtechí s specifications for the stadium at a competitive price and its equipment is a close match with the existing electrical infrastructure in the stadium, which was originally supplied by ABB. Looking ahead, the stadium is due for completion ready for the start of the 2016/17 football season when it will be home to West Ham United Football Club and is equipped with a power supply, which will switch seamlessly without interruption to games and events. l abb.com missioncriticalpower.uk

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THINKING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BOX large choice of pre-set threestage and optional four-stage charging curves for different battery types, which cover a wide range of application requirements, Small adjustments to these pre-set curves are possible, and for more unusual or specific battery requirements, the chargers have the capability for bespoke charging curves to be configured, making the products highly flexible.

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04/11/2015 08:57

20

UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLIES

Supercapacitor UPS for short run times Eaton claims it is the first manufacturer of uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) to deliver a complete backup power solution that uses in-house manufactured supercapacitors instead of batteries

E

aton claims its new supercapacitors, when combined with an Eaton UPS, provide an affordable alternative in applications where only short≠ term power protection is required or battery backed solutions cannot be used.

The firm talks≠ up a wide range of benefits compared with traditional batteries: They are much lighter; have working lives of up to 20 years at 25∫ C; require no maintenance and, as they produce almost no heat, their cooling requirements are minimal. The supercapacitors are also suitable for applications where harsh operating conditions and high ambient temperatures mean that the use of batteries is not feasible. ì Our complete UPS plus supercapacitor solution delivers a compelling

alternative for short≠ term back≠ up requirements,î says Eaton product manager Jussi Vihersalo. ì The solution is competitively priced when compared to flywheel≠ based solutions, which means lower capital expenditure for a given size of system. The long lives and lower operating costs of the supercapacitors mean that they substantially reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO).î As the Eaton supercapacitors are scalable, especially when combined with an Eaton UPS, they can be accurately matched to the power and autonomy demand of almost

any application,claims the firm.

They can also be expanded, if necessary, to accommodate future growth.

Unlike batteries,

supercapacitors generate no hydrogen during their operation, so provisions for hydrogen removal are not needed.

A typical application for supercapacitor UPS solutions is use in conjunction with standby generators to maintain power while the generator starts. Another example is for protection against short power interruptions resulting from the operation of upstream power distribution systems, such as auto transfers and auto reclose events. They are also useful as peak buffers in conjunction with equipment that has short repetitive peak power requirements, such as MRI scanners. ● eaton.eu/powerquality

Riello system scalable to 1176kW Riello has launched the Multi Power UPS system, which can scale from 42kW to 1176kW. It is a modular, three≠ phase double conversion uninterruptible power supply system, scalable for any business requirements.

Space within a data centre is a key consideration and the power density of 400kW/m2 is claimed to make it a leader in its field. Using up to 28 power modules of 42kW each, the Multi Power gives scalability from 42kW to 1176kW. Riello says it also maintains high efficiency in online mode operation of up to 96.5% even at low loads of 20%. The Multi MCP December 2015

Power UPS demonstrates how high levels of resilience can easily be achieved and still be affordable with N+2 redundancy., says the firm.

A connectivity panel on the front allows full status visibility of the UPS modules and battery.

Maintenance is also simpler as the units can be accessed from the front of the system and the modules are hot≠ swappable, reducing any maintenance related downtime.

Leo Craig, general manager of Riello UPS, says: ì The modern datacentre not only has to ensure constant availability but also has to meet a number of other driving factors such

as carbon reduction and profitability targets. At Riello, we took this on board and set a mission to develop an outstanding modular solution which is perfect for meeting the power demands of the modern datacentre. ì Weí ve designed certain power components ourselves to ensure the very best operational reliability of the product which will protect the most critical IT load and any mission critical applications.î Multi Power meets the VFI≠ SS≠ 111 classification defined by international standard IEC EN 62040≠ 3. ● riello.com missioncriticalpower.uk

Advertorial

UPS

21

An ingenious alliance Power Control Ltd (PCL) will be releasing the new highly anticipated Ingenio Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) range exclusively to the UK market later this year

D

esigned and manufactured by the internationally acclaimed UPS specialist Borri Spa, the transformer free, online double conversion Ingenio series will be available as a standard 30 – 50kVA UPS solution and as a 60 – 160kVA Plus.

Drawing on the same philosophy, expertise and engineering pedigree that Borri is renowned for, the Ingenio series demonstrates new innovative manufacturing and procurement methodologies to deliver the most advanced, efficient and lowest operating cost Borri product range to date.

This exclusive new product launch further cements PCL’s long standing relationship with the Italian manufacturer.

Borri Spa’s CCO, Bessam Moutragi commented: “PCL is our exclusive UK partner for commercial UPS and as such we have every confidence that they will successfully position the Ingenio at the forefront of the industry.

“PCL has already proven to be an extremely valuable partner for Borri Spa, having achieved a great market presence for the Borri brand.

PCL’s vision for the Borri brand, execution in delivering our technologies to the UK and its unmatchable service support has undoubtedly made them the preferred power solutions for many businesses in the country.”

Following PCL’s rebrand at the beginning of the year, it has already posted significant growth and sales figures. As part of PCL’s long term business strategy to help it achieve even greater market share it is actively appointing UK partners that will benefit from guaranteed stock and delivery, product sales, technical training and

competitive trade pricing.

Commenting on the release of the Ingenio series and PCL’s relationship with Borri Spa, the company’s managing director Mark Trolley said: “The exclusive launch of the Ingenio range of UPS from Borri Spa signals a very exciting time for both companies and further highlights the strength of our relationship.

“PCL has been an elite UK partner for Borri Spa for many years and as such we have an unrivalled high level of engineering involvement and receive invaluable direct manufacturing and technical back-up from Borri Spa. This, coupled with our all encompassing service and maintenance programmes and high UPS and product spares stock levels, makes PCL the chosen power solutions provider for so many businesses.

“With regards to the new Ingenio range we are looking forward to working with our carefully selected partners to ensure that the technologies are communicated to the UK market in a precise and proactive manner. As we are currently looking to expand our partner network we are confident that we will see a significant uptake in the Ingenio series and other Borri three phase UPS solutions over the next few months.”

The Ingenio Plus has an impressive internal battery capability that no other manufacturer can offer. The power density of the UPS is

PCL master logo.indd 1

missioncriticalpower.uk

The power density of the UPS is very impressive and the up to 80kW also includes space for internal batteries for 10 minute autonomy at full load

very impressive and the up to 80kW also includes space for internal batteries for 10 minute autonomy at full load. Should the application require an isolation transformer, it can also be installed as an option in place of the batteries.

