Mission Critical Power

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ISSUE 4: April 2016

10

Zero sum: Could superconductivity make the internet sustainable?

14

UPS and downs: Should you pay heed to the Energy Technology List?

20

Smarter grid: Battery assets stand to gain from government push

See cover story, page 12

www.enersys.com/XE

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, o rld nd T: Wo , Lo A S tre 16 E U Cen ril 20 E S ta Ap Da -13 L40.

12 and St

piller.com

Introducing a whole new concept in power protection – game changing UPS topology optimised for colocation data centres. Unique functionality combining proven technologies with a space-saving design to increase revenue flows. When everything rides on reputation, you need to know that your power and your data is reliably protected.

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3

IN THIS ISSUE

20

8 Insight

Energy Storage

Exponential data growth means vast swathes of computation will relocate to the edge, according to its disciples

The National Infrastructure Commission has recommended building a smarter grid without delay. For those with lots of batteries, that could be lucrative.

14 Energy Management Is selecting a UPS from the government’s Energy Technology List always a good buy?

16 Energy Management Can and should data centres be powered by solar energy?

10

missioncriticalpower.uk

ISSUE 4: April 2016

10

Zero sum: Could superconductivity make the internet sustainable?

14

UPS and downs: Should you pay heed to the Energy Technology List?

20

Smarter grid: Battery assets stand to gain from government push

Viewpoint Could superconductivity make the internet sustainable, asks Professor Ian Bitterlin See cover story, page 12

40

www.enersys.com/XE

12

Cooling & Air Movement

Cover Story

Cooling Tier IV data centres and achieving energy efficiency even at partial loads

EnerSys introduces DataSafe XE batteries power for modern critical UPS applications

Comment

4

Asset Resilience

24

Data Centre World 2016

44

News

6

UPS

28

Products

48

Insight

8

Standby Generators

32

Q&A

50

Connectivity & Cabling

38

Cooling & Air Movement

40

Energy Management

14

Infrastructure Management 22

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April 2016 MCP

4

COMMENT

Water you going to do?

Mission critical sites have many things to worry about, particularly resilience and energy use. However, one that is moving up the agenda is water use.

While Scotland already has competition, England will follow in April 2017 and there are things that you can do now so that you are prepared.

Saving water makes good business sense; if you pay for something then using less is one sure way to increase profitability. The other reason to save water is resource efficiency. Unlike the problems that exist in the energy market water is slightly different in that it cannot be created. London is drier than Istanbul, and the south east of England has less water available per capita than the Sudan, so it is important to conserve this essential resource.

As Benjamin Franklin said: “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” Understanding the worth of water now before its intrinsic value is forced upon us is essential.

Efficiency will reduce water bills quickest but another method to look at after this is water reuse. Much of the water we use for heating, cooling, process applications, washing and sanitation needn’t be of drinking water quality. This could be reused water or grey water. The effect of this would be to reduce water costs further, allow more potable water to be available for drinking and food preparation purposes and it also reduces the strain on the drainage system that can be caused by excess rainfall.

The Department of Health’s Water management and water efficiency – best practice advice for the healthcare sector says: “Financial savings of up to 20% may be achieved through water-efficiency measures, with little or no cost in investment. This translates to a possible saving of £9.5m per year” for the NHS. No small amount for little or no outlay.

Advertising manager Harry Powell harry@energystmedia.com t: 020 3771 1267 m: 07557 109746

Water reuse was targeted at East Kent and Canterbury Trust. It produced a significant amount of wastewater in the hospital’s reverse osmosis plant. The project installed holding tanks and pipework that allowed the wastewater to be reused for urinal and WC flushing in the main operating theatres and the emergency care department, topped up with mains water when needed. The project reduced mains water consumption by 33%, saving £7,000 a year. This allowed project costs to be recovered in less than three years.

Data centres are also big consumers of water and similar to the PUE (power usage effectiveness) WUE (water usage effectiveness) has been developed. “There is a lot of uncertainty and variability around the different processes using water in data centres, but their combined water footprint can be as high as 200 litres per gigabyte of outbound data.

This means it can take the same amount of water to get a GB of data to you as it takes to deliver a kg of tomatoes,” states says Bora Ristic, in the The Water Footprint of Data Centers,, published in the journal Sustainability.

With the advent of competition it may be time to focus a little on water use and how it can be reduced. An advantage of this is that those who know their water profile will also be able to negotiate a better deal when competition does arrive.

Energyst Media Ltd, PO BOX 420, Reigate, Surrey RH2 2DU Registered in England & Wales – 8667229 Registered at Stationers Hall – ISSN 0964 8321 Printed by Warners Midlands PLC

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No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers.

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MCP April 2016

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6

NEWS & COMMENT

Changes to capacity market could hit back-up generators Organisations with diesel backup generators have been warned that changes the government is making to energy market policies could add significant costs to their operations.

Decc has outlined sweeping changes to the capacity market, the mechanism intended to ensure the UK has sufficient power over winter peaks.

Significantly, Decc also flagged plans to change the distribution charging regime for embedded generators, which industry experts have warned could have serious consequences for UK industry.

Decc wants to buy more power earlier, and will bring the start date for the mechanism forward a year.

Capacity providers – both power stations and demand response units – will now start delivering power if needed from winter 2017/18.

Decc wants to incentivise the building of new gas plant, which the capacity market in its current form has failed to do. What it has rewarded are rafts of small-scale diesel generators. The effect of those diesel farms is to undercut new gas power stations.

So Decc intends to make life harder for diesel generators via tougher emissions legislation

Move could add costs that Defra will consult on later this year. However, Tim Rotheray,head of the Association for Decentralised Energy, has warned that the move could inadvertently penalise back-up generation.

The new rules would not simply limit operating hours but would apply to diesel generators (or aggregators of diesel gensets) from 1 MW to 50 MW, irrespective of their number of hours of operation during any given year.

“The mention of this Medium Plant Combustion Directive could land hospitals, data centres, industrial users with back-up generation with very significant costs,” said Rotheray. “[Decc] is absolutely right to stop diesel farms, but diesel back-up has a role to play to ensure security of electricity supply to those sites. The

proposals for the MPCD need more thinking through.”

The department has also outlined changes for demandresponse providers. Proposals mooted include only allowing demand-side response from load shifting into the transitional capacity auctions, as opposed to allowing small generators to bid. Or specifying a minimum amount within each auction that comes from demand reduction.

Decc also plans to lower the minimum entry size from 2MW to 500kW. Significantly, Decc also flagged plans to change the distribution charging regime for embedded generators, which experts warn could have serious consequences for UK industry.

“Decc is right to look at security of supply and new diesel farms are a bad thing,” said Rotheray.

“But the mention of the embedded benefit [within the consultation] is completely inappropriate. It has nothing to do with capacity or security of supply. If the embedded benefit were to go, we would see industrial plants shutting. It would be very significant.”

Rotheray said the proposal was “a fundamental change” to the principles of electricity charging.

Blanket time-of-use tariffs proposed While larger UK businesses are being moved to half hourly settlement for their electricity use, it is likely that all firms will soon follow, according to recommendations published in March by the competition watchdog.

The Competition & Markets Authority has told Decc and Ofgem to improve settlement rules and procedures for both gas and electricity. Currently, most businesses are settled according to a profile class for electricity, rather than their actual consumption. By moving to half hourly metering and settlement, businesses will face more reflective time-of use charges for power. That is, MCP April 2016

expensive power in the morning and evening peak periods, but cheaper during the late morning and mid-afternoon and very cheap overnight.

The proposals would therefore expose all businesses to much sharper price signals.

Gas settlement has other issues, but essentially the CMA is concerned inefficient allocation of costs leads to gas firms ‘gaming’ the system and businesses paying more than they need to as a result.

The CMA said it wants to see Ofgem’s reforms of gas settlement implemented

by October this year and additional security measures developed as soon as possible.

Grid tenders for superfast response National Grid will invite tenders for its new superfast frequency response service on 15 April. The system operator is seeking an initial 200MW but sees the service as an enduring regime as the UK power system continues to lose inertia.

Successful bidders will receive four-year contracts.

National Grid believes this strikes a balance between risk and reward for those looking to own and operate assets, which in the main are likely to be batteries.

However, the auction is technology-neutral.

Interconnectors, other forms of energy storage and even aggregated domestic batteries will not be prevented from making a bid, provided they meet the 1MW minimum requirement, can connect to Grid’s systems and have the relevant data.

How those assets will impact distribution networks and what the implications may be for operators’ connection agreements is something the national and local grid operators are set to thrash out.

National Grid is also set to broaden the scope of Enhanced Frequency Response (which requires sub-second responses to deviations from the power systems standard 50Hz to prevent faults) so that its definition also covers primary and secondary response. While the system operator originally mooted a nine-second minimum response duration, that may now be extended.

National Grid says it may also develop in parallel another service for short duration, fastresponse characteristics for post-fault frequency control.

Details of the proposed timelines for the EFR service, alongside an FAQ document, tender criteria and how service providers may work with other balancing mechanisms can be found at missioncriticalpower.uk missioncriticalpower.uk

7

Osborne confirms CRC axe with CCL set to rise The government has confirmed that the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) is to be scrapped following the 2018/19 compliance year. The move was expected under the review of business energy taxes.

The Treasury acknowledged the CRC had been “complex, bureaucratic and costly” for participants. It said the new landscape would see businesses “only charged one energy tax administered by suppliers” rather than being required to forecast energy use, buy and surrender allowances.

To recoup the CRC money, the chancellor has said that the Climate Change Levy (CCL) will rise by 2019 and

that charges will change to incentivise businesses to use less gas. That will affect business energy bills and represents further bad news for the renewable energy industry.

The CCL is essentially a carbon tax. Up until last August, businesses were taxed for using fossil-generated power with exemptions for those using renewable power.

However, the chancellor removed that exemption in his 2015 Budget statement, with Treasury stating the move would save £3.9bn by 2020.

The Treasury said it would change charges for different fuel types under the CCL, moving to a ratio of 2.5:1 (electricity:gas)

News in brief

from April 2019. It wants a ratio of 1:1 (electricity:gas) rates by 2025 to incentivise reductions in the use of gas.

The government said it will keep existing Climate Change Agreement scheme eligibility criteria in place until at least 2023 with the discount rate increasing from 2019. The Treasury stated that a Decc-led target review would begin this year to “ensure agreements deliver on their energy efficiency goals”.

Carbon Price Support rate will remain at £18 t/CO2 from 2016-17 to 2019-20 with a long-term plan for carbon prices expected in the Autumn Statement.

Ahead of the Esos deadline Equinix and Telecity were among the first organisations in the UK to complete energy efficiency audits required by the government. The Environment Agency has published fresh data on the firms that submitted energy audits ahead of the Energy Savings Obligation Scheme (Esos) deadline.

The list of 5,939 organisations that made the cutoff is published under the government’s open data

initiative. While some doubt remains over how many organisations actually qualify for the scheme (the EA sent out some 14,000 reminder letters last year), the agency will not be publishing a list of those that may now face potential enforcement action.

The data suggests that as little as 13% of organisations (794 out of 5,939) have a quantitative target to reduce energy. Equinix was in the minority of firms that

Fancy a wager?

Ian Bitterlin, consulting engineer and visiting professor at Leeds University, on the latest ASHRAE Thermal Guidelines The 4th Edition (late 2015) of the ASHRAE Thermal Guidelines has been published for a few months now. The significant change has been in the recommended lower humidity limit which, in simple terms, means that humidification will never be required in data centres containing ICT hardware of any generation since 2004 (the publication year of the first

missioncriticalpower.uk

disclosed a target, stating that was to “work towards a PUE of 1.6 for electricity”.

Meanwhile, only about a quarter of respondents (1,400 organisations), said their board had discussed the results of the Esos assessment. Those figures support findings by Mission Critical Power publisher Energyst Media that energy efficiency remains too low on board priorities although it is moving up the agenda.

Thermal Guidelines).

Purchasing the Guidelines (less than £60 to download) represents excellent value for money as it is packed with valuable information from the only global resource covering ICT hardware but the ‘detail’ concerning the lower limit is that it has been changed to a dew point of -9°C (yes, below freezing) so that bone-dry air will not cause any problems from static discharges under any circumstances.

This change enables cash to be saved, both capital in the purchase price of CRACs etc and operational costs in energy use and humidifier element replacements (which has

Modular UPS wins Riello UPS has scooped a global award for its new modular product, the Multi Power. Riello UPS received the ‘New Product Innovation’ Frost & Sullivan award for setting new standards in the modular UPS market.

Designed to protect critical high-density computers and IT environments, the Multi Power combines the high levels of reliability and performance in a scalable solution. Using up to 28 power modules of 42kW each, the Multi Power scales from 42kW to 1176kW. It also maintains efficiency in online mode operation of up to 96.5% even at loads of 20%.

Edge white paper A new white paper from Schneider Electric, #226 The Drivers and Benefits of Edge Computing, describes how internet usage trends, including high-bandwidth applications such as video on demand, and the proliferation devices spurred on by the Internet of Things impact upon the technical limitations of key elements such as Internet Protocol (IP) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Edge computing is an answer to this. schneider-electric.com/ whitepapers

never been a cheap exercise).

