Mission Critical Power

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ISSUE 17: June 2018

12

Can demand-side response increase resilience and save money for data centres?

One of the world’s most popular search engines has the answer

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Thermal issues are top of the list of problems found in data centres. Is the sector too complacent?

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Mind the skills gap: the human element in data centre resilience.

Industry leaders reveal their concerns

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IN THIS ISSUE

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18

Demand-side response

Forget PUE? Ian Bitterlin considers the question: should we care about power usage effectiveness?

‘Russia’s Google’, Yandex, has increased resilience and generated revenue through DSR

16 Legislation Diesel backup generators will be hit by new legislation aimed at reducing emissions. But what will the directive mean for mission critical sites?

26 Renewables Equinix’s Russell Poole believes the data centre industry has a responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint

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28

Skills gap

Hot debate

missioncriticalpower.uk

ISSUE 17: June 2018

12

Can demand-side response increase resilience and save money for data centres?

One of the world’s most popular search engines has the answer

Thermal issues are top of the list of problems found in data centres. Is the sector too complacent?

30

Mind the skills gap: the human element in data centre resilience.

Industry leaders reveal their concerns

IT’S WHAT’S IN THE BOX THAT MATTERS! Turn to page 15 to find out more

What should be done to tackle a skills shortage in the data centre industry?

Vertiv’s Simon Brady warns that thermal issues are top of the list of problems found in data centres. How can they improve?

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15 Front Cover Power Control/Borri Italy

Comment

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Distributed Infrastructure

20

Thermal Management

34

News

6

Artificial Intelligence

22

Energy Storage

41

Demand-side Response

8

Data Centre Optimisation 28

Products

47

Q&A

50

14

UPS

Training

30

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June 2018 MCP

4

COMMENT

Temperatures are rising…

As the summer sunshine has finally arrived (at last) and temperatures are rising, it is the ideal time to tackle a ‘hot’ topic for many readers: many data centres are struggling to get to grips with thermal management strategies and there is a lack of knowledge in the sector around cooling issues.

This is not only wasting energy but also putting facilities at risk of outages. With more than 35% of data centre energy use attributed to cooling, there is a strong business case for tackling the problem.

A recent white paper, from Schneider Electric (How Higher Chilled Water Temperature Can Improve Data Center Cooling System Efficiency), shows that higher chilled water (CHW) temperatures can improve efficiency by a staggering 64%. The white paper details two real-world examples; the first in a temperate region (Frankfurt, Germany); the second in a tropical monsoon climate (Miami, Florida). In each case, data was collected to assess the energy savings that were accrued by deploying higher CHW temperatures at various increments, while comparing the effect of deploying additional adiabatic cooling.

The study found that an increased capital expenditure of 13% in both cases resulted in energy savings of between 41% and 64%, with improvements in TCO between 12% and 16% over a three-year period. In addition, the study found that PUE for the two data centres was reduced by 14% in the case of

Editor Louise Frampton louise@energystmedia.com t: 020 34092043 m: 07824317819 Managing Editor Tim McManan-Smith tim@energystmedia.com Design and production Paul Lindsell production@energystmedia.com m: 07790 434813

MCP June 2018

Sales director Steve Swaine steve@energystmedia.com t: 020 3714 4451 m: 07818 574300

Miami and 16% in the case of Frankfurt. However, Vertiv’s Simon Brady warns that data centres are failing to get even the basics right and this is proving to be a widespread problem in his experience. At Data Centre World, he presented a shocking array of real-world examples where data centres are failing in the most obvious ways: from gaping holes, to some rather ’interesting’ improvised ‘botch jobs’.

The skills gap is part of the problem and this is explored in some depth in this issue. People are being educated in silos and there is a need for training to bridge the chasm between data centre technical disciplines; to provide a wider contextual view and understanding of electrical and mechanical engineering, thermal management, IT and business objectives in the data centre environment. As Brady points out: “We have some ‘rocket science’ clever thermal people but they don’t know about power and we have power people who don’t know about thermal management.”

Tackling these skills gaps, through targeted training, to meet industry’s needs, will be key to driving improvement. But could artificial intelligence also provide some of the answers? Siemens is making strides to provide real-time data analysis capabilities to dynamically match cooling to IT load in server rooms. Taking some of the human element out of the equation could go some way to tackling thermal issues.

However, there is also plenty of scope for improvement with the minimum of investment. As Brady has often pointed out, a lot can be achieved with humble duct tape. Getting to grips with the basics must be made a priority, along with technological solutions.