The Ingenio Plus incorporates all the same innovative multifunctional characteristics of the standard Ingenio but also delivers unity power factor and features Borri Spa’s patented, highly coveted Green Conversion technology, which provides improved battery efficiency and overall operating efficiency of up to 99%. l

21/11/2014 09:59

For further information on the new Ingenio UPS series please visit www.pcl-ups.com, email info@pclups.com or call 0800 136993 or for more information on becoming a PCL partner please contact Matt de Frece – mdefrece@pcl-ups.com

December 2015 MCP

22

POWER STORAGE

Li-ion batteries – a compact solution for greener data centres Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery systems have evolved into large-scale energy storage solutions. They are becoming increasingly popular for industrial standby power applications due to their high energy and power density and efficient operating characteristics, says Saft eco-design and REACH manager Stuart Lansburg

L

i≠ ion battery systems have been demonstrated to have a lower impact on the environment in a life cycle assessment analysis.

Saft has recently focused on the development of Li≠ ion battery systems for high power standby duty in data centres.

This article reviews the specific advantages of one such system ñ the Intensium Flex ñ in comparison with traditional legacy valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) battery technology.

How do you size a data centre battery?

The role of the battery in a data centre is to provide continuous standby power for a short time.

Depending on the length of the power disturbance, the battery will either support the critical loads until the emergency backup generation comes on line or the main AC grid supply is restored. The battery system is therefore typically sized to provide 10 to 15 minutes of continuous standby power. For this sizing discussion, the power disturbances are assumed to be infrequent. In which case, the batteryí s expected service life is associated with calendar ageing rather than cyclic ageing.

When considering the right size of battery for a high power discharge duty, we use its power performance data, rather than its rated capacity data. This gives us the required rated capacity (Ah) and this directly impacts the installation footprint.

When an ageing factor is used, it is applied as a multiple of the base load ñ giving a higher MCP December 2015

adjusted load which in turn increases the required capacity.

The Intensium Flex system is based on Saftí s Synerion 48P module, which was developed to provide a very high power discharge capability. The module uses a 14 cell series string of 28 Ah cells.

For a sizing example, let us consider a small to medium data centre where the load is 240 kWb and the required autonomy is 10 minutes. In this case, the available power from the battery after a 10 minute discharge is a good indi ñ ie the higher the performance the lower the required capacity. Assuming a bus voltage of 480V DC nominal, the required capacity, and in turn the installed capacity, can be determined.

The installed capacity must always be higher than the required capacity ñ and the actual amount depends on the Ah steps offered by the battery vendor.

Table 1 compares the performance and sizing results of two high power VRLA modules and the Intensium Flex. No oversizing factors

have been applied.

The ageing factor is normally applied when the data centre operator needs to add enough over≠ capacity to guarantee the beginning of life battery performance for a specified amount of service lifetime.

This service life is a function

of the anticipated operating temperature of the battery. For example, the expected service life of a lead≠ acid battery is four years at +35∞ C to 10 years at +20∞ C. For the Intensium Flex, the expected service life is 15 years at +35∞ C to 20 years at 20∞ C. The end of service life is

Table 1: Performance and sizing result comparison Parameter

VRLA 1a

VRLA 2b

Intensium® Flexc

Module. battery

6 cell block

6 cell block

14 cell Synerion 48P

Rated AH/module

140

119

28

Watts/module

536.1

633.0

8080

Watts/cell

89

88

577

Ratio watts/cell

1.02

1

6.56

Modules per spring

40

40

10

# of parallel strings

2

2

3

Installed Ah

280

238

84

Ratio installed AH

3.33

2.83

1

Float charge V

545

545

560

Min cut-of V

420

420

420

UMTX model VRLA. PbCalc 2.13, data base version 2.12, copyright 2014 FLX model VRLA. PbCalc 2.13, data base version 2.12, copyright 2014 For one string of 480V nominal, 10 Synerion® modules are connected in series. When putting three 480V strings in parallel the system is designated the Intensium® Flex 3 x 480 10.48P a b b

missioncriticalpower.uk

23

Table 2: installed space comparison of 480V nominal battery springs Parameter

VRLA 1d

VRLA 2e

Intensium® Flexf

Module. battery

6 cell block

6 cell block

14 cell Synerion 48P

Installed capacity (Ah)

280

238

28

Installed energy (kWh)g

134

114

40

# of parallel strings

2

2

3

Footprint (m2)

1.42

1.11

0.81

Ratio footprint

1.7

1.4

1

Total weight (kg)

2510

1528

8.71

Ratio total weight

2.9

1.8

1

UMTX model VRLA. PbCalc 2.13, data base version 2.12, copyright 2014 FLX model VRLA. PbCalc 2.13, data base version 2.12, copyright 2014 The Battery Management Module (BMM) and Master Battery Management Module (MBMM) are also included g Based on 480V nominal d e f

based on a 20% capacity loss from the beginning of life.

The Intensium Flex, with its relatively long calendar life, needs less oversizing when considering an ageing factor. Furthermore, with its significantly higher power capability, it requires one third of the installed capacity to handle the same discharge duty. Consequently, combined with its inherently high energy density, the installed battery space and installed battery weight is significantly reduced.

Installed space and weight Its significantly lower installed capacity and relatively high energy density means that the Intensium Flex weighs less and takes up less space when installed. To account for the required space and weight, we need to consider the battery modules and their racks. In this comparison, the maximum rack height with batteries installed was fixed at 1660 mm to normalise the comparison missioncriticalpower.uk

of the total footprint space needed. Table 2 summarises the installed battery system characteristics based on the sizing results previously discussed.

Up to one third of the weight and around half the footprint space is needed for the Intensium Flex. The ratios reported may differ for other sizing scenarios depending on the data centre load and selected lead≠ acid technology.

Operating efficiency The operating efficiency of a standby battery is typically measured by its ability to recharge and float charge efficiently ñ ie minimising the wasted charge energy from the charger.

The Intensium Flex recharges with more than 99% recharge efficiency and its float charge current level is comparable to a typical lead≠ acid battery. Additionally, it can accommodate an ë acceleratedí recharge regime

99%

The recharge efficiency of the Intensium Flex Lithiumion makes it comparable with a lead-acid battery

without implementing dual set point charge voltage setting.

This means that the charger operation can be simplified.

Life cycle assessment A peer≠ reviewed life cycle assessment was carried out on the Saft Li≠ Ion telecom battery system in comparison with a conventional lead≠ acid battery.