However, despite it seeming to be a no-brainer, why do I ask if you are a gambler? Well, the 2011 Guidelines are now five years old and yet the industry has not jumped onto the widened temperature and humidity windows with relish and enthusiasm, with many still regarding the 2008 edition as ‘edge’ and avant-garde. So I wonder how long will it be before we see no humidification in all data centres?

Given the extremely conservative nature of our industry, I would not ‘bet the farm’ on the 4th Edition being 100% adopted any time before 2020…

April 2016 MCP

8

INSIGHT

Advantages at the cutting edge With the colossal increase in data from the Internet of Things and the explosion of big data, cloud computing may not always be the best solution. Processing is moving to the edge and with it the need to crunch data. That might now mean thinking inside the box.

Tim McManan-Smith looks at one such example at the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and how it used Schneider Electric’s prefabricated data centre solution

T Â

he proliferation of big data arising from smart applications necessitates a rise in processing capability by data centres. The Internet of Things (IoT) means that more and more devices use the web to communicate alongside the increasing use of video and other data-intensive activities.

Although cloud computing is one way of dealing with this, practicality and costs mean that processing cabilities are moving to the edge of the network.

Edge computing is all about pushing processing for certain data-intensive, remotely isolated applications away from the core of the data

MCP April 2016

50bn

The amount of Internet of Things devices by 2020

centre to the outer edges of the network where the actual processing needs to take place.

Fundamentally, this is where the action is, so it makes sense for computing at the edge to evolve. This will not replace the need for cloud computing but complement in situations when the data is further away from the data centre.

Although cloud data storage decreases the upfront capital costs of big data and allows on-demand increases in data size that encourages people to store more and more, there are cost implications.

Billions of connected devices consuming rich media also cause bandwidth problems; trending videos can mean

demand is too high for remote processing in a data centre far away from where the video is being watched, for example.

A piece of research conducted

by Wikibon compared a cloudonly approach with edge computing working with a little cloud computing.

The case study for this research was a remote windfarm with security cameras and other sensors. Figure 1, right, is a summary of the findings.

It compares the three-year management and processing costs of a cloud-only solution using AWS’s IoT services compared with an Edge + cloud solution using a Pivot3 Server SAN with an Open Source Time-series Database together missioncriticalpower.uk

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missioncriticalpower.uk

Inside the Sagrada Familia’s prefabricated data centre edge is that you gather data from local things and compute it there and therefore deliver high bandwidth in local areas,” says Matthew Baynes, Schneider Electric’s datacentre strategy and business development director, UK and Ireland.

The Sagrada Familia’s new data centre was needed to manage ticketing admissions, retail operations, video surveillance and ongoing engineering design and construction for the next phases of the building project.

Moving the data centre offsite was not an option due to concerns with latency and security; but building a data centre within an active construction site introduced the additional risk of downtime

The Internet of Things makes equipment that in the past was just a consumer of content a device that produces it.

It creates content at the edge

which would impact business processes.

In 16 weeks, Schneider Electric designed, manufactured and delivered a turnkey data centre infrastructure solution, complete with IT, racks, UPS, power distribution, precision cooling, environmental management and fire suppression system.

The data centre was transported as two separate prefabricated modules with racks, containment, power, cooling, security and management systems preinstalled and then ganged together on site to create a functional and spacious room.

The units were delivered and installed outside of peak times to minimise visitor and congregation disruption.

Another advantage of the Sagrada Familia having a prefabricated data centre is that it is movable. This would reduce construction costs by eliminating the need to build two different sites. Schneider Electric says the data centre has been built with the future in mind and will accommodate Sagrada Familia’s IT infrastructure growth. l schneider-electric.com

Figure 1: Comparison of total three-year management and processing costs of Cloud only vs. Edge + Cloud with 95% Edge Data Reduction (200 miles distance) 000s ($) Three-year cost of managing and processing data

with AWS IoT services. With a distance of 200 miles between the wind farm and the cloud, and with an assumed 95% reduction in traffic from using the edge computing capabilities, the total cost is reduced from about $81,000 to $29,000 over three years. The authors suggest that “even with much shorter distances, the advantage of Edge computing is likely to be overwhelming”.

Edge computing is going to be a prevealent force in the future, not only in industrial and IT applications but places such as retail centres and even churches. An example of this is the Gaudi-designed Sagrada Familia, a Catholic Basilica in Barcelona and Unesco world heritage site. It might be thought that processing capability of a church would be adequate to use the internet and have cloud-based processing capability. However, as well as being a working church it has more than 3 million visitors per year and is also still a construction site, aiming to be completed by 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death.

Sagrada Familia had been running its IT service in a server room with inadequate space for expansion. To accommodate the need for increased digitisation of its business processes such as point of sale for the many vistors and for more security, Sagrada Familia was compelled to expand.

“The IoT makes equipment that in the past was just a consumer of content a device that produces it. It creates content at the edge,” comments Schneider Electric’s vicepresident, IT and data centre business Arun Shenoy.

“By 2020 there will be 50 billion IoT devices. Cloud and service provider markets are dominating growth and change but can the re-architecture of the internet happen quickly enough to support IoT? We need edge computing. We need both hyperscale and edge, it’s not a question of either.”

“The great thing about the

90 80 70

$80,581

60 50 40 30 $28,927 20 10 0 Cloud-only

Edge + Cloud

Source: Wikibon IoT Project

April 2016 MCP

10

VIEWPOINT

Could superconductivity make the internet sustainable?

There are three steps to classically defined sustainability and they are meant to be taken in strict order: reduce consumption; improve efficiency; and then power from a renewable source. If you do them in reverse then you are just wasting a valuable and finite resource, says Ian Bitterlin

MCP April 2016

less are highly unlikely, especially when we remind ourselves that 60% of the world’s population doesn’t have an internet connection but wants one. So, the first step to sustainability (reduced consumption) doesn’t look like a viable strategy.

So what, other than restricting access to digital services that are not vital to society via tax (the only solution according to Jevons) can be done towards the second step; improving resource effectiveness? A possible answer may lay in superconductivity.

Superconductivity is a low temperature phenomenon extensively studied in the last decades, with mature and well known applications in the fields of material science and electronics. In general, superconductivity leads to dramatically improved

We could foresee that a Europe-wide network of these superconducting clusters could be ultimately connected via a superconducting mesh network integrated with fibre optics-based technology.

This would reduce our current European data centre utility demand from more than 3% to less than 0.03%

Amsterdam Internet Exchange monthly ISP input traffic – July 2001 to January 2014 TB input/month 550,000 500,000 450,000 400,000 350,000 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000

Source: ams-ix.net

Nov 13

Nov 12

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Nov 08

Nov 07

Nov 06

Nov 05

Nov 04

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Nov 02

0

Nov 09

50,000 Nov 01

A

s I wrote in October, power consumption in the internet, particularly data centres, is growing at least 15% compound annual growth rate on a global basis – fuelled mainly by mobile phone access, social networking, gaming, gambling and video entertainment. This growth is exacerbated by faster access and the superfast broadband polices of governments with an effect driven by Jevons Paradox. In some ICT mature markets, with near 100% mobile phone penetration, the growth in traffic is slowing but the video-based demand of recent years will be replaced by the Internetof-Things and is likely to continue unabated.

The exponential growth in data has been well demonstrated (see the data for 15 years 4% (compound monthly) growth in a major European internet exchange, right) and can be regarded as a proxy for the power required to generate, transport, process, store, regurgitate and consume. Most estimates for Europe put data centre power consumption at between 2-3% of the electrical utility capacity and if the 15% growth rate were to continue then, clearly, the future is unsustainable as ICT would consume the entire utility capacity in less than 30 years, with data centres alone consuming 30%.

However, Pandora’s Box has long been opened and the chances of our society actually using the internet

performance when compared with traditional solutions: • Power transmitted via superconducting cables does so at extremely low losses • Data transmitted via superconducting interconnections does so at extremely lower power and speed close to the speed of light • Superconductivity applied to micro- and nanoelectronic computing decreases the Watts/ FLOP (power per unit of computation) by more than 100x Taking these attributes in turn leads to an interesting scenario for the internet or data centres. Firstly, superconducting cable is more applicable to bulk power transfer over long distances rather than specifically to data centres (eg bringing PetaWatts of solar power from the Sahara to Europe) at minimal losses.

Secondly, the physical infrastructure required to house super-conducting (eg copper instead of fibre) data interconnections over long distances is not unsubstantial and a paradigm shift in network photonics may well provide a ‘normal temperature’ solution that approaches similar energy consumption. However the third application seems to have great potential for ‘giant’ cloud-centric data centres.

As an example we could consider the fastest supercomputer in the world missioncriticalpower.uk

that, according to the Top500 website, is currently in China, can reach 33 PetaFLOPs while consuming 18MW. This could be replaced by a superconducting cluster consuming only 2-300kW. Then we could foresee that a Europe-wide network of these superconducting clusters could be ultimately connected via a superconducting mesh network integrated with fibre optics based technology. This would reduce our current European data centre utility demand from more than 3% to less than 0.03%, take enormous strain off of the utility system, reduce redundancy requirements, solve all problems of latency and permit data sovereignty.

An then we can see a path towards enabling the internet for all the planet, not just us in the lucky minority.

However, we can go one step further (see the article in the December 2015 edition of MCP) and consider the reuse of waste heat; no longer would we find it desirable or beneficial to locate data centres in remote cold climates, they could be close the ICT load with 100% of the energy reused, for example in district water heating of a smart-city.

Outside of the data centre cryogenic superconducting cables can impact power distribution, and the

30%

combined action with superconducting electronics (SCE) can represent an effective solution for high data rate network switches.

SCE technology can offer >200Gbs cables by direct electrical connections between corresponding cable ends, and by embedding optics and/or superconducting electronics within the connectors it can overcome

of entire electrical utility capacity will be consumed by data centres alone in less than 30 years

some of the limitations of passive cables. In particular, between cryogenic modules SCE technology will have the highest energy efficiency, highest data rate (100200Gb/s per line) by entirely superconducting coaxial or superconducting multi-bit stripline. Between cryo and non-cryo racks, hybrid superconductingoptical cables with a data rate of 60-80Gb/s per line can be developed, each cable accommodating many transmission channels. In addition, wave division multiplexing (WDM) can be used for each optical fibre to increase the aggregate data rate even further.

The future of superconductivity is highly attractive in many applications and now including powering the internet and potentially enabling a major part of its sustainability. Clearly strategic partnering is an important component in promoting successfully energy-efficient electronics and cabling products and organisations are working together to pioneer progress in this field of application (see box), so I am indebted to them for the ideas explored here. l Ian Bitterlin is a consulting engineer and visiting professor at Leeds University

Pioneers in super-conductivity University of Naples Federico II and CNR SPIN: Experimental and theoretical groups having a highly qualified expertise in studying weak superconductivity including materials science skills, exploitation of Josephson Effect for novel quantum devices and a new generation of hybrids with superconductivity being interfaced to magnetic, electric or other functional degrees of freedom. The team benefits from a large number of international collaborations including a consolidated consortium of EU universities and research centres involved in research into novel solutions for superconducting based electronics.

Hypres, Inc.: An integrated cryo-electronics company with in-depth expertise in design, fabrication, evaluation, cryo-packaging, and system integration missioncriticalpower.uk

of superconductor integrated circuits and cryocooled systems. Hypres runs the world’s most reliable commercial superconductor integrated circuits (IC) foundry, and engages in the development of energy efficient SFQ logic circuits for computing applications and research and development activities in superconducting spintronics and quantum computing.

Columbus Superconductors SpA: A world-leading company in cutting-edge magnesium diboride (MgB2) technology and the transformation of this superconducting material into long, versatile and highly reliable superconducting wires for various applications including a possible application in computing systems and data centres. The company vertically integrates the entire development cycle from R&D to applications and from production to sales.

April 2016 MCP

Illustration by Wilgengebroed on Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/wilgengebroed/8249565455/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32745541

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12

COVER STORY

Rethink UPS. We did!

EnerSys® introduces DataSafe® XE batteries power for modern critical UPS applications

W

hen mainframe computers were historically the norm, two factors drove uninterruptible power supply (UPS) runtime: 1. the time needed to complete an orderly shutdown of the computer system to prevent/ mitigate the loss of data; and 2. the standby generator to become fully operational and capable of assuming the supported load. The MCP April 2016

15-minute UPS runtime rate was the merging of these two requirements.

Today, the UPS world is a different place. We have interconnected servers, flash memory, automatic transfer of gensets and phase sync in seconds. This means for a large and growing portion of the UPS market the 15-minute standard is excessive and is being replaced by autonomy

times of five minutes or less.

Furthermore, greater flexibility and improved efficiency of assets and in some cases, cost savings due to reduced capital costs related to energy consumption and mechanical and electrical infrastructure are a must!