Louise Frampton, editor

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

Commercial manager Daniel Coyne T: 02037517863 M: 07557109476 E: daniel@energystmedia.com

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6

NEWS & COMMENT

Environment Agency makes U-turn on Triads and emissions directive The Environment Agency has shelved plans that would effectively prevent unabated generators performing Triad avoidance.

Under the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD), generators that take on new balancing services agreements with National Grid, or new Capacity Market contracts, must comply with strict emissions limits by 1 January 2019. They are classified as ‘Tranche B’ generators. Those that do not take on new agreements are classified as ‘Tranche A’ generators and have until 2025 or 2030 to comply.

The EA had originally stated Triad avoidance would be treated the same as providing a balancing service, pushing Triad avoiding generators into ‘Tranche B’ and therefore required to meet new NOx emissions limits by 1 January.

Industry was dismayed that Triad, a billing methodology applied retrospectively by National Grid to determine transmission charges, was being classified by the EA as a balancing service. The proposal would have effectively ruled

The EA has listened to industry concerns

out unabated generators from taking part in Triad avoidance next winter, including backup generators. It appears the EA has listened to concerns.

A briefing note published by the Association for Decentralised Energy states: “It has now been agreed that, if a Tranche A generator participates in Triads from 2019, this will not change its status to Tranche B, because Triad is not a balancing service.”

Under the UK interpretation of the MCPD, backup generators are exempt from controls, provided they run for backup only. However, the EA has indicated that if they perform Triad avoidance from 2019 onwards they “may

not continue to be an exempt generator if [they] carry out Triad operation in 2019 onwards, but will become a Tranche A or B generator”.

That means backup generators could still provide Triad avoidance but would come under the scope of the rules as ‘specified generators’.

That means they would no longer be classified as ‘backup’ generators, and as specified generators would need to comply with the relevant permitting and deadlines.

Flexitricity chief strategy officer Alastair Martin welcomed the agency’s rethink but argued operators of backup generation should be able to test them when it makes

sense to do so.

“Defra and the Environment Agency are right to keep a very close eye on ground-level NOx. At the same time, emergency power supplies need to be tested on load, or they won’t work.

“It’s best to test them when the electricity they generate is useful, and the Triad system is one way of ensuring that,” he said. “This change in policy makes more sense than the previous interpretation of the MCPD regulations, though it is still astonishing that diesel farms – which are not emergency power supplies and don’t need to be tested as they don’t need to be there at all – still benefit from a 15-year exemption.”

The ADE’s briefing note said that Defra “may address the issue of Triads separately through its proposed Clean Air Strategy consultation” and that the association is seeking further detail from the department and the Environment Agency.

See pages 16-17 for further details of how the MCPD will affect mission critical sites and facilities perfoming demandside response

Partnership to offer AI and thermal optimisation Siemens’ Building Technologies Division is expanding its existing thermal optimisation offering set for data centres to intelligently ensure both highly efficient cooling production and cooling distribution throughout the entire facility.

To improve the way cooling is distributed throughout data centre “white space”, Siemens is integrating Vigilent’s artificial intelligence-based dynamic cooling management solution into its data centre portfolio. Siemens will leverage Vigilent’s real-time data analysis capabilities to dynamically match cooling to IT

MCP June 2018

load in server rooms. In addition, Siemens strengthened its strategic partnership with Vigilent by becoming a minority shareholder.

Matthias Rebellius, CEO of Building Technologies, commented: “Siemens works with data centre managers around the world to enhance the performance of their buildings via a wide range of facility improvement measures and services such as demand flow for chiller plant optimisation. Our partnership with Vigilent represents an important expansion of these capabilities and a prime example of our commitment to digitalisation.”

Partnering with Vigilent will expand Siemens’ thermal optimisation offering set, which is designed to deliver improvements in energy consumption while increasing data centre reliability. Moving forward, the two companies will also jointly develop new solutions and address the data centre market globally.

“Vigilent has pioneered the use of machine learning to optimise thermal environments in data centres,” said Dave Hudson, CEO of Vigilent.

“By combining our solutions with Siemens, we can expand our value and reach mission-critical facilities across the globe.”

missioncriticalpower.uk

7 Smart energy expert expands into UPS SolarEdge Technologies, a specialist in smart energy, is entering the uninterruptible power supply business after signing an asset purchase agreement with Gamatronic Electronic Industries, a technology leader in the field.

SolarEdge intends to leverage its track record of technological innovation and power electronics expertise, in combination with Gamatronics’ intellectual property, know-how and market presence, to build a leading global UPS business.