The goal of the study was to provide a better understanding of the environmental profile of different battery technologies used in the telecommunication sector as back≠ up solutions for power failure. A third≠ party critical review panel was engaged to ensure that the highest level of compliance with the ISO 14040/44 standards was met.

The study built a ë cradle≠ to≠ graveí life cycle inventory from the extraction of renewable and non≠ renewable resources from the ground to the production of materials to be used in the manufacturing of batteries, the energy consumption during the use stage as well as recycling at end≠ of≠ life. Transportation was included between the three main stages (from suppliers to the production site, from the production site to customers, and from customers to recycling plants).

This study concluded that the Saft Li≠ ion telecom battery system, when operating in a high power application with a short backup time, will have a lower impact when compared with conventional battery technology.

Summary Li≠ ion battery systems now offer a compact, green backup power solution for data centres due to their high energy and power density combined with energy efficient operation and low environmental impact. l saftbatteries.com December 2015 MCP

24

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Power quality November’s Energy Management Exhibition (EMEX) in London saw Thamesgate exhibiting for the first time and showing the latest digital voltage stabilisers and power factor correction systems from Ortea

T

he UK is going through a period of unprecedented change in terms of energy management and there are fairly regular news updates on the potential for power cuts, mostly due to the National Grid using some of its balancing measures to ensure the lights stay on. The UKí s ageing electrical infrastructure does feature an increasing renewables base from which to draw power and, over the next few years, energy storage at grid and distributed levels will be more prevalent before eventually the grid becomes more reliant on nuclear energy as new Chinese≠ built power stations come on line.

Orteaí s product range is concerned with power protection and energy saving when the mains supply is present. In the UK, large≠ scale energy users can be charged by the District Network Operators (DNOs)/supply companies for Reactive Power. This is a form of power that is required just to keep certain loads energised and is drawn from the grid. Power

factor correction systems can be installed to reduce/remove this charge and Orteaí s systems are some of the most technically advanced, competitive and reliable available within Europe claims Thamesgate.

While uninterruptible power supplies are always considered as a first choice power protection device, they are sometimes not as robust for industrial and harsh electrical environments as voltage stabilisers. Ortea is a leader in voltage stabilisation products with systems running from 1kVA to 3MW and beyond.

There are applications in the industrial and medical fields

where a UPS system may be too complex or cannot provide the level of mains power protection required. Ortea also supplies the voltage stabilisers as voltage optimisers and Thamesgate is now one of the UKí s leading voltage optimiser maintainers within the retail sector.

Nick Watkins, managing director of Thamesgate Group, commented: ì The EMEX show delivered for Thamesgate. We had some great interest in our voltage optimisers and power factor correction systems over the two days and have already booked follow≠ up site surveys with some key clients.î l thamesgate.com

There are applications in the industrial and medical fields where a UPS system may be too complex or cannot provide the level of mains power protection required

Cut lighting payback periods in half Lighting is one of the simplest ways to improve building energy efficiency, but many firms are using the wrong payback metrics, reports Brendan Coyne.

The Energyst readers surveyed earlier this year overwhelmingly stated that they either had implemented lighting projects, or planned to within the next 12 months.

Part of the reason is because lighting projects are relatively straightforward and deliver rapid payback, usually well MCP December 2015

under two years. That makes obtaining sufficient budget attainable. Most of readers surveyed for the Financing Energy Efficiency report stated that boards largely stuck to a two year payback rule when considering projects.

However, much larger savings can be achieved much more quickly by looking beyond pure payback.

Understanding lifecycle costs is the key to unlocking both budgets and energy savings ì Energy managers need

to understand the various financial options [available to them] and not just simple cash payback,î says Mervyn Bowden, former head of energy at Marks & Spencer turned consultant at Intuitive Energy Solutions. ì They are not helped by the fact that most finance departments still doní t get lifecycle cost analysis.î He says using payback as the sole metric can undermine even relatively low cost lighting projects. But linking equipment

upgrades to maintenance contracts can make projects far more financially attractive. ì LED lighting swap outs doní t look half as attractive if you use simple cash back on energy. They look incredibly attractive ñ returns of less than a year ñ if you use lifecycle cost analysis,î says Bowden. ì You are not re≠ lamping, maintaining, and replacing failures because the LED lights last much longer than the fluorescents you are replacing.î l missioncriticalpower.uk

COOLING & AIR MOVEMENT

25

We still get cooling wrong Despite the importance of efficient cooling technology in data centres, and the financial and environmental rewards on offer, many businesses are still still failing to take advantage, says Virtus director of product strategy Matthew Larbey

F

or many years now, data centre providers have had a focus on cooling, that can significantly impact the green performance of a data centre. This focus accelerated last year with the introduction of climate change agreements (CCA) to cover data centres. The CCA acted as a catalyst by aligning the amount of carbon tax operators have to pay with the energy efficiencies the company puts in place. One year later, the importance of efficient cooling technology in the data centre remains paramount if customers are to ensure that their businesses are environmentally friendly and benefit from tax savings. Yet it is still not the norm across industry.

To get a carbon tax break under the CCA scheme, a data centre provider had to reduce its power usage effectiveness (PUE) by 15% by 2020 from a 2011 baseline. The CCA was a fantastic opportunity for data centre companies to profit from being green, an opportunity that is intrinsically linked to the benefits of cooling technologies. For data centre providers, the more efficient the cooling technology thatí s selected, the more money it should save.

Don’t neglect customers While there might be a strong emphasis put towards solely the data centre itself as far as the CCA and new cooling technologies are involved, customers are also fundamentally involved in this. By not consistently looking to optimise power usage in order to pass on benefits and reduced costs, providers could be harming the relationship that they have

missioncriticalpower.uk

Technologies that can be deployed modularly are also good from a cost-effective point of view, enabling data centres to roll out additional cooling units in direct proportion to the number of racks and cabinets customers buy

with customers. Businesses want to be responsible and they expect that of their partners and suppliers as well.

The reductions can in turn be passed onto their customers in terms of the pricing options.

Reducing carbon impact is increasingly important to large corporations as they compare service providers, as their choice of service provider can have a large impact on their ability to meet their carbon and overall sustainability goals. For example, Virtus recently helped a large multinational financial services provider to achieve their carbon targets by deploying their IT in Virtus facilities, which are aligned on carbon goals.

New system, new efficiency Choosing the right cooling design is crucial and must be meticulously scrutinised by applying rigorous modelling and analysis techniques to ensure that ití s cost≠ effective over a prolonged time period.