DataSafe® XE batteries: A breakthrough in runtimes of five minutes or less EnerSys® has designed

DataSafe® XE batteries to be the first to meet the evolving requirements of today’s modern critical UPS applications. As such, these unique Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries feature advanced Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) technology and superior manufacturing processes to provide high power, short duration runtimes of less than five minutes. The proprietary energy dense missioncriticalpower.uk

13

The DataSafe® XE battery offering

About EnerSys

The DataSafe® XE battery product range includes the following 12 volt, front terminal models: Dimensions (mm) Battery type

(kg)

Length

Width

Height

Weight

12XE1010F-FR

561

125

283

48.7

12XE1110F-FR

561

125

283

51.7

12XE1150F-FR

561

125

316

58.6

design provides for longer service life and for enhanced efficiency, even at higher temperatures.

Advantages of TPPL Technology The TPPL technology in DataSafe® XE batteries provides superior performance characteristics to overcome many of the key failure modes associated with standard Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) batteries. This makes them uniquely suited to the modern critical UPS market.

Technology provides a number of important advantages: • Less corrosion, longer life: Positive grid corrosion is always present in VRLA AGM batteries but not all VRLA AGM batteries are the same. Both life and performance of batteries are greatly impacted by their design. Most VRLA batteries employ a calcium alloy. Calcium is added to provide additional strength to the grid during the manufacturing process.

However, impurities such as calcium additives accelerate the corrosion process and increase the size of the grain leading to accelerated grid growth and higher internal resistance. DataSafe® XE batteries do not include missioncriticalpower.uk

calcium. Even though positive grid corrosion is inevitable in VRLA AGM batteries, the very high purity lead and grade of acid used by EnerSys has a much lower corrosion rate than lead with alloys. EnerSys TPPL technology greatly delays corrosion, which enhances conductivity, performance and longevity.

The DataSafe® XE battery also reduces costs through its longer operational and storage life.

• Greater power density during short runtimes: Using thicker plates can extend the life of alloyed grids. However, thicker plates do not discharge as efficiently as thinner ones that utilise the active material better. Greater plate density provides more power in the same space or allows for smaller battery installation thus providing space saving benefits. The deeper the discharge, the more effective EnerSys TPPL technology becomes, providing greater power density without sacrificing battery life.

• Rapid recharge capability: The power-dense structure and greater active material utilisation enable AGM TPPL batteries to recharge more rapidly and have higher cycling capability.

In addition, providing the charge voltage is properly regulated, they do not require current limitation, which allows for more rapid recharging.

• Low float current: The high purity materials in AGM TPPL batteries require low float current when compared to standard AGM batteries. This results in lower gas emissions, minimal grid corrosion, optimum conductivity and enhanced energy efficiency.

• Lower total cost of ownership (TCO): Finally, with DataSafe® XE batteries, EnerSys has provided a product to meet the needs of today’s mission critical UPS market. AGM batteries with TPPL technology have set a new industry standard by delivering high power, short duration runtimes in a power-dense, energyefficient design. The ability to operate datacenters at higher temperatures together with the lower energy consumption of TPPL batteries can reduce the total cost of ownership up to 25% compared with conventional VRLA batteries.

EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, manufactures and distributes reserve power and motive power batteries, battery chargers, power equipment, battery accessories and outdoor equipment enclosure solutions to customers worldwide. Motive power batteries and chargers are utilised in electric forklift trucks and other commercial electric powered vehicles. Reserve power batteries are used in the telecommunication and utility industries, uninterruptible power supplies, and numerous applications requiring stored solutions including medical, aerospace and defense systems.

Outdoor equipment enclosure products are utilised in the telecommunication, cable, utility, transportation industries and by government and defense customers. The company also provides aftermarket and customer support services to its customers from over 100 countries through its sales and manufacturing locations around the world.

For more information on EnerSys and its full line of products, systems and support, visit www.enersys.com April 2016 MCP

14

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Does the ETL help when selecting an efficient UPS? Riello’s general manager Leo Craig discusses the benefits or otherwise of the government’s Energy Technology List (ETL) and Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECAs) when specifying a UPS

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ith the cost of energy rising and increasing pressures from government to reduce energy as part of the 20-20-20 by 2020 commitment, it is no wonder that making energy savings is becoming more and more important to business and industry. In the data centre environment, in fact in any mission critical application, selecting an efficient UPS system that will save money on energy costs is becoming as important as resilience and continued uptime.

However, selecting the most efficient, reliable product for each individual application can be a minefield; with marketers using smoke and mirrors to make their MCP April 2016

If I select a UPS from the ETL, I must be buying the best of breed in terms of efficiency… aren’t I?

offering appear to tick all the efficiency boxes.

I is no wonder that the Carbon Trust’s Engineering Technology List (ETL) of energy efficient products is being relied on by more and more businesses looking to select energy efficient UPS systems, especially as the government incentivises this through the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme.

The way the system works is the Carbon Trust and the Decc set the efficiency levels that must be reached for the equipment to be eligible for the ECA tax break. This seems straightforward and easy to understand, leading the buyer to believe that “if I select a UPS from the ETL, I must be buying the best of breed in

terms of efficiency… aren’t I?” The simple answer is no, maybe not…

Crunching the numbers The reason for this is the way the efficiency targets have been set by the Carbon Trust and the reality in which we use UPSs in our critical environments.

If you have a standalone capacity UPS system, best practice is to run the UPS to around 80% utilisation, leaving some head room for demand surges and load changes.

If you’re running a parallel redundant system, then this figure falls to 40% load on each UPS. Comparing best practice figures and real world figures and it is more like 60-70% for a capacity system and 25-35%

Sponsored column

Power system flexibility for future UK energy needs

for a parallel. This is because when a UPS is sized initially, everyone allows for expansion, which rarely happens short term and sometimes not even in the long term. We can therefore make a strong statement that no one runs a UPS at 100% load.

It is bad practice and very risky if you consider a slight increase in load will put the UPS into bypass and leave the load unprotected.

This is where the ETL List comes into question, as its efficiency requirement figures start at 93% at 25% load, 94.5 per cent at 50% load and rise to 95% at 75% and 100% load.

Now consider this: most UPS manufacturers design their UPS’s to work in real life situations. They design the UPS to have maximum efficiency between 20 and 80%, with the efficiency slightly dropping at 100% because one should never be run continuously at 100% load.

Therefore, there are a lot of UPS manufacturers out there that not only meet, but actually exceed, the 25-75% efficiency requirements but just miss the 100% target. The reason for this is in the design of the UPS to give high efficiency at low loads.

Therefore, current UPSs listed on the ETL might well missioncriticalpower.uk

meet the targets set, but only just, and if you’re running your UPS between 30 and 80% load you may well not have the most efficient system for the load you are actually using. This means that whatever you may gain with the ECA tax relief in the first year, you could well lose in greater energy costs over the lifespan of the UPS. A good decision is based on knowledge, not numbers So while the ETL is a good starting point, further investigations should be carried out with the potential UPS manufacturer. Don’t be afraid to ask for a copy of the efficiency test results, or even better, if a large UPS system is being purchased, insist on a factory acceptance test, where you can see for yourself the efficiency figures being proved. Then if you find the system does not perform to the published figures, you will have some direct redress with the manufacturer – especially as a 2% difference in efficiency figures on a 1MVA UPS could add well over £15K/annum onto your electricity costs, and that’s not counting the addition to the cooling bill. ● riello.co.uk

Colin Green, UK Head of Regulatory Affairs and Technology, ABB Power Grids division The UK’s power industry is entering a period of dramatic change, as we shift away from the traditional ‘top-down’ model of power generation, transmission and distribution to one where generation resources are widely distributed, increasingly intermittent and counted in the thousands rather than the hundreds. This shift will demand previously unheard of levels of system flexibility in order to allow both demand and supply to flex in response to changes in power generation and consumption.

The recently published ‘Smart Power’ report from the Infrastructure Commission sets out the challenges – and opportunities – facing the UK power industry very well. The report highlights the three key areas in which the UK needs to innovate over the coming decades in order to take full advantage of what it calls the smart power revolution: interconnection, storage and demand flexibility.

When it comes to demand flexibility, a whole raft of sophisticated energy management solutions are coming on stream that will help enterprise and residential consumers optimise their electricity usage in ways that both

reduce overall costs and balance supply and demand.

Traditionally, power network operators have had the flexibility to balance supply and demand mostly through controlling the output of large, centralised generation resources in real time.

As we make the shift towards a far greater number of smaller, distributed generation resources, with a far greater proportion of renewable energy sources, balancing supply and demand becomes a much more complex challenge.

The future power network may well be a collection of thousands of semi-autonomous micro- and nano-grids, featuring a mixture of renewable and non-renewable energy sources and energy storage systems in a variety of forms, complemented by multiple interconnects to other power grids. This will demand sophisticated management systems to control and dispatch the multiple energy resources at regional and local levels.

However, for ABB, this is not a futuristic possibility but a development of field-proven technology solutions that we have already deployed in dozens of installations around the world over the past 15 years. ABB is already delivering stabilisation, automation and intelligent control solutions that manage renewable energy generation in microgrids, ensuring utility-grade power quality and grid stability.

16

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Data centres powered by the sun – why more sustainable servers are a true necessity The carbon footprint of data centres is coming under increasing scrutiny. Solarsense’s head of sales and marketing David Snape explains how solar could provide a sustainable solution Without sustainable intervention, data centre and social media growth simply can’t be powered

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oday’s digital storage needs are rising by degrees of magnitude, and the carbon impacts of social media are unprecedented. Therefore, a stark choice confronts the sector; green up server farms: or impose payments and restrictions on tomorrow’s uploads to curb demand and fund solutions At Solarsense, we’ve realised that energy use in data centres has rarely been so scrutinised.

The Independent newspaper recently estimated energy consumed by the world’s data centres, repositories for billions

MCP April 2016

of gigabytes of information, will treble in the next decade.

Already, the 416.2 terawatt hours of electricity the world’s data centres used last year was more than the UK’s total consumption. Every like and every selfie comes with a largely unconsidered carbon cost, which doesn’t, for now anyway, bother the billions of social media users.

But soon the issue might concern them. The truth today is more uncomfortable for energy managers: data centre and social media growth, without sustainable intervention, simply can’t be

Every like and every selfie comes with a largely unconsidered carbon cost, which doesn’t, for now anyway, bother the billions of social media users

powered; Japan would have no energy left to run its centres by 2030 on present rates.

At that point, social media fans certainly would sit up and take notice, demanding action.

They would ask: how did the industry let things get so bad?

Responses and solutions Action is therefore being taken.

The European Commission has set out its vision for data centres to be at least 80% renewably powered by 2020.

Ricky Cooper, vice-president for Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Digital Realty, has said the data centre » missioncriticalpower.uk

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18

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

industry’s emission levels are at a point where the it can expect regulators to sit up and take notice.

That alone should be a wake up call, but today’s reality remains that for many data centres, cutting costs and maintaining 24/7 functionality trounces sustainability concerns. This state of affairs cannot continue.

The Independent says some internet companies, such as Facebook, Google and Apple, are leading efforts to be more environmentally responsible.

However, more must be done; for a start it is often more commercially attractive to pre-empt environmental regulation on carbon than to adapt to rules at the last minute. Branding opportunities and positive CSR are obvious further benefits to stem from proactively tackling the issue.

What’s needed is a step change both in willingness to seek sustainable, renewable power for data centres, and the understanding of the options out there.

Sustainable solutions There are some complex questions to consider when it comes to embedding sustainable power for data centres. What will the options cost, and how reliable are they?

What are the issues in terms of payback time, maintenance and overall impacts on business operations?

Answering these questions requires some rigorous interrogation of the best technologies out there. Every data centre is different, but all share the requirement for immediate and long lasting alternatives to fossil-based electricity.

Of all the renewables options out there for data centres, solar is a very worthy contender.

There are many reasons for this. One is obvious. Most data centres have one thing in common: large, unused roof spaces ideal for solar PV. Illustrating the scope of solar, Forbes commented on Apple’s news it would buy MCP April 2016

Getting solar panels in place requires work and investment

414.2

Electricity in terawatt hours used by the world’s data centres last year – more than the UK’s total consumption

$848m worth of solar from a 130MW power plant created by First Solar in 2015.

Forbes argues that solar provides long-term stability in pricing; ‘In 2013, Google said it had already saved over $1bn on datacenter energy initiatives,’ it writes.

The magazine made some very telling predictions: “Solar will shift from something that’s nice to do to something that should have been done yesterday. Companies like First Solar will graduate from being panel makers and solar developers to being seen as primary infrastructure providers.”

But data centres need not just buy solar power from others. They can make their own power.

Benefits of owned solar Without miring the reader in technical detail, here are some of the key positives behind going solar. For a start, solar can offer fast payback compared with other renewable technologies. In other words, it isn’t long before the cost of the panels is won back in terms of energy savings.

Secondly, solar panels are very reliable and low

maintenance, and are becoming more so. They are long lasting and as such are almost an ‘install and forget’ technology.

Once they are in place, there is little that is going to damage them whilst they quietly get to work on the rooftop.

Speaking of rooftops, this is of course unused space. Solar doesn’t require additional land, additional buildings or additional towers like wind.

The lower business impacts of solar put it high on the list, ideal for data centres looking to install sustainable power options but unsure of the simplest place to start.

Of course, getting solar panels in place requires work and investment but it need not be challenging or expensive.