Through this acquisition, SolarEdge aims to expand and diversify its business and develop innovative technology that drives progress in smart energy and

transforms the way the world produces and consumes energy. Gamatronic has been selling its products since 1970 and today sells as far afield as the US, China, Europe, South Africa and Latin America.

“This acquisition is our first step in expanding our business to new fields outside the solar arena,” stated SolarEdge CEO and chairman Guy Sella.

“The multibillion-dollar UPS market is expected to undergo significant changes in the coming years and we believe that combining SolarEdge’s innovation, operational excellence and business leadership with Gamatronic’s technology and extensive experience in this field will allow us to become a UPS market leader.”

Stakeholders to have say on green data centre vision Catalyst is on a mission to turn data centres into flexible multienergy hubs

The Catalyst Consortium is establishing the Green Data Centre – Stakeholder Group (GDC-SG) to bring under one roof data centre owners and managers, distribution system operators and heat network operators, utilities, energy retailers and energy service companies, smart cities and regulatory representatives.

The aim is to contribute to the vision of 'green data centres' as engaged players in the energy transition towards decarbonisation.

Catalyst's mission is to turn data centres into flexible missioncriticalpower.uk

multi-energy hubs, which can sustain investments in renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. Leveraging on results of past projects, the organisation is seeking to scale up, deploy and validate an innovative technological and business framework that enables data centres to offer a range of mutualised energy flexibility services to both electricity and heat grids, while simultaneously increasing their own resiliency to energy supply.

The stakeholder group will discuss and resolve

technological, business and regulatory challenges arising from the integration of data centres as key actors in the energy domain and smart infrastructures of the future.

The consortium partners have organised a launch event and are inviting professionals from all around Europe.

During this event the group will be officially established, its creation manifesto debated and initial activities outlined.

The event takes place in Amsterdam on 27 June. To register to attend, visit: https://tinyurl.com/y96tf9zd

News in brief Equinix expands LD4 Slough Exchange Equinix is expanding its LD4 International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre at its London Slough campus.

LD4 has 3,777 cabinets in approximately 10,000 sq m of colocation space; the expansion will add an additional 1,075 cabinets in approximately 3,300 sqm.

The new $39m (£29m) expansion is scheduled to open before the end of the year.

Connexin building one Hull of a data centre Connexin is building a £5m data centre specially designed to accelerate Hull in its race to become one of the UK’s leading smart cities. The new data centre – called CXNDC – will be a 200-plus rack facility, designed to tier-3 reliability specifications and will bring more than 40,000Mbps of internet connectivity to the region. Connexin plans to develop the facility on a 1.2-acre site at Bridgehead Business Park.

Apple pulls plug on Irish development Tech giant Apple has scrapped plans to build a data centre in the Republic of Ireland, blaming long delays in the approval process. The company announced plans to build the data centre in Athenry, Co Galway, in February 2015, to take advantage of the close proximity of green energy sources. Planning appeals delayed approval for more than three years but, in October 2017, Ireland’s High Court ruled the data centre could proceed. A further appeal was then escalated to the country’s Supreme Court. Despite the setback, the company said it will continue to expand its European HQ in County Cork.

June 2018 MCP

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DEMAND-SIDE RESPONSE

Are critical sites switched on to flexible provision?

What is preventing critical sites such as data centres, hospitals, banks and other key infrastructure exploiting huge flexibility and capacity, and how can perception of risk be overcome? A new white paper offers an insight from leading experts and critical sites that have put demand-side response to the test

A

new white paper produced by MCP in association with Gridbeyond, entitled Mission critical sites and DSR: turned on or turned off?, examines the challenges, opportunities, technical requirements and legislation around demandside response, and finds there is increasing interest among critical sites. Launched at The Energyst Event in April, key issues highlighted in the white paper were debated by a panel of expert speakers. Chaired

by Mark Acton, CBRE Data Centre Solutions, the session considered the question: are critical sites switched on to flexibility provision?

As energy-related failures can cost businesses as much as 17% of their annual revenue, the case for energy storage solutions to offer flexibility, MCP June 2018

reliability, security of supply and resilience – to organisations and the grid alike – is transparent and growing. Sites with backup power are ideally positioned to help stabilise the grid but, historically, they have been slow to come on board with grid balancing schemes due to fears over risk and loss of control.

However, the tide is starting to turn and critical sites such as hospitals, data centres and utilities are increasingly coming on board with DSR. Fresco Advisory’s Doreen Abeysundra pointed out that demand for power is intensifying, driven by the Internet of Things and the upsurge in smart technologies.