Many businesses understand the need to develop green and sustainable data centres, but the question of how to do this without impacting cost or quality of service has eluded many for years.

Cooling technologies that use a combination of air

supplemented with water when required are becoming increasingly used to provide data centre cooling. Combined with effective air management techniques such as containment and using ë flooded roomí principles for the delivery of the conditioned air, data centres are able to function much more efficiently and with less environmental impact. Furthermore the use of advanced indirect ë air to airí heat exchange techniques ensure the external and internal air paths never meet, safeguarding against contamination and increasing resilience.

Technologies that can be deployed modularly are also good from a cost≠ effective point of view, enabling data centres to roll out additional cooling units in direct proportion to the number of racks and cabinets customers buy. This approach to data centre design means customers who wish to flex their commitment up or down from a rack to a dedicated suite to meet their changing business needs will also benefit from this fluid and scalable approach to data centre cooling. This will then obviously result in enhanced energy efficiency and cost savings.

Not only can cooling technology help to achieve industry≠ leading PUE levels, but deploying an advanced cooling technology can formulate a balance between innovation and responsibility.

There is the obvious improved cooling resilience and complete flexibility of rack densities provided, but with a system that is easy to deploy, operate and maintain. While the method isní t complicated, the rewards are abundant. l virtusdatacentres.com December 2015 MCP

28

COOLING & AIR MOVEMENT

‘90% less energy compared to steam humidification’ Carel explains its latest energy-saving humidification and air conditioning solutions in one fell swoop

T

he humiSonic family from Carel has been upgraded and extended.

The product for fan coils (humiSonic compact), already widely available on the market, has been joined by a version for direct room humidification (humiSonic direct) and another for duct installation (humiSonic ventilation). Carel bills humiSonic as a compact plug and play solution.

The extension of the range also coincides with an improvement in performance: 10,000 operating hours guaranteed, 10% energy consumption and 1µm water droplet size, says the firm.

This, claims Carel, means high reliability and minimum maintenance with 90% energy savings compared to a steam humidifier and almost instant complete absorption of the atomised droplets.

Energy saving Very low energy consumption (less than 80W per litre of atomised water) makes humiSonic suited for

datacentres and all applications where humidity control can be managed exploiting part of the sensible heat generated inside the controlled environment.

Low running costs ensure humiSonic delivers a return on investment in just a few months, Carel claims.

Hygiene and precision The components in contact with demineralised water are made from stainless steel, and the main body is designed to prevent stagnation of water at the end of the humidification cycle. Moreover, the electronic controller manages periodical washing cycles in the event of system inactivity.

Its hygiene features, together with guaranteed humidity

control precision, make humiSonic also suitable for more demanding applications, such as cleanrooms.

Mission Critical DNA By running humiSonic on demineralised water, operation of the piezoelectric transducers is guaranteed for 10,000 hours, Carel reiterates. This ensures service continuity in critical applications. Consequently, routine maintenance is also drastically reduced, claims the company.

HumiSonic direct One of the key selling points of the system is its versatility.

Carel touts it as suitable for every type of application: datacenters to offices, printing

facilities to cold stores. As such, the unit is available in different sizes up to 8kg/h.

HumiSonic direct is a single solution comprising both the control panel/power supply and the air humidity probe. It is a compact standalone system that is easy to install.

It can also be easily integrated into a BMS via an external signal (for example 0 to 10 V, 4 to 20 mA) or via a serial connection using the Modbus protocol.

Ventilation HumiSonic ventilation provides adiabatic humidification even in compact≠ sized ducts. Placed directly in the air stream, humiSonic ventilation atomises water into very fine droplets, which are instantly absorbed.

HumiSonic ventilation comprises two parts: the main body (containing the piezoelectric transducers); and the electrical power and control panel. The solution is available in different versions, from simple to more complex, and different sizes, up to 18kg/h. l carel.com

Ditch the UPS with racks that self-cool Silicon Valley start≠ up Vapor IO brought its Vapor Chamber to the DCD Europe event last month marking the first time this unusual rack arrangement has been seen in public.

The Vapor Chambers are essentially self≠ cooling, circular hardware racks that ingest cool air from the outside and exhaust warm air through the center, creating multiple ë hot columnsí as opposed to a traditional hot aisle.

MCP December 2015

By default, the current version accepts Open U racks built according to the Open Compute specifications, and requires a conversion kit to host standard hardware.

Future versions will be designed to support both traditional and Open U racks out of the box.

Another feature is the addition of multi≠ colored LEDs to simplify diagnostics and component replacement: for

example, the Vapor Chamber with a faulty hard drive will indicate the rack with a large LED light above, visible from the other end of the data hall.

Another LED will light up next to the drive itself.

The circular structure leaves plenty of space for cabling and batteries, so Vapor Racks will not require a separate UPS. Getting rid of a dedicated UPS also allows to bypass conversion from AC to

DC and back to AC, a method which results in higher power losses but is generally accepted in a traditional data center. l vapor.io missioncriticalpower.uk

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28

DATA CENTRE INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT

Mission critical solution for IT services firm Atos Datacenter Clarity LC from Siemens, a data centre infrastructure management solution, is being used by Atmos to consolidate, control and reduce the energy use of its data centre portfolio

G

lobal IT services provider Atos is responsible for ensuring the security, reliability and continuity of its customersí critical business information and resources, and provides fully managed services to clients across a wide range of industries.

With four data centres located throughout the UK and customers around the world, Atos decided to invest in a data centre infrastructure management solution ñ Datacenter Clarity LC ñ across a key location to deliver a single, consolidated view of all that data centreí s IT and facilities operations from one workstation.

Atos UK data centre strategy manager Brian Parrott explains: ì We had a variety of different asset management tools, products and spreadsheets and we needed a tool that could pull them together in the right place to help us to make timely, accurate decisions.î Furthermore, Atos wanted to improve its asset management capabilities with better reporting of capacity and the ability to do ì what ifî modelling of infrastructure, to enable better use of data and reduced risk of downtime. To increase overall energy efficiency and reduce utility costs for its customers, Atos required detailed, rack≠ specific power consumption data with real≠ time temperature monitoring and heat map visualisation.

To meet these challenging criteria, Atos implemented Datacenter Clarity LC at its first data centre in Scotland.

MCP December 2015

The DCIM interface processes information from vital sub≠ systems that traditionally operate in silos, into a single, powerful solution that monitors energy and building management, physical security, fire safety, power and communications, racks, servers and data storage systems, as well as switches and routers.