What will be pricey is failure to act. Catching up with greener laws is always expensive. Charging users to upload, simply because data centres are slow to shift to renewables is a marketing nightmare.

All this can be avoided, and emissions can be limited by taking steps toward solar early.

It seems to me there is nothing not to like about powering data centres using the sun. l solarsense-uk.com missioncriticalpower.uk

20

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Batteries included: government backs smart grid switch The National Infrastructure Commission has recommended building a smarter grid without delay. The Treasury has backed the plans. Those with battery assets could stand to gain, writes Brendan Coyne

Harnessing battery storage will become crucial

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he government has backed recommendations to speed the development of a much smarter power system.

The plan is to bring down market barriers for battery storage and demand side response, which could provide significant revenue gains for operators of mission critical infrastructure.

George Osborne’s March Budget gave the green light to the recommendations published a few days earlier by the National Infrastructure Commission. It stated: “The government will implement the commission’s recommendations, and will

MCP April 2016

work with Ofgem to remove regulatory and policy barriers, positioning the UK to become a world leader in flexibility and smart technologies, including electricity storage.”

While all political statements should be viewed with a degree of scepticism, it is clear from National Grid’s market signals that UK energy infrastructure is already headed in that direction.

With more intermittent renewable generation and less thermal plant on the system, capacity margins are thin.

The disruption of intermittent wind and solar has effected wholesale market power prices and the economics of thermal

plant and developers are not rushing to build new ones.

National Grid therefore needs more companies to respond to signals and switch to back-up plant or adjust consumption in order to meet peak demand.

Over the coming years, it will need many more companies to sign up to balancing services in order to keep a more weatherdependent and leaner power system stable.

Paid twice Battery assets and UPS systems, which provide the fastest response times, will therefore become increasingly valuable. Recent market economics are starting to alter

the economics of that type of storage.

In the past few months energy suppliers have launched schemes that will effectively pay or subsidise the cost of electricity to those that use power when the wind is blowing. That is because changes to industry rules for energy suppliers make it much more punitive for them to be out of balance. So-called cashout changes mean it is now more expensive for them to generate or consumer more power then they contracted for.

That means companies can charge storage assets at a subsidised rate. They can also get paid to discharge missioncriticalpower.uk

21 their assets to perform grid balancing services when there is not enough power to meet demand.

Contracting assets into both of those types of schemes may prove challenging. But, if possible, would fundamentally change the economics of battery storage, from getting paid once, to getting paid twice.

There are also arbitrage opportunities for operators able to charge batteries when power prices are cheaper and discharge them when it is more expensive. It is worth noting that analysts predict power prices will become spikier within-day over the next few years (see December issue of MCP).

Making the market Battery assets and UPS systems, which provide the fastest response times, will therefore become increasingly valuable

Key priorities In its report, the National Infrastructure Commission outlined key priorities for UK energy infrastructure. It said smart grid development – harnessing battery storage and demand-side response – and better interconnection with the continent would play a crucial role in keeping the grid stable and the lights on. It recommended that regulator Ofgem and policy department Decc lose no time in making the necessary new market rules.

Prepare for higher bills and spikier prices Also in March, Decc said it would bring the capacity market forward a year and proposed rule changes to bring in more demand-side response providers to the market.

That’s good news for those with flexible onsite generation and consumption, as they can bid for contracts that will pay them to make their asset flexibility available to cover shortfalls in winter capacity.

However, it will add cost to every energy bill as the money paid to those providers appears on bills as a levy, and Decc also published proposals that could have serious implications for use of diesel back-up generators (see news, p6).

Meanwhile, the National Infrastructure Commission report contained one ominous line for those that do not, or cannot, consider more flexible power use. “We see a case for sharper allocation of the costs of the capacity market to incentivise consumers to reduce demand at peak times,” it stated.

missioncriticalpower.uk

Decc will consult on the energy storage market this spring with the aim of creating a level playing field.

Government will respond to the consultation in autumn, which could make next year an interesting one for companies considering how they can make money from battery storage assets. Participating in balancing services, for example, could fund investment in new UPS infrastructure, or more UPS infrastructure, increasing redundancy as well as income.

Big shift, big bucks The commission noted that the need for grid balancing services “could increase up to ten-fold” as intermittent power replaces baseload plant.

It stated that investors were “queuing up” to invest in storage, and that storage would not require subsidy.

That is largely because payments for the fastest forms of demand response are likely sufficient incentive for operators to build, own and operate those assets.

Those who do not have to build assets, and already have grid connections, will therefore have an advantage in the tenders currently being run by National Grid and potentially in future, also by distribution network operators. Given that National Grid’s tender for 200MW of sub-second enhanced frequency response is six times oversubscribed, that advantage could prove crucial.

Breaking down barriers The commission recommended a regulatory overhaul of the market to bring more electricity storage capacity to market. Currently, storage is treated is treated as both generation and consumption.

That means storage operators are charged twice for using the electricity network. The commission thinks they should be classified as a distinct asset to remove double charging.

“This approach ignores the other benefits that storage can play in the electricity system and creates barriers to investment in storage assets,” the report states. “For

example, it increases costs for storage asset owners by requiring storage to be charged twice for using the electricity network – once as a generator when exporting electricity and again as a consumer when electricity is being taken from the network to be stored.

“While storage technologies are clearly making use of the network both as a consumer and producer, charging in this way takes no account of the fact that storage assets are likely to be exporting power at times of peak load, and drawing power at times of peak generation, reducing the stresses faced by the network rather than increasing them.”

Storage assets also take a double hit on government levies such as the Contract for Difference scheme under which low carbon and renewable generators are given a guaranteed price for their power. The price of that support is smeared across all electricity bills.

The commission said those operating storage assets should not pay that levy when charging, and then have the levy added again when their power is exported.

A better approach “would be to charge these levies on the basis of the electricity actually used, reflecting that no storage technology is 100% efficient, rather than on both inflows and outflows.

Not only would this be a fairer treatment, creating a level playing field with other technologies, but it would also incentivise more efficient storage technologies,” the report stated. l April 2016 MCP

22

INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT

High visibility of data centre assets Siemens provides first European data centre with 3D visualisation DCIM platform Cofely Services’ Agility data centre in Belgium

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ofely Services’ Agility data centre is located in the south of Belgium and serves both in-house GDF SUEZ Group clients and external customers with an independent ICT infrastructure.

The centre is the first in Europe to offer Datacenter Clarity LC with 3D visualisation, which offers a virtual tour through the data centre infrastructure while managing and monitoring remotely. The flexible 3D visualisation adds transparency to the data centre infrastructure resulting in accessible reporting, optimised MCP April 2016

operations, smarter decision, higher flexibility and futureproof architecture.

Bridging the gap Datacenter Clarity LC is an advanced software solution that delivers data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) and guarantees a scalable, secure, seamless, resilient and intelligent data centre. It monitors and evaluates the performance of a data centre but also and most importantly bridges the gap between the two distinct areas of IT and facilities management. As a result, the creation of a systematic and

automated workplace mitigates the risk of human error for a business-critical resource such as a data centre.

As data centres need to consume significant amounts of energy, Cofely Services decided to focus on large-scale sustainability. One of the basic requirements for the Agility data centre was a DCIM platform that would provide a comprehensive overview of all assets. Datacenter Clarity LC optimises energy consumption thereby facilitating the cost effective operations that the Agility data centre required.

Alexandre Gera, data centre manager for Cofely Services

We did not plan on a standard platform but we really needed a very flexible and highperformance DCIM that could handle multiple features in order to ‘tour’ through the data storage missioncriticalpower.uk

23 in Belgium and its Agility data centre, describes the decision making process: “We definitely needed a software tool that could monitor, manage and measure our data centre performance, usage and energy consumption in relation to our building management system (BMS). As such, the platform also had to be configured for power usage effectiveness (PUE) as well as water and carbon usage effectiveness (WUE and CUE).

“By delivering a guaranteed level of efficiency, it qualified as a ‘green’ data centre. We did not plan on a standard platform but we really needed a very flexible and highperformance DCIM that could handle multiple features in order to ‘tour’ through the data storage. It had to provide an overview of all assets, like usage parameters, capacity numbers and energy consumption.”

The clarity solution Gera adds: “Siemens offered us the Datacenter Clarity LC software tool with a complete package of features, which were flexible enough to be evaluated and modified during the rollout of the project. It also allowed us to insert additional features like a ticketing module or a maintenance tool at any stage.”

Siemens designed the solution and architecture

missioncriticalpower.uk

1.0

is the ideal PUE score metric where all energy is used for IT equipment and there is no additional waste. Cofely Services has designed and met its target of PUE 1.3

of the Datacenter Clarity LC platform, installed and deployed it and arranged the integration with the existing building management system used by Cofely Services.

“Datacenter Clarity LC at our Agility data centre is the key to any facility information, whether it concerns our own data or that of our clients,” Gera continues.

“It offers all information and knowledge related to the IT assets and the technical infrastructure and can be tracked daily. Clients can rely on a high-end environment for their IT infrastructure, and the overall view is managed and monitored with only one dedicated software tool. We are the first in Europe to offer a DCIM platform with 3D visualisation.”

Centre meets target PUE Cofely’s Agility data centre exemplifies the movement towards green computing and energy efficiency.

Gera confirms: “Our Agility data centre is a Tier III+ with an excellent PUE score. This is a key metric that compares energy use for the overall facility to that of the IT equipment. An ideal metric would be a 1.0 score, where all energy is used for IT equipment and there is no additional waste. A typical data centre’s PUE is 2.0.

Cofely Services has designed and met its target of PUE 1.3, which represents a strong performance for a Tier III+ data centre requiring high resilience and redundancies.” l siemens.com/ buildingtechnologies

April 2016 MCP

24

ASSET RESILIENCE

How resilient are your assets?

Company assets such as data centres, important plant and machinery must be kept in good working order, with ongoing maintenance and upgrade key to keeping organisations operational as well as ‘resilient’ in terms of their inherent value and in the event of disaster.

Adler and Allan’s Alan Scrafton looks at how to become a ‘High Reliability Organisation’

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ssential assets must in the first place be installed correctly, with an awareness of their ongoing usage and impact on the environment, be kept in good working order and upgraded where necessary to ensure their value is safeguarded.

The expensive machinery that keeps our businesses running is a key part of an organisations intrinsic worth and should be regarded as important budget control, and profits.

When disaster strikes, such as flooding or cyberattack, assets must prove their resilience by getting back to operations as quickly as possible. To achieve this, planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and asset improvement through cashing in old assets for newer, more efficient versions, is key to ensuring these value items, which have worth in their own right and are also essential for operations, remain in-tact.

Where these assets can potentially cause harm to the environment, such as fuel storage tanks and oil-based machinery, asset failure can have even more implications. Beyond maintenance, these assets and the surrounding area they could pollute, need protecting.

And, as all businesses want to keep running, back-up power supplies to prevent downtime even when issues with the main energy source have arisen, are essential.

Problems lie in the fact that these power sources, usually oil-fired generators, are seldom used and therefore ignored in terms of maintenance and fuel quality.

Organisations that are able to avoid losses most of the

MCP April 2016

Adalline 400 protective coating being demonstrated at Adler & Allan's demo centre in Brize Norton time, despite operating in environments where there is a high potential for error, are identified as ‘High Reliability Organisations’ (HROs). As an HRO, business streams will increase, with potential customers more likely to put their trust in a company that has a good asset resilience track record.

A sustainable ‘HRO’ will be one with a clear asset performance management (APM) plan in place, so that physical assets are kept safe and efficient in a practical and sustainable way, meeting investment targets without extensive capital injection.

Foresight and planning – at the installation stage and going forward – is essential.

Asset resilience essentials: • Flood mitigation: Assess your organisations risk through a flood risk assessment, which can predict flooding up to 60 years in the future. If you are at risk take appropriate steps; from physical flood defences to robust disaster plans, such as

Don’t leave it to chance, maintain and enhance the value items of your business to ensure efficient and continuous business operations

moving essential equipment if flood water rises.

• Planned preventative maintenance: Regularly maintain and service essential equipment, based on actual usage, rather than a generic or at worst, reactive approach. A good PPM scheme has proven to reduce the costs of unnecessary equipment replacement, while preventing business downtime. PPM covers fuel too; where fuel sits for a long time, in the case of back-up generators, regular testing and where necessary, fuel polishing, will help maintain quality.

• Extra protection: Assets, such as fuel tanks and DNO substations, can be given extra protection and life extension through the latest coatings and linings. Sprayed directly onto practically any surface (these coatings can also work well on roofs and floors), they will repel water, contain spills and make the coated assets more robust and resistant to corrosion and degradation.

Don’t leave it to chance, maintain and enhance the value items of your business to ensure efficient and continuous business operations. By becoming an ‘HRO’, new opportunities and greater customer satisfaction may also be achieved.

Adler and Allan supplies a range of asset resilience services: PPM, fuel polishing, flood mitigation and protective coating and linings, including Adalline 400, which is hydrocarbon resistant and gives structural integrity to any surface. l adlerandallan.co.uk missioncriticalpower.uk

Advertorial

Agile data centre design – why one approach does not work for all Let’s face it, no one business or space is going to have the same requirements for a data centre, so design flexibility is vital. In a generation where every aspect of life involves being agile and instant, a data centre must have the ability to adapt to these requirements and not impede progress, further complicated by making sure it does what it actually needs to do. So an agile design approach is critical in achieving an efficient, future proofed data centre.