This, coupled with the increasing use of renewable technologies, is making DSR an important topic for discussion.

“We need to generate 15%

of our energy by 2020 though renewable technology. The deadline is less than two years’ away and we are lagging behind on our target. Renewable energy is also intermittent, which impacts on the stability of the grid,” said Abeysundra.

“At the same time, there has been a drive for the electrification of vehicles, which is good news in terms of tackling our climate change targets, but it also adds to the demands being placed on the grid. For these reasons, the National Grid needs to look to DSR. There are opportunities for consumers to generate revenues by ‘balancing the ups and downs’ and avoiding peak periods (eg Triads), while money is also being offered for participating in trials. It is surprising, therefore, that more sites haven’t come on board.

Could it be the fact that there are so many opportunities in terms of revenue streams? This is a challenge in its own right,” Abeysundra continued.

An interesting move has been the research and development into battery technologies by the Faraday Institute. According to Abeysundra, this demonstrates the enthusiasm the UK government has for developing this area of storage.

There are 14 revenue streams available for battery storage, highlighting the complexity of the field. However, financing projects can be a sticking point.

Banks are risk adverse. They want to know: • How can you be sure that what you are building will be needed?

• What levels of certainty are there in terms of the revenue streams? missioncriticalpower.uk

9 A data centre manager’s priorities are uptime and cost.

I want to know if there is something that can tackle both of these responsibilities... Being part of the grid reserve addresses these requirements – there is free money on the floor and I just need to pick it up

• How do you know that a given revenue stream will continue to be valid?

• Will it be enough to sustain the repayment of any debt?

• How will your shareholders get a return?

“We need to address these challenges, when looking at DSR, if we are to get critical sites to participate in the system,” commented Abeysundra.

She went on to list a number of areas for discussion when participating in DSR, including the issue of control.

“Who controls the grid? The National Grid, does. However, if you have a 50MW battery storage plant, and you decide you don’t want to turn it down, you control the grid,” Abeysundra continued.

Peer-to-peer trading is another interesting area. “Instead of selling energy back to the grid, could you sell to other enterprises? This is both a challenge and an opportunity for the National Grid,” she explained.

Stacking revenues is another approach suggested to mitigate the risk posed by fluctuations in the market. Having made plans for DSR, last year, the value of the capacity market dramatically decreased – this uncertainty needs careful consideration.

“The challenge is to recognise what has happened, what is available (National missioncriticalpower.uk

Grid offers many solutions in terms of their revenue streams), but also to recognise the need to think outside the box. In terms of engaging with DSR, critical sites can use what is already there but also utilise this in combination with new ideas,” Abeysundra commented, pointing out that FinTech (financial technology) could be a solution to supporting innovation in this area. Barriers, according to Abeysundra, include a lack of knowledge in the market.

Without this knowledge, there is a perception that DSR may be just “too hard” to undertake.

“Uptake will increase as more people understand the need for balancing the grid, and the opportunities that can come out of it; there is money to be made,” she concluded.

Michael Phelan from Gridbeyond said the company is trying to simplify the ‘front end’ of DSR in terms of revenue streams. If there is no commercial risk, the focus shifts to the technical risk.

“We are finding some industries are more open to DSR than others... mission critical industries have been a bit slower to come on board.

Although they have the assets, people have been very nervous about using them. It’s a bit like buying a really fancy car, but you don’t like to use it,” Phelan said. For mission critical sites, it is all about resilience. DSR services can actually improve resilience, he pointed out.

“What National Grid and the DNOs are doing is to give a specification of what is required for stable voltage and

The white paper was launched at The Energyst Event, held at Birmingham’s Motorcycle Museum on 17-18 April

frequency, going forward. It is incumbent on those designing mission critical systems to better understand this and to design their asset systems to serve that need, with the opportunity of obtaining revenue with those systems. It requires a bit of re-imagining,” he explained.

“The grid is saying: ‘We have some issues, we are going to have problems with voltage and frequency with renewables, you guys are already resilient but we are now going to give you the specification of what is going to happen.’ If you fully understand that specification, you can make yourself more resilient by putting in the systems and predictive maintenance on batteries and generators. When it is all thought out well, it is actually part of the solution,” Phelan continued.

CBRE Data Centre Solutions’ Mark Acton commented: “Many critical sites, particularly data centres, think that DSR actually decreases their resilience by having someone else take control.”