The Datacenter Clarity LC system enables collaboration between IT and facilities processes, allowing both parties to track and manage assets and workflows. Simple integration procedures ensure the transfer of up≠ to≠ date infrastructure information and help the two departments to deliver high value IT services.

Among the key gains for Atos is the ability to now provide more accurate and auditable invoices for its customers.

Datacenter Clarity LC generates more than seven million power readings per month, increasing billing transparency and customer trust.

The software delivers real-time energy management at rack level due to its ability to harness CFD analysis technology, combined with real-time environmental monitoring

Real time energy management The latest Datacenter Clarity LC technology combines a complete DC suite including a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) module. The software delivers real≠ time energy management at rack level due to its ability to harness CFD analysis technology, combined with real≠ time environmental monitoring to deliver a complete set of capabilities for cooling management, delivering users with detailed power usage information via dashboard and regular reporting. With a better missioncriticalpower.uk

29

view of its energy consumption, users can increase efficiency and reduce energy costs for their customers. Having both real≠ time environmental monitoring and CFD capabilities within a single DCIM platform is unique, claims Siemens, and enables a faster return on investment.

Furthermore, the software provides predictive capabilities in a virtual 3D data centre model, which offers Atos engineers an interface to view assets, helping to identify risk and ensuring the highest level of uptime and reliability for their customers.

Using the 3D modelling, Atos has a more efficient and effective way to conduct change management and

7m

ensure its assets can support customer needs for capacity.

In addition, Atos can access Datacenter Clarity LC from any Atos workstation around the world, giving the management team the agility and flexibility they need to ensure uptime and address customer issues.

The DCIM solution has been successful in helping Atos achieve a number of key objectives. ì Our team now has one clear view of the data centre,î describes Parrott. ì They can see everything from mechanical and electrical infrastructure to IT assets on one screen. Having a single view is essential when taking the pulse to really understand the health of your data centre.î

Number of power readings Data Clarity LC generates per month With more accurate, real≠ time monitoring of assets and power consumption, Atos expects that Datacenter Clarity LC will support its company≠ wide efforts to improve power usage effectiveness (PUE). ì As we improve PUE, our power consumption comes down,î explains Parrott, ì and that is a saving that is passed directly on to our customers.î Atos has plans to roll out

Datacenter Clarity LC to other UK and European strategic customers.

Siemens Building Technologies ceo Matthias Rebellius summarises: ì The challenge for data centres to be competitive and productive relies on these critical facilities being safe, secure, energy efficient and resilient.

Siemens has developed specific technologies, portfolios and services to meet the demanding requirements of every area of the data centre. Our goal is to work with data centre owners and managers to increase uptime, maximise sustainability and operate as a long term and valued partner.î l siemens.com/dcim

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December 2015 MCP

30

COMBINED HEAT & POWER

Oldest UK hospital gets latest trigeneration plant Barts Health NHS Trust in London is deploying a modern trigeneration system.

With private funding in place, the combined cooling, heating and power system means the hospital can spend less on energy and more on medical research

W

ho says you caní t teach an old dog new tricks? Barts may be the UKí s oldest hospital ≠ indeed the oldest in Europe ≠ but it has, via Skanska, contracted Clarke Energy to install a combined cooling, heat and power plant powered by a Jenbacher gas engine from GE Power & Water.

The on≠ site trigeneration project is the first of its kind under a strategic collaboration between Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL), Clarke Energy, GE and the NHS Confederation.

The initiative is part of SDCLí s ë Powering Healthí collaboration to deliver lower≠ carbon, fully funded CCHP solutions to NHS trusts, including those that are part of a private finance initiative structure.

Clarke Energy will provide Skanska with an Ecomagination≠ approved 1.4MW J420 Jenbacher hospital CHP unit that will provide electricity and heat; a 250kW absorption chiller delivering cooling water for the hospital; and balance of plant equipment. The system will be installed to create a new energy centre at the hospital to increase energy efficiency, reliability and durability and also increase financial savings.

Higher reliability, lower costs ì We are delighted to be installing this CCHP plant to help us boost energy reliability and reduce our energy costs and carbon emissions,î said Fiona Daly, environmental MCP December 2015

The hospital will be able to divert spending on energy to boost spending on cancer research manager for Barts Health NHS Trust. ì The reason for selecting Clarke Energy is due to the reduced environmental impact of GEí s reciprocating engines, which is backed by Clarke Energyí s excellent services support. This collaboration highlights numerous energy≠ efficiency opportunities throughout the NHS and other power≠ intensive industries.î Leon van Vuuren, general manager for GEí s Jenbacher gas engines, said Jenbacher gas engine technology will ì help the NHS increase the energy security of local hospitals while helping reduce their emissions by up to 25% or avoid up to 1,537 metric tonnes, which is the equivalent of more than 750 cars in Europeî .

Freeing up capital Richard Byers, Skanskaí s head of green business, said the project would also enable the trust to free≠ up capital. ì This installation will enable Barts NHS Trust to generate reliable onsite power in the form of electricity, heat and cooling.,î said Byers. ì In parallel, the hospital will be able to divert spending on energy to boost spending on cancer research.î Disaster-proof power Clarke Energy MD Haydn Rees, said the main motive for installing a CCHP plant was to modernise the ageing energy and heat supply system, improve the hospitalí s overall power generation resilience and reduce the environmental impact. ì If there is ever a natural disaster or interruption of

50MW The installed cogeneration capacity Clarke Energy has with the NHS

power, Barts Health NHS Trust will be able to endure these external challenges due to the reliability of GEí s gas engine cogeneration technology and the Clarke Energyí s equipment and services,î said Rees.

Big numbers GE says it is seeing strong demand for its Ecomagination approved Jenbacher cogeneration technology from a number of UK hospitals and other facilities seeking more secure, cleaner on≠ site energy. Upon completion of the project, Clarke Energy will have more than 50MW of installed cogeneration capacity with the NHS. Internationally, Clarke Energy has a total of 121MW installed hospital cogeneration and tri≠ generation capacity. l clarke-energy.com ge.com SDCL was one of the contributing financiers to Energyst Mediaí s Financing Energy Efficiency report. Available as a free download at theenergyst.com or via this shortened link: http://bit.ly/1dbdpQ3 missioncriticalpower.uk

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The event will feature 50 exhibitors and speakers from companies such as British Gas, Schneider Electric and many more besides. Registration is free of charge, as is attendance of all seminars.

There are so many ways that you will benefit from attending Data Centre Summit.