Our reliance on electricity supply has never been greater, so the requirement for dependable, resilient power protection, energy management and cooling has also never been so essential. Turnkey methods will resolve the many diverse challenges to be faced and ensure continuous uptime but there is a constant need to keep an eye on the long-term future flexibility, while accelerating return on investment and offering the lowest total cost of ownership over the system’s lifetime. This is why one data centre design approach does not work.

Manufacture independence removes the constraints Being tied to a particular brand is limiting. Using a manufacturer independent power protection supplier means you are assured of absolutely the right solution for your situation, rather than the one that is the closest match (and will just about do) from what can be offered from a particular brand a company is tied into.

Mix and match approach creates the perfect power system This independence creates a mix-and-match ability, which adds to the flexibility, while being able to adapt and respond to the changes in project scope which inevitably arise. Regardless of brand, every aspect of equipment is assessed for suitability from

switchgear, transformers and cooling technologies, and all integrated to provide a data centre with an uninterruptible power supply primed and ready to use.

Rapidly advancing technologies means that these can also easily be incorporated, whether it is the latest alternative energy products, including grid tied inverters from SMA, PV panels from Kyocera and Moser Baer or selecting materials with favourable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

Existing or new, this mix and match approach should flow from end to end of the project and be further enhanced post installation through a range of monitoring and maintenance programmes to provide extensive visibility and control. Combined with the ability to work with the most competent and most relevant specialists, a manufacturer independent supplier ensures that only the best experienced and trained technicians are involved on a particular project for a particular sector.

A clear, concise methodology to efficient data centre design While the intricacies of power protection are complex and one strict approach does not suit all, there are some key elements that should be incorporated:

• Site survey – whether for an existing or new data centre installation, this should reveal the scope and complexities of the work involved, explore the type of electrical loads, power quality issues, the electrical distribution and harmonics. Ideally, including load bank testing with a full physical inspection (including terminal connections) and optional thermal imaging to locate potential ‘hot-spots’. The results of which enables comparisons to be made between the actual results and the design specifications, so recommendations can be made to ensure the battery set and the entire operation is suitably optimised.

• Power continuity planning and design – careful system design incorporating the need to balance resilience with the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), the need for N+1 redundancy and addressing the fine balance between operating efficiencies, energy usage, running costs and scalable cooling systems.

• Installation and commissioning – a data centre must be properly installed and commissioned in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines and recommendation to ensure a trouble-free working life, while integrating with existing building management systems.

• Monitoring – the ability to monitor bandwidth use, as well as energy, storage and physical

rack space gives valuable insights into how the system is operating, and sends alerts when outages or low thresholds are breached to ensure uptime and long-term health of the system. The use of DCIM software will enhance this insight by giving data centre operators the ability to run operations efficiently, while providing the ability to better manage assets, change and capacity. All wrapped up within one dashboard, DCIM software also enables power monitoring, environmental monitoring and energy management.

• Maintenance – perceptions may be that maintenance is a nice to have rather than an essential; but the reality is by having this peace of mind and spending money initially, will ultimately result in money saved. However, be wary of the generator fuel trap, which might look more appealing than battery protection, but does not really work out cheaper in the long run.

Primed to minimise downtime, improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact, agile data centre design addresses the vital need for sustainable uptime, optimised energy consumption and power continuity in today’s business environments. One approach will not suit all and using an independent specialist provider of power protection – accredited to all the relevant standards (OHSAS 18001, SAFEcontractor, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001) – means they will take the time to understand your power continuity planning and design needs and choose absolutely the right solution for your data centre, whatever your industry.

Martin Pearce Sales Director, Critical Power Mob : 07791 110385 DDI : 01844 340345 Email : martin.pearce@ criticalpowersupplies.co.uk www.criticalpowersupplies.co.uk

28

UPS

Assuring uninterrupted clean power – a practical perspective Uninterruptible Power Supplies’ technical manager Mike Elms looks at the practical aspects when installing a UPS, showing the importance of setting up a new UPS and its role in the installation’s ultimate success

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henever a designer specifies a UPS for their critical data centre or office load, their first priorities will logically relate to the functionality and performance of the UPS itself: does it have sufficient capacity and battery autonomy for the load’s requirements? Does it offer high enough availability and sufficient resilience to faults? Will TCO be reasonable, together with a sufficiently green footprint – and can the system easily be scaled for future expansion?

While these are perfectly legitimate and indeed critical considerations, there are other factors that are less publicised but nevertheless equally critical to the ultimate smooth performance and success of any UPS installation. These relate to the practical aspects of setting up a UPS, from its initial transport and delivery to site, through to installation and commissioning, and then arranging an effective preventative maintenance and emergency response contract.

In this article, I want to focus on the setup factors in chronological order, so that their role in the UPS installation’s ultimate success becomes clearly visible. We start by preparing for delivery of the UPS equipment, and move forward from there.

Weight and space considerations Modern UPS systems allow considerably more latitude in delivery than their earlier counterparts, as they are far more compact and lightweight; bulky and heavy MCP April 2016

Computer rooms often have raised flooring, permitting containment and access for computer equipment network and power cabling

50kVA Power the PowerWAVE 5000/ TP system can deliver from a 0.4m2 footprint

input transformers have been eliminated. Systems such as Uninterruptible Power Supplies’ PowerWAVE 5000/ TP can deliver up to 50kVA from a 0.4m² footprint, so are fairly straightforward to handle. As capacity, size and weight increase, though, more careful planning is required.

Irrespective of their size, UPS systems contain computertype electronic components that require protection during transport. The UPS supplier should be able to recommend experienced removal contractors that can offer the air-ride suspension vehicles and specialist lifting equipment necessary.

The target location should be sufficiently sized for immediate UPS delivery, and for future

expansion as well. While modern modular UPS systems facilitate scalability without impacting on footprint by allowing modules to be added to an existing frame, further expansion may eventually call for more frames to be installed.

While resolving sizing issues, the location should also be checked for other aspects of suitability. The floor must be able to bear the weight of the equipment, which should be positioned to avoid disruption and concern to nearby staff and business operations. At the same time, access to the equipment for servicing should be easy and convenient. The environment should meet any requirements specified by the UPS manufacturer, while the UPS installation itself should have minimal impact on air conditioning systems and airflow.

Other points to consider when siting the UPS include providing a safe, adequately sized location for the battery set, and the accommodation of any controlling switchgear.

Cabling and electrical installation Once the equipment has been located on site, attention can turn to cable entry and termination. Most medium to large UPSs require bottom cable entry; this must be accommodated whether the system is to be installed in a plant room, which typically has a solid floor, or a computer room, where raised floors are more likely.

For a solid floor, a trench can be cut to lay the input and output AC cables and missioncriticalpower.uk

29 battery DC cables, and run them beneath the cabinet for connection to the UPS terminals. Alternatively, the UPS cabinet can be mounted on a steel plinth of sufficient height to allow satisfactory cable bend radii through 90°.

This is particularly important for sizeable UPSs with large cross sectional area cables.

Computer rooms often have raised flooring, permitting containment and access for computer equipment network and power cabling, and sometimes to facilitate underfloor cooling. These provide convenient routes for the UPS power and battery cables, which can be brought into the UPS cabinets via bottom access. The UPS’s weight, especially if it contains batteries, may be enough to require a steel plinth to distribute the load. The plinth stands on the subfloor and is adjusted until its upper surface is flush with the raised floor surface.

Performing the electrical installation is a task for experienced and qualified electrical contractors, employed either from recommendation or by the UPS supplier. In either case, references and evidence of previous successful installations should be sought and obtained. All installation work must be carried out in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and strict compliance with prevailing local electrical installation legislation.

The electricity supply required by high power UPS equipment will have a significant impact on the existing cabling and switchgear, so careful integration with these will be necessary.

However, detailed planning at this stage will be rewarded by time and cost savings in the future if it ensures adequate provision for any potential business growth and extra UPS capacity. An integrated, purpose-designed panel incorporating input and output switchgear for each UPS cabinet, together with a system missioncriticalpower.uk

isolator and wrap-around bypass switch can reduce the system design burden, simplify cabling and shorten cable runs.

It also minimises design and implementation complexity, saving time and costs.

When designing the power feeds from the UPS units to the distributed components of the critical load, it is important to choose electrical circuit routes and circuit breaker sizing that provide satisfactory discrimination downstream of the UPS system. This is to ensure that a single load fault only trips its local protection device, without unnecessarily shutting down wider sections of the power system and needlessly losing productivity.

An external maintenance bypass switch should also be provided, allowing the entire UPS system to be physically and electrically isolated for a swap-out or move without interrupting power to the load.

Discussions should encompass not only the equipment’s technical specifications and maintenance support contracts but also the practical aspects of how the UPS system is to be set up on the user’s premises

Single input three-phase in/out external maintenance bypass switch

Also, to ensure personnel safety and equipment protection, correct earthing is essential. All earthing points within the UPS circuits must be connected to a properly planned and secure earthing system (see below).

Commissioning and load bank testing These steps to UPS installation should be complemented by equal care with commissioning.

The small additional investment necessary to use the UPS supplier’s trained and experienced technicians is more than offset by a number of benefits. These include a thorough check of the entire system installation, acceptance of environmental conditions and complete warranty cover on all UPS equipment. All equipment serial numbers will be registered with the supplier, and the UPS user will be trained in the operation of their system.

Load bank testing should be used to validate operational performance and prove battery autonomy under full load. It is recommended to perform the load bank test one week after commissioning as voltages across the battery blocks have equalised and the battery is fully charged.

The steps above are logical, and, provided qualified technicians are available, simple to perform. However in Uninterruptible Power Supplies’ experience of helping customers specify and install UPS systems, they provide a vital complement to the UPS’s technological features in establishing a successful and durable power protection solution.

Accordingly, from a project’s outset, discussions between UPS users and potential suppliers should encompass not only the equipment’s technical specifications and maintenance support contracts, but also the practical aspects of how the UPS system is to be set up on the user’s premises, and how the supplier can advise and help with this process. l upspower.co.uk April 2016 MCP

30

UPS

Power for critical NHS trust communications Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust has used an AC UPS and long-life maintenance-free lead crystal batteries to ensure that its data, wireless services and Voice over IP are able to withstand potential power outages

N

orth Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust provides acute hospital and community services to a population of more than 350,000 people across North East Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Due to the nature of its services, it recognises the importance of protecting its communication equipment with a robust UPS and has been working with Harland Simon UPS for a number of years to ensure the continuous delivery of clean and reliable power to its access layer network cabinets, which supply services to three acute hospitals delivering data and wireless services and Voice over IP (VOIP).

Harland Simon UPS has delivered a bespoke UPS solution of the appropriate form, fit and function to the trust with the introduction of innovative new lead crystal battery technology, which minimises ongoing maintenance, repair costs and improves long-term ROI. Lead crystal batteries have up to three times as much durability as other batteries, lasting more than seven and a half years at +40°C. They provide a greener alternative to lead acid batteries, are a more cost-effective alternative to lithium ion batteries and, furthermore, they work more efficiently in hot temperatures.

In the event of short power cuts, mains voltage variation or

Installing UPS with lead crystal batteries will not only ensure we have continuous uninterruptible power supply but it makes both environmental and financial sense

Lead crystal offers longer service life at high temperature No maintenance/longer life 20 19

Lead crystal

18 17

VRLA 10YDL VRLA 5YDL

Life (years)

16 15

Lead crystal = 7.5 years @ +40°C

14 13

6 x longer than 5YR VRLA 3 x longer than 10YR VRLA

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4

2.5 years

3 2

1.25 years

1 0 10

20

30

40

50

60

Temperature °C

A comparison of valve-regulated lead acid batteries with a 5- and 10-year life and lead crystal batteries MCP April 2016

power spikes the UPS system delivers a reliable 240V mains supply and ensures business continuity.

The trust plans to phase the lead crystal batteries into its 100 network cabinets over the next three years, each accompanied by a maintenance bypass switch therefore ensuring minimal servicing requirements and the ability to replace the UPS after seven years in minutes and without impacting delivery of services.

By lasting significantly longer, lead crystal batteries require less maintenance, resulting in the trust seeing a reduction in repair costs and ultimately a greater ROI over a longer period of time.

David Bell, network technical engineer at the North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The network infrastructure provides the foundation of our IT and telephone network. It is crucial we minimise the risk of power outages to our network as far as possible. Installing UPS with lead crystal batteries will not only ensure we have continuous uninterruptible power supply but it makes both environmental and financial sense when looking at the longterm picture.”

James Lacey-Hatton, network services manager, added: “By introducing the latest UPS technology, the trust can ensure the maximum availability of our voice and data networks.

Healthcare is a 24/7 business, patients and staff rely more than ever on the availability of technology delivered by these underlying networks.” l harlandsimonups.com missioncriticalpower.uk

32

STANDBY GENERATORS

Integrating standby generator sets into data centres Robert Breadon explains what you need to consider when integrating standby generators into data centres

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nternet connectivity is growing exponentially and as the Internet Of Things extends to more devices, usage is only going to grow faster.