Phelan said that, in his experience, most of the critical sites that Gridbeyond encounters – from data centres and hospitals, to pharmaceutical and medical device plants – have assets that are on the ‘front side’ of the ‘bath tub curve’ [a graph used in reliability engineering to indicate rates of failure]. » He commented: “The most June 2018 MCP

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DEMAND-SIDE RESPONSE

likely time for a product to fail is at the beginning or at the end of its life. But a lot of the assets are barely ‘run in’. People are sometimes a little bit blind to what is actually happening with them. People need to understand that there is a bath tub curve and it is a good idea to use a diesel engine from time to time. There may be issues with the emissions directive, but it is good for the engine to be used.”

Acton asked: “So best practice for a mission critical site would be to run their generators on load – not just resistive load but building load? I get your point.

You test response by chopping utility. If you are not testing it, it may not work.”

Ari Kurvi from Yandex agreed with this view. He revealed the data centre operator is bucking the trend by performing DSR. “A data centre manager’s priorities are uptime and cost.

I want to know if there is something that can tackle both of these responsibilities that fall on my shoulders. Being part of the grid reserve addresses these requirements – there is free money on the floor and I just need to pick it up,” he explained.

As well as decreasing annual costs, the data centre operator tests its generators each month against its normal load.

“DSR increases your resilience. You have a warning, a couple of seconds earlier, that the grid is going in the wrong direction. It makes my life much easier. We are totally in control and if we don’t participate

we are not penalised,” Kurvi continued.

“There is a very good financial reward so there must be compelling business reasons why critical sites have chosen not to participate,” Acton interjected.

“I have come across organisations that are not allowing the data centre generator to be tested, bizarrely, so the idea of moving to DSR is a step beyond for them,” Phelan responded.

“When it comes to backup, if you don’t test it, you don’t have it,” answered Kurvi, a view shared by the rest of the panel.

Acton added: “It is interesting that the larger sites – of around 100MW – do routinely test their generators but are still sceptical of DSR, which I find bizarre.”

Another barrier highlighted included the complicated decision structures found in

sectors such as healthcare.

For some people involved in the decision-making process, energy may not be their main area of expertise – such as surgeons and hospital boards.

“They are going to be nervous of anything they don’t understand. We have found it difficult in this sector, from this point of view,” said Phelan. “You need to get all the decisionsmakers in one room and explain how you are making the system more resilient. It’s a win-win scenario; it’s simply that people haven’t got their heads around it yet.”

Emissions directive Phelan expressed concerned that the Medium Combustion Plant Directive may hit sites using diesel generators to participate in DSR. Kurvi argued that the use of diesel engines for DSR need not

increase emissions, however.

“We run our diesel engines 12 hours per year – when we test each engine for one hour per month,” he commented. “In the past three years, while being on grid reserve, there has been no increase in release of CO2.”

The panellists agreed that there is a need to share case studies and data to overcome resistance to DSR, but the secrecy that surrounds the data centre sector is proving a particular barrier to adoption.

Kurvi concluded: “Yandex is very open and is willing to share data on this but, within our sector, there is a tendency to keep everything inside our own companies. If we have done something good, maybe you can do better.” ● The white paper, sponsored by Gridbeyond, can be downloaded at: https://tinyurl.com/yc6c76l3

Switched on or switched off?

MCP spoke to a cross-section of critical sites to gain a snap-shot of current attitudes and barriers while conducting research for the white paper. Some of the observations given included the need to “increase financial incentives”, “offer long-term confirmation of benefits” and “provide assurances around risk mitigation”, to encourage greater participation in DSR. Other comments highlighted the need for “reassurance that their assets will still have a long service life even when utilised more often” and “more clarity from the government and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy”. Interestingly, one data centre site using hydroelectric power that MCP spoke to had been primarily motivated to engage with DSR due to the ability to “improve data on back-up generators/UPS” and least motivated by “earning revenue from its assets”.

Equinix, a data centre and colocation provider, has ruled out DSR. Russell Poole, managing director for Equinix, in the UK, asserted that there is not a convincing business case for his organisation to engage with DSR at this stage. He said: “We understand the reasons for DSR and there’s no doubt it’s relevant to certain organisations. But from our perspective, we have investigated it a number of times and are yet to find a compelling commercial and operational argument for it that is consistent with our obligations to our customers. Yes, you can generate revenue from DSR through feeding the grid, but that means diverting power from backup generators away from their primary purpose: to support customers and ensure constant uptime.”