• Be part of the latest thinking and share the experience of other organisations’ experience • See what’s new in the industry and keep up to date with latest innovations and technologies • Learn from case studies in similar organisations to yours • Catch up with your current suppliers and meet new ones – all in one day saving precious time • Find new partners and business opportunities • Network with your peers from other organisations – make use of our networking lounge • Find ways of saving money and developing your business • Visit the exhibition of leading vendors

To discuss exhibiting call Ian Titchener on 01353 771464 or Peter Herbert on 07899 981123

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COMBINED HEAT & POWER

33

CHP – children’s hospital profits Heating is an essential service in hospitals and CHP is one way to get it efficiently.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital has just installed two new units from Veolia in its new hospital that aims to get the best out of the technology

V

eolia recently won a contract with Alder Hey Childrení s Hospital in Liverpool for the delivery of two combined heat and power (CHP) units to its new hospital, ë Alder Hey in the Parkí , which was completed in October 2015.

Delivered by Veoliaí s specialist CHP team, Cogenco, the agreement will see a 500kWe gas≠ fired CHP and a 500kWe biodiesel CHP installed at the hospitalí s new facilities.

Maximum energy security By integrating gas and biodiesel≠ fired units the new energy plant will maximise energy security for the hospital,

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and deliver carbon savings estimated to be 2,300 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The CHP units will supply the state≠ of≠t he≠a rt Hospital with power and low≠ grade hot water.

Carbon savings During cogeneration the heat produced as part of the

2300

Estimated tonnes of carbon savings per year at the hospital

electrical generation process is recovered by the CHP and used to heat water. This increases the efficiency of fuel use, lowers utilities costs and, in line with the NHSí s carbon reduction target of 26% by 2020, will help to reduce the hospitalí s carbon footprint.

Damian Shevloff, sales director at Cogenco, confirms: ì We are currently commissioning the CHP equipment on site and are expecting the plant to be operational in the second half of this year, with carbon savings realised in 2015.î Founded in 1914, Alder Hey Childrení s Hospital in West Derby, Liverpool, has grown to become one of the largest

By integrating gas and biodiesel-fired units the new energy plant will maximise energy security for the hospital childrení s hospitals in Europe.

Veolia, meanwhile, says it has has helped more than 100 hospitals throughout the UK to meet carbon reduction strategies and reduce costs. l veolia.co.uk December 2015 MCP

34

RISK MANAGEMENT

Do you know where your data is?

What do businesses need to be aware of and what questions should they be asking service providers to ensure they have the best view of their data?

NaviSite managing director Sean McAvan shares his thoughts

G

CHQ recently revealed that cyber≠ attacks on the government have doubled in the past year.

Headline≠ making security breaches have also impacted businesses of all shapes and sizes.

With the threats faced it is vital that businesses are aware of where their data is stored and the tools and processes their service provider uses to secure it. A breach or data leak can result in lost revenue, lost clients, tarnished brand image or, in the worst case, catastrophic failure of the business.

It isní t just hacks that you need to be aware of but location of data also matters for data protection laws, application performance, reliability of service and ability to recover data following an outage.

Questions that need an answer 1. Is my data stored in one or multiple locations around the globe?

It is important to understand the contract you have with your service provider and check if it allows movement of your applications and data without your explicit approval.

All data which is stored in the cloud is physically hosted somewhere in a data centre.

You will want to know where your data is, that data is stored in accordance with local data protection laws or that security controls are in place that meet your compliance or business needs. The contract may be transparent about the location of your data and the service

MCP December 2015

provider may contractually agree not to move data without your permission. Alternatively your provider may move data and applications at their own discretion, perhaps to balance workloads or to facilitate maintenance.

2. Will the location have any impact on my user experience or application performance?

Location may also have an influence on the performance of applications and can play a part in determining your userí s experience of cloud≠ hosted applications. If your users are geographically dispersed, then a provider who can service those locations directly might be more beneficial. It is always prudent to test latency between locations to ensure that performance meets the required levels.

3. What happens if thereí s an outage?

Robust solution design, combined with defined

incident management processes and business continuity planning are key to preserving data security and maintaining availability.

All systems (cloud and/ or physically hosted) can be vulnerable to service interruption; building in resilience and redundancy combined with a solid plan for when things do go wrong is a collaborative process you need to undertake in partnership with your service provider. As regulations and business requirements change, business continuity plans must be regularly evaluated and updated to meet the latest requirements.

4. What about security?

Security will need to be reviewed at the physical, logical and human level.

Your service provider should be able to work with you in a consultative capacity to determine both the level of security which is needed for your cloud services and then

be able to design or adapt a solution which meets these needs. You may prefer to take a varied approach to applying security controls as enhanced security can mean extra cost, so it might make sense to only apply these controls where you have to.

It is critical that users work with a provider who has the relevant operating processes and procedures in place to maintain security and to have these audited on a regular basis. You should review their previous audit checks and you may also need the right to request your own independent checks to ensure that correct procedures are being followed by your vendor.

It has become more important than ever to be aware of your data; where it is, who is handling it and to apply due diligence to this prior to signing contracts. Undertaking these checks, combined with regular audits, is key to maintaining data security. l navisite.co.uk missioncriticalpower.uk

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36

SECURITY

Internet protection for businesses of all sizes Arbor Networks, a provider of network security, has beefed up its distributed denial of service (DDoS) defence portfolio to protect organisations’ internet connectivity

I

n the past two years very large distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have become the norm, enabled by the reflection/ amplification capabilities within such disparate network infrastructure components as domain name servers and network time protocol. At the same time, low volume, stealthy application≠ layer attacks have become ubiquitious, threatening business continuity.

Arbor Networks, the security division of Netscout, has launched a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for DDoS protection, delivering scalability, deployment and cost flexibility to meet the needs of any organisation from the worldí s largest service providers to small and mid≠ sized emerging growth businesses.

Arbor Networks says its MCP December 2015

Key features explained Availability of online services and applications is as essential today as electricity, yet many organisations are not taking adequate steps to protect themselves

Managed Services: Fully managed hybrid, on-premises and in-cloud DDoS protection services.

Deployment Flexibility: From SDN and virtual solutions to embedded security in Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Routers, high density appliances and a global cloud.

Scalability: Starting at sub 100Mbps virtual solutions scaling to 160Gbps appliances to 2Tbps in the cloud.

Protections: From volumetric only to application layer and mult-vector attacks to advanced threats; continuously armed with global threat intelligences from ATLAS and ASERT. Pricing: Managed services subscriptions, perpetual appliances and virtual license pools.