Predictions for 2020 are as high as 75 billion connected devices.

And as we come to rely more on the internet in our daily lives, our tolerance of data outages is diminishing just as rapidly, with loss of connectivity resulting in damaged customer confidence, injury to brands and loss of customers.

There are many causes of data centre outages but loss of power does not need to be one of them and a wellchosen generator set can take this concern away. If you are thinking of installing a standby generator into a data centre’s power system, there are several key decisions: } Data centre generator set selection } Data centre continuous ratings } Generator set package integration } Generator set control systems } Generator set project delivery Generator set selection The first and most important decision is choosing the right generator set rating to meet demands from the critical UPS/ IT and cooling/chiller loads (also called the N demand).

If the data centre is likely to expand, it is important to consider that this demand may change over time.

The decision on whether the generator set will supply power at high or low voltage depends on the size and overall scale of the data centre, on the

MCP April 2016

FG Wilson Engineering (Dublin) data centre installation tier distribution topology and on the actual space available to accommodate the generator sets. Typically when the N load requirements are above 4 -5 MW, high voltage is the best option.

The critical UPS/IT load can influence generator selection in several ways: } UPS battery recharge, which can be 10-20% of UPS rating.

This power may need to be covered by the generator. In some cases, an operator may opt not to recharge when running the generator set.

This will affect the design autonomy when transferred back to the mains and presents a risk which the

The first and most important decision is choosing the right generator set rating to meet demands from the critical UPS/IT and cooling/chiller loads

data centre operator must weigh up. } Modern UPSs present quite low levels of harmonic current distortion (THDi) to the generator set although in situations where the UPSs are in bypass mode, the higher harmonic distorting IT/server load needs to be supplied by the generator set which may require an oversized alternator to ensure the quality of voltage waveform is not affected. } Most modern IT loads present a leading power factor by nature. This does not create an issue for UPSs in normal mode, but again if the UPS is in bypass mode, the leading power factor load must be supplied by the generator set directly and this may cause voltage instability issues which may require an oversized alternator.

It is important to note that the effect of UPSs in bypass mode will depend on the UPS kVA rating in proportion to the generator/generators rating. A supplier will be able to provide detailed support on this and other aspects of generator set selection.

Data centre continuous ratings The running duty of the generator set in a data centre application is very important, especially when we look at the requirements defined by the Uptime Institute. FG Wilson in conjunction with sister company Perkins has developed a data centre continuous rating, which delivers unlimited hours of annual operation with no restriction on the average load factor up to 100% constant missioncriticalpower.uk

33

Figure 1: Generator control system overview

Selection of the correct generator rating

Confirm the ambient and altitude at site location

Site rating, noise criteria, ambient, autonomy & local planning will have a direct bearing on the generator package

Project definition

Project plan

� Select suitable Genset � Develop operational control philosophy � Detailed site specification design: � System control � Fuel system � Noise attenuation � Site layouts

Project delivery

� Factory witness testing � Task specific method statement � Risk assessment � Commissioning protocols � Document handover

Project closure

� System walk down � Snag completion � Integrated System Testing (IST) � Client handover

� Noise attenuators Confirm the noise requirements for the generator package

� Exhaust silencers � Cooling system

Local planning regulations considerations

� Package footprint size � Package height

Fuel autonomy

� Understand client needs � Agree detailed scope � Identify project stages

� Fuel storage requirements

Figure 2: Generator package integration

Figure 3: Generator project delivery

load. This rating complies fully with Uptime Institute Tier III and IV continuous operation requirements and is currently available from the P400-1 through to our P2500-1 models.

features and functions, many of them vitally important when delivering key control requirements for the generator set. For example, the ability to load sequence enables N+1 or N+2 functionally for redundancy. The extensive communication interfaces can facilitate interfacing with on-site management systems and enable operators to monitor the generator set remotely, improving 24/7 maintenance support.

Redundant PLC control systems are essential for delivering a high level of availability when managing the primary power of the data centre, essentially the mains

Generator set package integration After determining the rating and number of generator sets required to meet site load demands, the physical integration of the units means consideration of ambient, noise, local planning regulations and fuel autonomy. The outcome of these considerations will influence the generator set package installation in terms of noise attenuators, exhaust missioncriticalpower.uk

silencers, cooling systems, package footprint, height and fuel storage. For example if a very low noise level is required this will greatly increase the size of attenuation, exhaust silencers and the overall package footprint, which of course will increase the package costs. It is vitally important that the criteria outlined are as accurate as possible at the concept stage of the project. A generator set supplier should be able to provide in-depth support during this development phase.

Generator set control systems The term generator set control system covers a wide range of

and standby primary incomers and distribution.

Generator set project delivery The diagram above illustrates a project life cycle from definition through to project closure and handover.

When choosing a generator set brand it’s important to evaluate a supplier in terms of their ability to support in the definition of the project, the development of a project plan, the manufacturing, testing and site installation to the final commissioning. l Robert Breadon is applications consultant at FG Wilson fgwilson.com April 2016 MCP

34

STANDBY GENERATORS

DC and building power backup When a large insurance organisation took over new premises in Southampton, it required a reliable continuous power solution. Shentongroup provided a 1250kVA generator and 500kVA UPS system, further supported by a Power Care support package, protecting data and business continuity from future brown-outs and black-outs

T

he new occupants of Portswood House in Southampton required a standby generator for the building’s data centre and overall infrastructure.

In addition, a UPS was also specified to support the data centre only. Although working within an existing building, the scope of works made the project more similar to that of a new build. Despite this, the job still had a number of complex design considerations, including noise limitations and limited space availability. This meant that the new solution must be quiet and operate without the requirement for bulk fuel tanks.

Because engine size, decibel levels, power capacity and fuel capacity had all been specified in this case, shentongroup was commissioned by the electrical contractor to undertake the design, approval, transport and delivery, and installation of the generator to meet project specification. As part of this, Shentongroup used a proven specialist for the generator design, as well as for the supply and installation.

Shentongroup’s Curtis Meek explained, “Using a proven specialist for the design, supply and installation of the generator minimised any associated risks for the electrical contractor.”

Meek added, “Shentongroup takes full design responsibility and is covered by a more than adequate professional indemnity insurance.”

The most complex area to manage was the transportation and delivery of the system. The 18 -tonne generator required specialist transportation due to its sheer size. Measuring 9.5m MCP April 2016

This critical test gives the client peace-of-mind that the maintained system will protect the business in case of power failure, from a ‘glitch’ to an extended power cut

long, 3.5m wide and 3m wide, the system was delivered in three parts (main container, exhaust system and outlet attenuator) and craned into the building using a contract lift.

As the site was vacant, a full system test could take place without planning in continuity of power for the changer over. Meek expanded, “This critical test gives the client peace-of-mind that the maintained system will protect the business in case of power failure, from a ‘glitch’ to an extended power cut.”

The standby generator had to be designed to amply perform to specification and without the requirement for bulk fuel tanks. Because of the site’s space availability, fuel capacity had to be stored within the main container and therefore, shentongroup designed a bespoke fuel container to satisfy this requirement.

Although this option is smaller, it often proves more costly than implementing standard bulk fuel tanks, as the generator and supporting infrastructure has to fit within a confined space.

The engine size had been

calculated to deliver adequate power to the building, allowing for ‘normal’ levels of power demand. In addition, the generator on this site has been sized to almost the main supply capacity so that the client’s business is covered for future expansion.

As the functionality of the specified system was critical for business continuity, a ‘customer witness test’ was carried out before work on site began. Both the electrical contractor and M&E consultant for the client were part of this process. Full risk assessments and method statements were created for transportation, delivery and installation.

As a day-to-day place of work, noise levels within the building had to be taken into consideration. The decibel level was specified to meet 85db at 1m. On the final test, this requirement was comfortably exceeded, with the installed reading achieving 76.7db.

The installation of the standby generator and UPS was completed within the programmed time period and is now covered by shentongroup’s Power Care Premier package. This includes an annual standard and major service, remote monitoring, 24/7 technical support (with emergency response) and also refuelling. Parts are covered under the guarantee for additional peace-of-mind.

The new occupants of Portswood House can be confident that, whether a brown-out or black-out strikes, their business is fully protected by a continuous power solution, and fully supported by a technical team. l shentongroup.co.uk missioncriticalpower.uk

36

STANDBY GENERATION

How filtration can protect your data centre investment Filtertechnik explains how it is helping companies to ensure the safety of their data

I

n the past decade, data has taken over every area of our life. When we shop in our local supermarket or shop online data helps to second guess our future purchasing decisions. Not only is data helping retailers gain an extra competitive edge, it has fundamentally changed the way businesses market products to us.

The safety of data is paramount to all companies and part of this operation is to ensure that the data centre has a constant supply of electrical power to ensure downtime does not occur. A loss of power could be detrimental to a data centre, which is why they have a large number of back-up diesel generators, M+1, +2 etc.

Filtertechnik works hand in hand with data centre constructors and operators from project phase to daily management of fuel for these operations to ensure diesel fuel is clean, dry and ready for use at any time. It is a fact

that since the introduction of biodiesel into modern diesel fuels as a blend, the fuel has become less stable and more likely to have water ingress, bacterial growth, solid particulate or sludge forming in the fuel. Fuel in storage from our experience is likely to degrade within 12 months and is likely to have contamination issues that will affect the operation of the generators.

Filtertechnik offers site

surveys free of charge and we will work with you to find the best solution for maintaining fuel in your operations. We manufacture both fixed and portable fuel polishing equipment, onsite fuel testing equipment and offer additional services all tailored to ensure your operation need not worry about its fuel in storage.

Find us on Stand F40 at Data Centre World on 12-13 April. l filtertechnik.co.uk

Fuel in storage from our experience is likely to degrade within 12 months and is likely to have contamination issues that will affect the operation of the generators

Yuasa batteries support Live Green DC Battery manufacturer Yuasa will supply standby power to a running Live Green Data Centre at this year’s Data Centre World exhibition. The company will also showcase a wide range of its latest battery technology at the event, which

MCP April 2016

takes place at ExCel, London on 12 and 13 April.

A purpose-built UPS installation using Yuasa SWL Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) batteries will be used to supply reliable standby power to the efficient Live

Green Data Centre, which is claimed to be the first of its kind at any data centre event worldwide.

Yuasa will showcase a wide variety of its extensive VRLA and advanced Lithium-ion ranges during the exhibition, with a heavy focus on data centre and UPS applications.

Yuasa’s stand will feature a data centre battery rack containing its market-leading FXH, SWL, EN ranges and also a Yuasa-supported telecoms rectifier unit. Furthermore, Yuasa will display a modular Lithium-ion system with

control circuitry and a selection of advanced Nano-Carbon SLE and SLR VRLA batteries, which were used in a largescale renewable energy project at Shetland’s Lerwick Power Station.

In UPS and data centre projects the batteries are typically installed on an optimised racking unit designed by Yuasa engineers to meet the specific individual requirements of the system.

Yuasa will be exhibiting on stand B40 and in the show’s Live Green Data Centre. l yuasaeurope.com missioncriticalpower.co.uk

38

CONNECTIVITY & CABLING

No missed connections for Morrison Utility Morrisson Utility Connections is flying high after delivering a gas and water contestable connections installation at Birmingham Airport in the face of significant challenges

M

orrison Utility Connections (MUC) has successfully completed a gas and water contestable connections installation as part of a £40m expansion programme for one of the UK’s largest regional airports The expansion programme at Birmingham Airport included a runway extension and the remodelling of the airport’s terminal and airfield. MUC was appointed to deliver the gas and water contestable connections installation for a new twin aircraft maintenance hangar for Monarch Airlines, located approximately 200 metres from the adjacent A45 Coventry Road.

The project team successfully delivered the project against tight timescales and in the face of significant operational challenges as it carried out the works from the points of connection on the A45, across the ‘designated

Project details • Excavation of a 1.6m wide trench to cater for water, gas and telemetry ducting pipes • Design and installation of the 125mm potable water from the point of connection to the hangar site boundary • Design and installation of the 225mm fire hydrant main from the point of connection to the hangar site boundary, including non-return valve • Design and installation of the 180mm gas main from the governor to the hangar site boundary • Installation of telemetry ducting from the water meter and gas meter to a pre-determined point adjacent to an existing sub-station • Arranging water installation inspection with Severn Trent Water as well as chlorination and testing procedure and certification

airside outfield’ to the construction site boundary.

With the excavation route crossing an area already heavily congested with existing asset, a vacuum excavator was deployed to prevent damage to these assets including runway lighting and fibre optic cables

and critical power to the airport control tower and radar systems.

Strong stakeholder management was essential throughout the project. The onsite team worked closely with Severn Trent Water for the final water connection, as well as subcontractors

managing the non-contestable gas connections. Close liaison with the local authority also ensured effective and efficient traffic management and lane closures for the directional drill required for the gas connection within highway property. l morrisonuc.com

G2 Energy on track for 50 solar farms Despite uncertainty in the industry, following government announcements to end the Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) subsidy in April 2016, G2 Energy is currently on track to complete works on more than 50 solar farms. Situated throughout the UK, the ground-mounted solar farms will reach a total capacity of almost 200MW and are all currently on track to be connected and energised by the deadline.