MCP June 2018

missioncriticalpower.uk

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DEMAND-SIDE RESPONSE

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ith data centres in Russia, Finland, the Netherlands and the US, Yandex operates one of world’s most popular internet search engines and the most popular in Russia. The data centre operator is bucking the industry trend – not only in its conviction that demandside response builds resilience but also by openly sharing its experience in a bid to exchange knowledge and educate the data centre sector.

Until now, data centre operators have been slow to adopt DSR and one of the barriers often cited is the perceived ‘risk’. In a business where uptime is critical, data centres have been nervous about taking the plunge, but could the tide be turning?

‘Russia’s Google’ Often referred to as ‘Russia’s Google’, resilience is critical for Yandex – use of its power assets need to be free of risk and also make ‘good business sense’.

Yandex identified an opportunity to generate significant financial savings by engaging with DSR. Although this was a primary motivating factor, alongside this financial incentive was the ability to support a sustainable approach to energy use, while ensuring the data centre further increased its availability.

Ari Kurvi, data centre manager for Yandex Oy’s facility, based in Mäntsälä, Finland, commented: “Helen (Helsinki Energy) invited us to cooperate with them to sell our capacity to market. We are now selling 8MW/h of power for reserve. As we participate through a thirdparty, we have no operational requirements and there is no additional work for Yandex; we do not need an individual within the company to follow market data – every month the energy company just gives us money.”

Kurvi explains that the data centre maintains full control of its backup generation, so any fears over ‘loss of control’ are allayed: “The scheme is frequency based – so when the frequency goes below a certain threshold value, we start our MCP June 2018

Russia’s ‘Google’ achieves a fast return on DSR One of the world’s most popular search engines believes DSR can increase resilience and save money

backup generation. We are not supplying power generation to the grid, but simply take our load off grid by moving to island mode and ‘release’ an amount of power,” he explains.

Increased resilience Kurvi points out that this actually increases the data centre’s resilience: “We receive an early warning that there may be impending problems with the stability of the grid and can move to backup power and take ourselves off the grid.

However, during this period, the grid is still available. This gives us the option of switching back to the grid if we find there are any technical issues with

30%

of energy is currently being recovered back as heat at Yandex’s Mäntsälä facility

our backup power.

“We are ahead of any disaster that may happen on the grid and can react much quicker to the frequency drop than other data centres that are not participating in DSR schemes.

“In addition, we are able to respond while we still have ‘double availability’, which improves our resilience – other data centres may switch to backup power when the grid goes down and find that their generation fails to come on,” he continues.

Testing the backup assets Kurvi adds that, as Yandex frequently puts its backup power assets to the test, it knows that “everything will work”. This also ensures the data centre has full availability. “The only way you can ensure your system works is to test it end-to-end.

We have seen no increase in risk by participating in DSR – instead, we have reduced our risk by testing our systems more frequently and more thoroughly.”

Fast payback There are a variety of different schemes and Kurvi explains that the revenues are market driven, but this year the return has been set at Ð2.5 per MW/h.

The facility already had the capacity to participate in DSR, so the required investment was just Ð10,000. The payback was less than one month.

“We are also one of the biggest users of renewable energy – mostly wind power generation. The increasing use of renewables is contributing to the instability of the grid, so I feel we have some responsibility to help stabilise the grid through DSR,” comments Kurvi.

The Mäntsälä facility is also tackling the issue of sustainability through other approaches and is recovering around 30% of its energy back as heat, which is recycled and distributed to the local city heating network. From July 2018, this will be increased to around 60%. missioncriticalpower.uk

13

The changing landscape for DSR There is increasing interest in DSR as energy costs continue to increase, says Gareth Spinner from utility infrastructure specialist Noveus. But could energy storage provide the best approach?

T

“If everything goes well, I predict we will have the capacity to further increase this up to 78%, with some further investment. From a sustainability perspective the potential is huge. Our local municipality has over 22,000 inhabitants. Typically, in Finland, district heating is reducing C02 emissions by 40% by capturing and reusing heat. Local municipalities are not the only beneficiaries – Finland, as a whole, is able to meet its EU carbon reduction targets through heat recovery schemes,” Kurvi explains.

Win-win scenario The arrangement has been

a win-win situation for all – Yandex generates revenues from the recycled heat; utilities can increase their profits by accessing a cheap source of energy; while the price for end users has been reduced by 10%.

Kurvi believes that governments could encourage further engagement among hospitals, schools and other public sector organisations.

In the future, a whole ecosystem could be built around the data centre, offering access to cheap and reliable excess heat.