APS (formerly Pravail APS) provides always on, in≠ line DDoS protection to business continuity and availability from the growing constellation of application≠ layer threats. A new 2U APS appliance, claims the

firm, delivers a 4x increase in mitigation capacity to 40Gbps, at less cost per gigabit of protection, while new virtual APS with flexible licensing enables sub≠ 1Gbps of mitigation capacity for smaller enterprises. missioncriticalpower.uk

37

Arbor Networks TMS (formerly Peakflow TMS) is a high capacity solution deployed by global enterprise, cloud and service providers to surgically remove DDoS attack traffic without disrupting key network services. A new TMS 5000 appliance increases mitigation capacity by 2.5x to 100Gbps, at less cost per gig of protection, while a new 2U TMS appliance increases mitigation capacity by 4x to 40Gbps, at less cost per gig of protection.

New managed services mAPS is a new managed service for organisations that want to outsource on≠ premises DDoS protection. mAPS can be used for on≠ premises≠ only deployments, or as part of a fully managed cloud DDoS protection solution.

Arbor Cloud is a multi≠ layer DDoS defence service.

On≠ premises APS≠ based mitigation is tightly integrated with 1.5Tbps today (and up to 2Tbps in the next two quarters) of Arborí s global, cloud≠ based scrubbing centres. Arbor Cloud helps protect enterprises against the full spectrum of DDoS attacks, including volumetric, application≠ layer, state≠ exhaustion (eg targeting firewall/IPS), and blended, multi≠ vector DDoS attacks.

New virtual solutions Arbor Networks says it has been a software≠ driven network security company from inception and has never relied on hardware acceleration, allowing for an easy transition from appliances to full virtualisation without a major performance impact.

Arborí s DDoS portfolio is missioncriticalpower.uk

Customer and analyst comments “As one of the world’s largest data centre and colocation providers, Equinix understands that customers are very concerned about the security and availability of their data within hosted environments. Arbor Networks DDoS protection is both advanced yet easy to operate. It provides real value for our teams beyond attack mitigation. It give us great insight into network traffic as well as service performance.”

Nelson Mendonça, operations director, Equinix Brazil “Frost & Sullivan strongly recommends a multi-layer defence as best practice for DDoS protection. Arbor is now enabling that in a variety of ways, via a new fully managed service or through new, lower cost virtualised solutions. It is also moving to address the dramatic increase in attack size with greater mitigation capacity on-premise and in the cloud. Aggressive moves like this are what has allowed it to lead in this market for more than a decade.”

Chris Rodriguez, senior industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan “More than 1500 enterprises rely on Netmagic for always-on, secure and high performance managed hosting and cloud services. DDoS attacks are continuous threat to both our infrastructure and that of our customers. We chose Arbor Networks because it is tested and proven in large hosting and cloud environments like ours.

Its flexible portfolio allows us to protect our available as a virtual solution for integration of DDoS detection and mitigation from legacy to next≠ generation SDN/NFV networks. Cisco and Arbor have collaborated to deliver virtual, network≠ embedded DDoS protection to service provider and enterprise customers. This solution ñ the Cisco ASR 9000 vDDoS Soluton ñ integrates

own infrastructure while also delivering a DDoS protection service to customers.”

Sharad Sanghi, managing director and chief executive officer of Netmagic, a NTT Communications company “The resilience and complexity of the DDoS threat continues to surprise businesses around the world. Availability of online services and applications is as essential today as electricity, yet many organisations are not taking adequate steps to protect themselves. Proper risk management starts with appreciating the role availability plays in all aspects of the modern business. Arbor Networks has been a leader in calling for multi-layer protection, and it has taken aggressive steps to enable more businesses to deploy it, through its own fully managed services and a new suite of virtualised solutions.

It now has one of the broadest portfolios of DDoS products and managed services available in the market.”

Rik Turner, senior analyst, Ovum “With today’s complex attacks, you need to deploy muti-layered defence for full DDoS protection. We selected Arbor Cloud to leverage the on-premise appliance to monitor for security events and to give us more visibility into network traffic, and have the cloud-based mitigation for protection against volumetric attacks. Beyond the technology is the customer service, we enjoyed a rapid deployment and great ongoing support.”

Michael Muha, director of cloud services at WorkForce Software, a leading cloudbased provider of enterprise workforce management solutions

Arborí s TMS DDoS mitigation technology within Ciscoí s ASR 9000 routers located at peering points, data centres and the network edge to effectively create a secure perimeter against high≠ volume attacks.

Arbor Networks president Matthew Moynahan says: ì This is the strongest, broadest and boldest DDoS portfolio

in Arborí s history, and it will serve as the platform for our next decade of DDoS market leadership.î ì Our new portfolio scales to meet the needs of the largest service providers, while also providing the deployment and cost flexibility required by the broader enterprise market.î l arbornetworks.com December 2015 MCP

38

PRODUCTS

Improved workflow management system for data centres Geist DCIM has improved its asset management solution with its most recent update to Environet Asset, which now includes a more comprehensive workflow engine.

The newest version expands on the previous workflow system, combining a user≠ friendly interface with a streamlined and efficient implementation process. ì Our aim is to create solutions that solve problems and make data centres more efficient,î explains Matt Lane, president of Geist DCIM. ì Environet Assetí s integrated workflow management system helps us accomplish that goal for our customers.î The new interface provides users with intuitive navigation. The ability to create entire projects, which encompass multiple work orders and tasks, allows users to plan

effectively for changes within the data centre. Now, instead of manual processes to acquire and enter asset information, the enhanced workflow engine automates the process and tracks progress from start to finish. Notification messages are

Fleet doubles in three years Significant investment has seen Power Electrics’ multi-megawatt generator fleet double in just three years. Since 2012, it has increased its 800kVA to 2000kVA large capacity generator range to 31 sets, offering a combined power output of nearly 35MVA. These generators are used to power large mission critical applications across multiple sectors including data centres, telecoms, utilities, finance and healthcare.

All of the multimegawatt generators are housed in silent ISO containers and mounted on artic trailers for ease of delivery and manoeuvrability. The

MCP December 2015

new sets are fitted with control panels to enable gen-gen and gen-mains synchronous capability.

Within these panels, Power Electrics has the ability to remotely monitor the fleet, reporting on data such as engine pressure, temperature, status, fuel level and GPS position.

Brian Holland, business development director at Power Electrics, says: “Investment is about securing the best possible products for our customers and our bespoke range of large capacity generators enables us to deliver hire solutions on a larger scale than ever before.” powerelectrics.com

automatically sent to all key personnel, providing full communication and insight to each important step along the way. Once approved, all changes are automated within the system to provide an updated and accurate database.