The works will include production of more than 45 containerised substations, which are designed and MCP April 2016

200MW of solar power will be connected to the network installed in-house before being delivered to site with pre-installed and pre-tested switchgear and ready for immediate connection. As well as containerised substations for both DNO and Client-side, G2 Energy will be completing

various aspects of electrical and civil design, cabling and trench works, earthing works, access track works and block-built substation works.

G2 Energy is a high voltage civil and electrical engineer that specialises in grid connections

for high voltage electrical power projects, including embedded generation projects. As a Lloyds registered, NERS (National Electricity Registration Scheme) accredited independent connection provider, g2 Energy is able to provide contestable works at voltages up to and including 132kV. This provides an alternative to the local DNO, which can result in a significant cost saving.

To date g2 Energy has connected 118 solar farms to the National Grid, equating to more than 1GW of embedded generation. l g2energy.co.uk missioncriticalpower.co.uk

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40

COOLING & AIR MOVEMENT

The cool side of Tier IV Climaveneta air conditioning units have been installed in two out of the three data centres currently awarded Tier IV Certification of Constructed Facilities in Italy

D

ata centres are dependent upon the successful and integrated operation of electrical, mechanical, and building systems. The Uptime Institute, an unbiased advisory organisation focused on improving the performance, efficiency, and reliability of businesses’ critical infrastructure, created the standard Tier Classification System. It effectively evaluates data centre infrastructure in terms of a business’ requirements for system availability by providing the data centre industry with a consistent method of comparing typically unique, customised facilities based on expected site infrastructure performance.

Nowadays the most advanced data centres in terms of reliability are surely the Tier IV certified ones. That is to say these facilities have multiple, independent, physically isolated systems that provide redundant capacity components and multiple, independent, diverse, active distribution paths simultaneously serving the critical environment, being fully Fault Tolerant Site Infrastructures.

At present in Italy there are only three certified constructed Tier IV data centres and Climaveneta is the supplier of the cooling system of two of them: Fastweb and Unipol.

Focus on cooling system Fastweb, an Italian telecommunications operator owned by Swisscom, decided to build a new data centre offering the highest level of security possible to its clients. This goal led to the decision to achieve Italy’s first Tier IV Certification of Constructed Facilities (TCCF) with quality construction and MCP April 2016

Four TECS2 0652 SL-CA-E high-efficiency Climaveneta chillers provide N+N cooling to the Fastweb data centre

The compressor is innovative with magnetic bearings and digital rotor speed control allowing it to achieve energy efficiency at partial loads

energy efficiency also in mind.

The choice of cooling equipment was made considering the real operational parameters of the system (temperatures, loads, etc) and the specific design setting logic.

Four TECS2 0652 SL-CA-E high-efficiency Climaveneta chillers provide N+N cooling to the facility.

The chillers are cutting edge in terms of energy efficiency, internal redundancy, reliability, occupancy and noise; they are equipped with oil-free magnetic levitation compressors and are specified to be super silent.

ClimaPRO, a dedicated control system by Climaveneta, ensured that the chillers operate as efficiently as possible, balancing their output according to the load present. The same system also identifies maintenance actions – in addition to routine maintenance operations – which could improve efficiency.

Ferdinando Ciardullo, the M&E consultant, talking about the cooling system of the certified data centre says: “This site has peculiar architecture based on a dual active branch, which translates into dual cooling plants, dual pumping stations, dual cooled water supply circuits, allowing us to always ensure two essential factors: the possibility of servicing any equipment or any part of a circuit any

time, without Data Centre downtimes” On the other side Unipol is the second insurance group on the Italian market and the first in non-life business, classified among the top 10 in Europe. To optimise the group organisation it has planned to gather all the IT services in one data centre located on Pilastro Street in Bologna.

The new facility is an example of efficiency, not only in terms of energy consumption but also of reduced space, cooling and CO2 emissions.

At the Unipol data centre Pilastro, Climaveneta supplied four TECS2/XL-CA/S 0512 high efficiency chillers that easily adapt themselves to different thermal load conditions thanks to their precise thermoregulation together with the use of inverter technology.

The compressor is innovative with magnetic bearings and digital rotor speed control allowing it to achieve energy efficiency at partial loads, which represents more than 75% of a datacentre’s working time.

Telecom Italia Acilia data centre in Rome and Poste Italiane Torino data centre, currently undergoing the Tier IV Certification of the Design Documents section, will be equipped with Climaveneta units. l climaveneta.com missioncriticalpower.uk

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42

COOLING & AIR MOVEMENT

Could your DC benefit from internal evaporative coolers?

EcoCoolingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s managing director Alan Beresford explains the drivers behind the development of the new range of internal evaporative cooling systems and discuss how the design has been reconfigured to suit the installation requirements of data centres

E

coCoolers are made

by EcoCooling, an evaporative cooling company with more than 370 data centre installations, and 200 telecoms installations throughout the UK and abroad.

Its product ranges incorporate energy efficient direct evaporative cooling and free cooling/ventilation and have resulted in substantial savings being achieved in data centres using their cooling systems in place of standard computer room refrigeration systems (CRACS).

In most installations the energy use of a ventilation system, supplemented by direct evaporative cooling on warm days, uses less than 10% of the electricity of a conventional DX refrigeration system found in many data centres.

Typically using 5kW or less per 100kW of IT cooling load this enables data centres, with reasonably efficient UPSs and other infrastructure, to potentially achieve a PUE of less than 1.1.

This level of performance is obviously attractive to many data centre operators but, until now, installations involving internal plant and equipment, was not possible. The development of the internal system overcomes this and opens up a new market for this energy efficient cooling system.

The ECT range is different from the standard ECP cooler as its design has been derived from a specification given by the largest telecommunications MCP April 2016

server in the UK, that wanted the savings associated with evaporative cooling systems but needed internal cooling units that were secure, easy to maintain and could be installed quickly on a large scale. Among the list of benefits associated with the internal cooler is the single box

The ECT 10800 shown below has a flow rate of 10,800m3/hr. The ECT range of coolers are designed to be installed internally. They have multiple configuration options for easy installation into rooms with limited space

requirement, the ECT unit contains the evaporative cooling element, control system, supply fan and recirculation damper, reducing installation costs significantly.

Those likely to benefit most from a more compact unit are existing data centres. While most people do not have the luxury of building a new data centre from the ground up, they do have the challenge of improving existing ones. The drive for energy efficiency is relentless, and operating costs or external drivers, such as government targets or Esos surveys, can prevent a data centre from reaching peak efficiency.

Existing data centres in the public sector are being pushed to find alternatives to AC, so evaporative cooling units that can be easily retrofitted are a great solution to this problem.

In many cases, the costs of retrofitting external equipment are prohibitive, and on the flip side of this problem, many end users have buildings which are not suitable for conventional ducted ventilation systems with external equipment, so an internal cooling unit is exactly what they need.

Many existing data centres often have poor layouts.

The effect of this is that some of the cooled air bypasses the servers and simply circulates around the data centre. A conventional DX CRAC in these situations becomes a very expensive fan with missioncriticalpower.uk

very poorly utilised cooling and cannot possibly operate efficiently. The EcoCooling systems are designed primarily as a ventilation system to accommodate these compromised layouts and, by careful selection of the correct Electrically Commutated fans, provide an efficient air flow solution. The EcoCooling system also retains or improves efficiency when old equipment is updated or data centres reconfigured into hot and cold aisles with containment.

This is because an EC fan becomes more efficient at slower speeds. When air flow bypass is reduced then the fans can run slower with higher efficiency. Reducing the fan speed by 20% reduces fan energy by 50%.

When considering retrofitting evaporative cooling it is important for end-users and stakeholders to understand and accept the humidity and temperature performance achieved using direct systems.

While most people do not have the luxury of building a new data centre from the ground up, they do have the challenge of improving existing ones Many datacentre managers are wary of the effects of high temperatures and high humidity in their data centres.

Much of this concern is unwarranted as modern IT equipment is much more robust than older equipment, which required close control of both temperature and humidity.

With the progression of modern equipment, it has become less about maintaining a specific humidity and more about not reaching the extremes. missioncriticalpower.uk

Most modern equipment will work well between 10-95% humidity. Below 10% and you run the risk of static electricity being created and above 95% you risk corrosion.

While humidity control is not normally necessary in the UK, as an evaporative cooling solution it became obvious that we should offer a humidification option in the ECT unit particularly when we started working in the Nordics, where cold temperatures and low humidity are the norm.

Our patented humidification process works by opening an additional damper to reintroduce recirculated air into the supply steam and shutting off the external air. This creates the desired humidification, but control of the supply air temperature is lost.

To counter this, we operate one EcoCooler in humidification mode alongside two EcoCoolers in normal operation. The EcoCoolers work together to produce acceptable conditions in even the driest and coldest of climates.

In our latest installation in Sweden for Hydro 66, this has prevented the formation of air containing moisture, and static electricity, which could have been extremely harmful to their electrical equipment.

While a decrease in energy use is a driver for some of our clients, lower installation costs can also be a driver for smaller organisations and facilities with limited initial load and budgets.

The simplicity of the ECT units has allowed some of our more innovative end users to complete their own installations, reducing their capital outlay and achieve the savings that are attractive from both an environmental and cost standpoint.

Join us at Data Centre World where we will be presenting a client led case study on the largest ECT installation of 2016 with Hydro66. ● ecocooling.org

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April 2016 MCP

44

DATA CENTRE WORLD

A world of knowledge This year’s instalment of Data Centre World at London’s ExCel on 12 and 13 April will deliver a line-up of 500 world-class exhibitors and thousands of hours of free content from hundreds of leading industry speakers alongside peer networking opportunities

D

ata Centre World is the largest gathering of data centre knowledge, professionals and expertise from around the globe. Now entering its 10th year, Data Centre World is the one meeting place that hosts the world’s leading suppliers to the data centre sector, key decision makers from across technology and enterpriser sector and leading industry thought leaders and practitioners.

Choosing finance To highlight just how diverse this event is going to be, we talked to some of the speakers ahead of Data Centre World.

John Wilson is relationship director in Lombard’s Corporate Finance Division and will be part of the panel discussion ‘Financing and Investing in Data Centres’ on 12 April at 1.30pm in the Data Centres of The Future Theatre.

When it comes to finding and choosing the funding to finance a data centre, Wilson knows that this task has never been as important as it is today. “Data centres, although a relatively recognised service offering, are still viewed by many lending institutions as a specialised and complex asset class, the intricacies of which are not well understood,” he explains.

“With a disproportionate capital spend on power, mechanical and electrical equipment to be installed within the data centre, compared to the cost of the shell, it’s acknowledged that funding is more suited to a structured asset backed facility. As a result, a clear understanding of the dynamics of this niche, albeit, rapidly

MCP April 2016

expanding sector, is critical to a lender’s risk evaluation.”

Adapting your business Simon Blake leads the EMEA Software communications strategy for the Emerson business and is a regular conference speaker. He will be discussing the way business models are transforming due to emerging technologies.

“Think for a moment about companies like Uber and Airbnb who, in just a few brief years, have managed to completely transform the taxi and hotel industry business models,” he says.

“Traditional business models are evaporating; new ones are struggling to be monetised but it’s clear there is a transformation of business models happening.

“It is technology that has enabled these business models to be realised,” Blake continues, “only with a highly agile IT organisation can any business adapt and take advantage of opportunity. To enable an agile IT infrastructure, you

With a disproportionate capital spend on power, mechanical and electrical equipment to be installed within the data centre, compared to the cost of the shell, it’s acknowledged that funding is more suited to a structured asset-backed facility

need visibility and you need intelligence to be able to react fast and with confidence.

DCIM is one tool CIO’s use to give them that agility.”

At Data Centre World, Blake will explore how DCIM can enable business transformation.

Specifically, using customer examples, he will take look at some of the drivers of the CIO, what knock on pains the data centre professionals feel to deliver against these, and how DCIM can provide solutions.

Learn from each other Gerhard Nels is a product manager responsible for the design, build and commissioning of Standard Bank’s Data Centres in Africa, a task that comes with numerous challenges. At Data Centre World, he will look at some of the everyday data centre problems as well as some very pertinent issues that he experience’s in Africa, which Gerhard calls the “grass roots challenges”.

Understanding how Nels and his team overcome these » missioncriticalpower.uk

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DATA CENTRE WORLD

obstacles when building data centres in Africa provides the perfect opportunity to discover new solutions and different ways of tackling the problems that are experienced across the board.

As Nels says, Data Centre World offers “amazing opportunities to solve complex problems, share ideas and gain different perspectives with industry experts. I am hoping to discover unique approaches and case studies to help drive

500

The number of speakers at Data Centre World this year

our Africa projects forward and develop a basis of design decision-making and what impact these can have on successful outcomes.”

World first For the first time ever, Data Centre World will host its very own live data centre.