“Global sustainability needs to grow,” Kurvi concludes. “You need to look beyond your own fence.” ●

We are ahead of any disaster that may happen on the grid and can react much quicker to the frequency drop than other data centres that are not participating in DSR schemes missioncriticalpower.uk

he evolution of how Networks are managed will undoubtedly include DSR. We have a number of data centre clients and it is a conversation we often have. Some of them are contemplating not just having diesel generators but also having gas-fired generators which with private wires to generators can delivery lower cost energy. Electricity is the number one operating cost for many organisations.

Alongside the evolution of smarter networks, open networks and demand-side response, customers who are buying a lot of electricity are looking at ways they can mitigate their costs.

If you can reduce energy costs for your tenants, there is an argument that you could become more attractive as a site, as well as make more money for your shareholders.

We know that the cost of power is only going in one direction, so it is a very clear focal point for a lot of businesses.

DSR could be an opportunity for those that are able to manage the risk or the amount of time they operate their generators. Clients may also be looking at exporting, if they want to participate in offering flexible services and they have more power than they need. When you have millions of pounds tied up in generation assets, it is only sensible that the business look at opportunities to make good use of these assets.

Noveus has undertaken some exploratory work around DSR

with data centre clients. In each case they have considered a number of options and have concluded it isn’t the right thing to do at this moment in time, but they all recognise that the landscape is going to change and the opportunities need to be kept under review.

It isn’t because there isn’t enough money in it; it is more that they feel that tenants are wanting secure supplies and this should not be compromised. If the network landscape changes then it would be a different issue. If you are a data centre operator with multiple sites, however, you may be better able to manage where data is hosted, not reducing N+1 resilience.

There is definitely interest in DSR and we know that energy costs are going upwards, and we know that there is more and more pressure on local management of networks and local frequency response.

There are going to be changes in the way networks are operated. Anyone that is a large consumer of power should have an interest and understand what the impact on their operation would be.

Once you get past the capital cost, energy storage could be a better approach – with higher reliability lithium battery cells you are not creating emissions.

Using energy storage is not a panacea but it is a good way of peak lopping and saving money.

Logic says that there will be a degree of degradation, so life expectancy and a schedule of timely replacement must be factored into any business case. ● June 2018 MCP

14

UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLIES

Broadcast news: the importance of reliable power Timeline’s broadcast facility in west London has increased the reliability of its operations through the installation of a new UPS

In the picture: PPSPower installed two Multi Sentry UPS 200kVA systems at Timeline’s Chiswick Park facility

P

ower is everything in the broadcasting industry. A continuous power supply is critical to ongoing operations such as programming and production, editing and recording and any downtime in continuous power will lead to a break in service, which could result in a loss of customers and negative brand repercussions.

UK broadcasting services provider Timeline supplies state-of-the-art facilities to major broadcasters including the BBC, ITV and BSkyB, among others. The company backs itself as the leading authority on shared server systems and the delivery of IP director networks.

Timeline’s state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Chiswick Park, west London, houses MCP June 2018

a comprehensive range of equipment for media production services. Video and audio equipment, edit suites, voiceover equipment and high bandwidth IP networks all require power via servers and, in the event of a power loss, a UPS backup.

Timeline required a new UPS installation to ensure reliability of power at Chiswick Park and protect the site’s servers in the event of an outage, where downtime could be costly and potentially damaging to the business.

To ensure reliable uptime, backup power specialist PPS Power installed two Multi Sentry UPS 200kVA systems and associated equipment.

These are supplied complete with a fully controlled IGBT rectifier to minimise the impact on the grid, and controlled

by a digital signal processor (DSP) microprocessor, to provide maximum protection to powered loads with zero impact on downstream systems.

PPS Power opted for two standalone units with battery build, DC cabling, external bypass switch, simple network management protocol and commissioning.

96.5% The operatating efficiency achieved by PPS Power

The Multi Sentry UPS solution provided by PPS Power achieved an operating efficiency of 96.5%. This technology halves the energy dissipated in a year by traditional UPS, while the capital investment cost is returned in less than three years of operation.

The Multi Sentry UPS offers

an input power factor close to one with low current distortions, avoiding the need for bulky and expensive filters.

The solution offered Timeline more power than its previous system, ensuring a greater margin when sizing for future load increases.

The system comes with a smart ventilation principle which manages the number of operating fans and their speed according to room temperature and load level.

This helps preserve the lifespan of the fans while, at the same time, reducing the noise level and overall power consumption for unnecessary UPS ventilation.