The ability to visualise all planned changes is also included in the newest version. Users are able to view the current status along with the expected status after the planned changes take effect. By providing future visualisations, Environet Asset simplifies the capacity planning process and provides each user with an understanding of how changes will affect the data centre. With an accurate and approved plan in place, each individual and department will know when and where changes will occur, helping avoid any confusion surrounding asset management. geistglobal.com

IoT software for DCs RF Code has launched CenterScape, a flexible framework of data centre management software tools built on the company’s Workplace IoT Platform. CenterScape brings together years of collected best practices and streamlined methodologies with real-time environmental monitoring and asset management solutions developed specifically for data centres and distributed IT environments. This ranges from small server rooms to globally distributed data centers, colocation sites and edge-based IT rooms.

Ed Healy, ceo at RF Code, says, “The data centre has become the hub of every large enterprise and government organisation. It is virtually impossible to find a business that does not depend on IT. As an endto-end Internet of Things supplier, we designed CenterScape to be a flexible framework of

data centre infrastructure and asset management tools. CenterScape can be deployed as a stand-alone solution or used to provide the real-time, accurate data required to make even the most complex of DCIM deployments a success.”

CenterScape’s capabilities include predictive analysis, U-level rack asset management and detailed 3D data centre visualisation, as well as comprehensive asset lifecycle reporting, dynamic facility to global mapping and openarchitected APIs for ease of integration with third-party applications. CenterScape works seamlessly with, and improves the functionality of, other data centre management systems DCIM, ITSM, BMS - as well as applications providing “accountability data” on ownership, procurement and provisioning, such as SAP, Oracle ERP and BI systems. rfcode.com

missioncriticalpower.uk

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40

PRODUCTS

Wireless monitoring and cooling optimisation solution Panduit Corp., a global leader in unified physical infrastructure≠ based solutions, is expanding the availability of SynapSense Cooling Optimisation, part of the SmartZone Solutions portfolio, a turnkey wireless monitoring and cooling control solution for data centres, to the European market.

The SynapSense technology is a DCIM thermal risk management and cooling energy savings solution for large enterprise, colocation and cloud computing service providers.

The SynapSense Cooling Optimisation solution reduces thermal risks and maintains resiliency through reliable secure wireless mesh networking technology, airflow optimisation services and manual or automated cooling control. Overall, the SynapSense wireless monitoring and cooling

optimisation solution provides visibility to enhance environmental consistency and help data centres save up to 50% of cooling energy costs per year.

Brendan Doorhy, director of Intelligent

Management Systems Group within Panduit Corp, states: ì SynapSense is a compelling solution that continues to deliver increased data centre thermal capacity and enhanced control of data centre operations to our customers. Our broad portfolio of physical infrastructure solutions, coupled with the SynapSense secure wireless mesh networking technology and cooling optimisation services, provide our customers with high returns in thermal management. As a result, we now offer the a comprehensive integrated data centre solution, including environmental monitoring, power and thermal management, asset and connectivity management. This enables Panduit to offer a full suite of capacity management tools and services.î panduit.com

Battery monitoring

Verified or not?

Battery monitoring company PowerShield has released LINK3, an upgraded version of software in the PowerShield Sentinel Battery Monitoring System.

PowerShield CTO Paul Hectors says LINK software provides a graphical interface to the batteries, displaying and storing data and alarms across the lifetime of the batteries.

“The site log means operators can enter commentary into their system to note or explain events and activity that the batteries are reporting,” says Hectors.

When it comes to specifying or purchasing lighting products, it can be a minefield. It is important that the equipment delivers performance in line with expectations and manufacturers’ claims. A lot of lighting products entering the market do not meet the required standards – yet they achieve a certain level of market penetration by being low-priced. LIA Laboratories is advising lighting specifiers and installers to ensure the products they are considering for use have been subject to a meaningful, independent verification.

“Whether it’s lamps, luminaires or lighting controls; the key words are ‘meaningful’ and ‘independent’,” warns general manager Mark Salt. “Many people believe that the CE Mark is the only certification that is required but it’s important to bear in mind that suppliers ‘selfdeclare’ the CE Mark.

There is no independent

MCP December 2015

Storing data is also improved and more easily shared with the import/export feature and hyperlinking allows improved navigation between real time and battery history.

The remote reporting feature offers a ‘second opinion’ opt-in. This gives customers the ability to co-ordinate with PowerShield technicians who will review data and provide an early alert to upcoming issues.

Another upgraded feature is the revised discharge reporting, which is now IEEE compliant. powershield.com

verification of safety or performance,” he adds.

He also notes that the CE Mark is focused on safety through compliance with several EU Directives that do not encompass performance parameters such as light output, lamp life and energy efficiency.

Through its LIA Labs Verified scheme, LIA Laboratories provides a complete accredited testing, verification and certification service for all lighting equipment from lamps/LED modules and control gear through to luminaires. Equipment verified by the scheme, which operates in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust (EST), gets a certificate and can carry the LIA Labs verified and EST brand. Verified products are also published on LIA Labs’ certification website with full details. lialab.org.uk

missioncriticalpower.uk

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42

Q&A

Nicholas Finney The business development manager, stationary division at Saft Groupe on his phobia of clowns, invisibility and the mystery of who shot JFK

Who would you least like to share a lift with? Why? Clowns. They make me uneasy.

If you could perpetuate a myth about yourself, what would it be?

I care.

You’re God for the day.

What’s the first thing you do?

Set my alarm clock to snooze.

I havení t slept in for years!

What would you do with a million pounds?

Not keep it for a rainy day.

What’s your greatest extravagance?

My Haibike pedelec mountain bike.

If you could travel back in time to a period in history, what would it be and why?

April 4, 2004 and say cheerio to my Dad. Unsolved mystery: just who did shoot JFK? Who or what are you enjoying listening to? (music, radio etc) Kasabian: 48:13 What unsolved mystery would you like the answers to?

Who shot JFK?

If you were blessed with any talent, what would your dream job be and why?

Putting people back together when they fall apart.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Youí ll poke your eye out.

Doní t sweat the small stuff and ití s all small stuff.

Clowns make me uneasy

What irritates you the most in life?

Liars.

What would your super power be and why?

Invisibility. Ití s nice to disappear occasionally!

What would you take to a desert island and why?

Toothbrush, toothpaste and my imagination.

What’s your favourite film (or book) and why?

Michael Clayton.

MCP December 2015

What should the energy users be doing to help itself in the current climate?

Switch the light off when you leave a room.

What’s the best thing – work wise – that you did recently?

I made a difference. ●

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