Data Centre World has joined forces with Dunwoody, a leading build and design consultancy, to produce an effective and efficient running

data centre, right in the heart of Data Centre World. Over the two days visitors will have the opportunity to walk through and see the make-up of a successful data centre, and learn about the puzzle of products which complete the data centre jigsaw.

Housing products from 28 suppliers, the DCW Green Data Centre is an interactive feature that showcases the practical implementation of products from cooling units and fans, to cables and perimeter fencing.

This is the only feature of its kind at any exhibition in the world, and is just another reason to visit DCW 2016.

With more than 500 speakers booked across the two days, this is just a taster of what you can expect from this event.

Data Centre World is co-located with Cloud Expo Europe, Cloud Security Expo and Smart IoT London, collectively making up the world’s largest business technology event. ● To claim your free ticket to Data Centre World 2016 visit datacentreworld.com

Save with Blackmores UK energy review Would you like to know where there are opportunities for improvement in your energy use?

Would you like to reduce your impact on the environment? Then why not speak to Blackmores UK at Data Centre World about conducting an energy review.

Blackmores has been working with various industries and found savings of up to £121,171.38, through energy reviews.

In order to reduce energy consumption, you first of all need to understand where, when and how you currently consume energy. This is where an energy review can identify significant areas of energy consumption, and provide recommendations MCP April 2016

Potential energy savings Here’s just some of the potential annual savings Blackmores has identified during its reviews to date: • Data centre – savings of 108,147.41 kWh (£10,057.61) • Multi-service company – savings of 22,087.32 kWh (£2,760.16) • Logistics company – savings of 444,218.32 kWh (£43,553.97) • Office activities – savings of 189625.6 kWh (£17,635.19) • Manufacturing – savings of 1235948.16 kWh (£121,171.38) • Logistic/waste – savings of 768,376.18 kWh (£77,039.74)

to reduce and improve the way you consume energy as a business.

The resulting energy report provides practical

advice and guidance on what ‘Opportunities For Improvement’ (OFI’s) can be achieved, the potential energy savings quantified in

Show offer Quote: BDCW to get 20% off your energy review, to be booked before 31 May

terms of kWh and financial savings, and the likely payback periods for any upfront investment required. ● blackmoresuk.com missioncriticalpower.uk

47 Rental stock up to 8.6MW of rack mounted load banks HeatLoad has increased its rental stock of 3.5kW rack mounted load banks to more thab 600 units. The company now has 8.6MW of rack mounted load banks and 8MW of floor standing load banks, which it believes is the largest stock holding in the UK. This is all very timely in preparation for what promises to be a busy Data Centre World 2016.

According to Dave Wolfenden, managing director of HeatLoad, the company has seen an explosion in data centre testing this year – which has increased by 50% in the first quarter of 2016. “We are not entirely sure whether this is due to the company name change towards the end of last year (from Mafi Mushkila), market growth, or an upturn in the economy, but 2016 is already looking to be a very successful year for us,” commented Wolfenden.

Data Centre World is the perfect place to meet up with HeatLoad to learn more about

what services are available – anything from a simple server installation to the project management of the design, construction, and migration of a mega data centre.

Wolfenden will be presenting a paper on Best Practices in Data Centre Testing on Tuesday 12 April at 13:15 in the Design and Build Theatre.

The importance of testing a data centre infrastructure prior to going live is widely acknowledged as a key element in ensuring that it achieves optimal performance for the duration of its design life. To do this, heatload.co.uk mimics the electrical and other performance characteristics of the IT equipment as closely as possible using its specialist heat load, load banks and server emulators.

The best of both worlds Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) solutions specialist Power Control Ltd (PCL) is one of the key sponsors of this year’s Data Centre World Conference & Expo.

Located at the heart of the exhibition at stand M35, PCL will be presenting its complete product profile. Making their UK exhibition debut will be the recently released solid state Borri Ingenio UPS series and the highly anticipated modular Huawei

missioncriticalpower.uk

UPS5000-E series.

This modular UPS is offered by PCL with an all-inclusive maintenance package. This includes the replacement of modules that are actively monitored by the UPS. For those wanting a solid state power protection solution, the Ingenio UPS system from Borri presents a resilient transformer-free, online double conversion option, available as a standard 30-50kVA UPS solution and as a 60160kVA Plus with unity output power factor.

PCL will have its experienced technical team on hand to help visitors understand both technologies and discuss any project requirements.

The company’s managing director Mark Trolley will also be giving an in-depth presentation on solution-based UPS investment. This will be held in the facilities and critical equipment theatre on Tuesday 12 April at 13:45. pcl-ups.com

The range of devices on offer from HeatLoad includes rack mounted singlephase emulators that are available as 2kW or 3.75kW units. Mobile racks are available in 12, 16 and 30U sizes and allow the load banks and server emulators to be installed in various configurations to meet capacity, density and rack layout requirements. In addition, its floor standing single-phase 2kW and 3kW units or three phase 9kW, 15kW and 22kW offerings are ideal for use in colocation facilities, where racks are often not installed until the customer makes a final decision on their infrastructure needs.

When visitors scan their badges on the HeatLoad stand K80 at DCW 2016 they will not only learn about the products and services to test data centres and computer rooms but they will also have the chance to win a brand new Apple iPad mini 4 64GB in a prize draw at the end of the show. heatload.co.uk

Free continuous power resources ahead of DCW

Shentongroup is set to meet scores of professionals seeking information on continuous power solutions at this year’s Data Centre World.

With an impressive portfolio of data centre projects under its belt, the company provides specialist data centre case studies in advance of the event. Available through its website, these convey an insight into the approach, process and technical elements involved in providing data centres with reliable and competent continuous power solutions.

Shentongroup experts will be on hand at stand A30 throughout the two days to answer

any questions that these individuals might have relating to backup generators, uninterruptible power supplies, AMF panels and more.

Shentongroup’s sales and marketing director, Curtis Meek highlighted the resources available to industry experts prior to the event: “As well as a number of white papers covering continuous power and disaster recovery, our array of case studies help professionals to understand exactly what goes into providing organisations, including data centres, with continuous power solutions.” shentongroup.co.uk

April 2016 MCP

48

PRODUCTS

Saving of 30%-plus possible with cold aisle containment Minkels, part of listed company Legrand, has released a white paper entitled ROI Calculation Tool – Evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of an aisle containment that provides a well-substantiated calculation model and all the parameters required to calculate achievable returns of aisle containment investments.

Aimed at further reducing data centre energy consumption and addressing corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, the white paper was launched during the Light + Building event in Frankfurt, Germany. The event, one of the world’s leading trade fairs for lighting and building services technology, took place at Messe Frankfurt on 13-18 March.

Niek van der Pas, lead data centre expert at Minkels and author of the white paper, said: “Utilisation of aisle containment in the white space provides tremendous opportunities for data centre operators and its users to save on energy consumption. Minkels has reckoned that an energy reduction of at least 30% to 40% is feasible just by installing aisle containment infrastructure, called Cold Corridors by Minkels, but the actual energy and cost savings depend on user-specific situations.

The Minkels ROI Calculation Tool, extensively described in this white paper, is

helping users to determine their achievable returns.”

The white paper provides a calculation model and all the ingredients required to make the right calculations for a userspecific ROI. These ROI calculation ingredients include, for example, aisle containment costs and airflow optimisation.

Minkels CEO Christiaan van Terheijden said: “This white paper is packed with hands-on technical information required

for aisle containment investment decision making,. All this is framed by a managerial context providing data centre operators the ability to monetise the real efficiency value of aisle containment deployments and calculate the actual return on investment of user-specific layouts. An Atos customer case study and the inclusion of some tax incentive suggestions for energy efficient data centre equipment make the managerial value complete.”

Isolating hot airflows from cold airflows through aisle containment application saves on energy costs while ensuring that the IT equipment is being cooled within the manufacturers’ specifications. It also prevents the emergence of hot spots which can cause equipment failure and data centre outages. Further, when deploying high-density infrastructure for Big Data or IoT purposes, aisle containment ensures optimal operating efficiencies by a uniform distribution of cooling air temperature.

Cooling systems and also power infrastructure are the other main ingredients for establishing energy efficient, predictable and reliable data centre infrastructure.

This white paper can also be downloaded at minkels.com/whitepaper minkels.com

New UPS for small- and medium-sized businesses Riello UPS is set to unveil the latest extension to its modular product range to a UK audience for the first time. The new Multi Power Combo UPS will launch at Data Centre World 2016. Riello UPS’s compact generator, Power Cube, will also feature in the show’s first ever green data centre – a new platform to showcase innovative products.

The launch of Multi Power Combo marks the second product in the Multi Power series of UPSs designed and manufactured

by Riello.

Designed to meet the demands of smallto medium-sized facilities looking for scalable power protection, the cabinet is a combined solution offering maximum power quality and battery backup.

Multi Power Combo is capable of housing up to three 42kW power modules and 20 battery units across five battery shelves, delivering total power output of 126kW or 84kW with N+2 redundancy.

A connectivity panel on the front allows full status visibility of the UPS modules and batteries. Maintenance is also simpler as the units can be accessed from the MCP April 2016

front of the system and the modules are hot-swappable, reducing any maintenance related downtime.

Due to be showcased on Riello’s stand H60, the new addition to the UK UPS market offers the maximum in availability, scalability, reliability and serviceability while benefiting from low total cost of ownership and providing high efficiency.

In addition to the new product, Riello’s 640 kVA / 509kW Power Cube will be on view at the new green data centre. Power Cube offers a more compact, robust, quieter and more efficient solution than a standard generator, making it ideal for the data centre market where space is at a premium.

Leo Craig, general manager of Riello UPS, said: “Launching the Multi Power Combo UPS represents our continued commitment to the UPS market to provide innovative new solutions which are high quality, reliable, efficient and cost effective for the modern data centre.” riello-ups.co.uk

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50

Q&A

Andy Hirst Sudlows’ technical director speaks about extending the hours in the day, solving the mystery of Stonehenge and why he believes he is probably in his dream job Who would you least like to share a lift with?

Luckily there are more people I would not mind sharing a lift with then not, but my worst scenario would be on the top floor of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and as I step in the lift to go down my accountant steps in. The thought of a five minute lecture on the new tax legislations sends shivers down my spine.

You’re God for the day.

What’s the first thing you do? Have an extra hour in bed!

But seriously, look at extending the day to 28 hours, as 24 hours is getting harder and harder to fit things in.

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

Quite a few decades in history interest me but it would probably be the 1920s. The early part of the 20th century must have been so interesting where technology was starting to progress but there was still a naivety around life then. I might also pick up a few shares in Marks & Spencer while I was there.

Who or what are you enjoying listening to? Funny since we are talking about new technology that I recently bought a record

If I could perpetuate any myth about myself it would be that Andy Hirst knows everything about data centres player and after more than 25 years of hibernation I finally dug my albums out of the attic. I am particularly enjoying my Motown and ELO albums.

What unsolved mystery would you like the answers to? So many to choose from, but probably Stonehenge, as it is a creation that is still being discussed even today with so many theories being attached to it, ranging from extra-terrestrial landing pads to a ceremonial solar alignment mechanism.

How embarrassing it would be if it turned out to be an ancient drive through horse and cart wash or stone-age café!

What would you take to a desert island and why?

Would a bucket and spade be classed as practical? If it is then it would have to be some cash as desert island or not, there is bound to be a McDonald’s there.

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

I definitely could not pin my favourite film down to just one as there are so many good ones.

However, at the moment I am doing a Masters in Leadership and am really enjoying reading Globalisation Laid Bare by Sir Richard Branson.

If you could perpetuate a myth about yourself, what would it be? There is so much technology being developed and used in the critical infrastructure industry and at such a fast rate that if I could perpetuate any myth about myself it would be that Andy Hirst knows everything about data centres.

What would your super power be and why? I am not sure if it would appeal to me to have any super powers as Spiderman once was told “with great power come great responsibilities!” That said, if nobody knew, then maybe x-ray eyes.

What would you do with a million pounds? Pay off my children’s university fees – by the time they have finished that million might just about cover it.

What’s your greatest extravagance? Basically my time is made up of work, work and work, so by far my greatest extravagance is time with my family. Oh and alcohol.

If you were blessed with any talent, what would your dream job be? This is an interesting question, as at first you would think professional footballer or Hollywood actor, but then you

MCP April 2016

consider that even these highpaying glamour jobs don’t seem to make most of these fortunate people happy. Then I look at my position now and think actually I probably am in my dream job, and the good news is I did it without the talent.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? “Don’t jump!” But besides that, it would probably be to try and be a good listener.

It is amazing the knowledge and understanding gained by listening.

What irritates you the most in life? I am irritated with people who moan, especially about work. If you are not happy with something, such as your job, then just change it.

What should energy users be doing to help themselves, particularly in the current climate?

We at Sudlows spend a lot of time promoting green initiatives but often energy users are simply unaware of the implications caused by not incorporating the latest carbon reduction solutions available.

The frustrating thing is simply by installing latest technologies energy users can not only reduce their carbon footprint but can give a high ROI to the client.

What’s the best thing – work wise – you did recently? I have just finished my training to become a volunteer mentor for the Institution of Engineering and Technology to work with young engineers to support them achieving professional status. ● missioncriticalpower.uk