Timeline can now rely on its servers to perform to maximum efficiency without concern of power loss. In the event of a shortage or power loss, the UPS system will provide continuous supply, allowing the facility to continue operating without unwanted interruption. ● missioncriticalpower.uk

Advertorial

IT’S THE BOX IT’SWHAT’S WHAT’SININ THE BOX THAT THATMATTERS! MATTERS! Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) solutions can now be found in all business environments. From large data centres through to small SME’s and home offices, UPS systems are a critical element in all power protection strategies.

In the past decade UPS manufacturers have achieved incredible successes with more efficient, more resilient and more flexible technologies. The market place is now flooded with solutions that not only meet the operational demands of business’ today but also address the aggressive environmental agenda.

Having been part of the power protection industry for over 25 years, Power Control Ltd is one of the most influential specialists and largest independently owned UPS businesses in the UK. Over the years it has aligned itself with some of the world’s most sought after backup power solution manufacturers. These include critically acclaimed CertaUPS – expert manufacturers in single phase UPS systems, £multibillion ICT and modular UPS solutions provider Huawei Techologies Co Ltd and leading European standalone UPS manufacture Borri Italy.

Commenting on these partnerships, Power Control’s solutions director Rob Mather said: “Our UPS product portfolio is made up of best in class technologies, which have been meticulously selected and rigorously tested to ensure that they are suitable for the environments in which they will operate.

“With so many like-for-like UPS solutions available on the market we have ensured that we have remained an integral part of product development, working closely with our UPS manufacturing partners to continue to deliver exactly what clients need.

“Having said that, when it comes to UPS technology itself, the market is already plateauing.

Standard issue UPS systems from the top manufacturers are able to achieve much of the same. With this in mind, it is important for users to consider the quality of

equipment. All our manufacturing partners integrate the highest quality components available.

Borri Italy in particular is renowned globally for continuing to use all European manufactured parts within its UPS systems. It is this that really does set them apart from other comparable manufacturers.

“Another key differentiator for Borri Italy is its ability to meet custom demand for specialist industry sectors such as utilities, oil and gas and process automation, which would all benefit from a more tailored approach to power protection.

Standard issue solutions, whilst they will provide power protection, they rarely fit into the rest of the environmental landscape. We have recently worked with Borri Italy on a project which highlights just this.”

A tailored solution Power Control has just completed an extensive power protection installation for one of the country’s largest water treatment works.

Working in close conjunction with one of its principle UPS manufacturing partners, Borri Italy, Power Control was able to supply, install and commission 18 custom-built 100KW IP54 UPS units. Positioned as standalone units, the UPS systems are now providing essential emergency backup power across the entire water treatment site.

With extensive knowledge of the complex requirements demanded from the multifaceted utilities sector, Power Control was expertly placed to provide a future proof power protection strategy and essential technical guidance towards the development of the UPS systems.

One of the key prerequisites was for the solution to be IP54 rated (protected from water and dust particles), with a sizeably reduced footprint.

Rather than issuing a standard IT grade UPS within an IP54-rated box, Borri was able to design and manufacture an IP54 UPS. The customised solution also needed to be reconfigured to be smaller than the standard Borri 100kW units as space was extremely

restricted. The modified units are now 800W x 800D x 2000H and are all front access for easy access and maintenance.

The air inlet and outlet fans are also on the front meaning the UPS systems can be pushed right up against a wall, which also contributes to space saving.

The battery boxes were also customised to provide IP54 with a built in DC isolator and housed in a matching 800W x 800D x 2000H front access box. In addition, the bypass switches have also been placed in IP54 enclosures.

Power Control’s divisional sales director, Matt de Frece, commented on the project: “The water treatment works had incredibly strict specifications from the offset. Power Control won the work based on its ability to deliver a custom built Borri UPS solutions and its commitment to delivering the installation within a tight timeframe and within stringent budgets.

“Having worked in partnership with Borri Italy for almost a decade on developing bespoke power protection solutions, Power Control was confident that it would be able to provide a customised UPS systems that could be IP54 rated and significantly reduced in size.

“Borri Italy has an impressive research and development team and we have worked in close collaboration with them on a number of high profile custom installs. Power Control has direct access to the factory and witness testing facility at Borri Italy and

can therefore easily deliver a service that is wholly indicative of our manufacturing partner. It is our close working relationship that enables us to provide our clients with tailored solutions, designed to meet their exacting requirements.”

Power Control Ltd Power Control’s product portfolio includes single-phase, threephase standalone and modular UPS solutions. The technologies Power Control supplies are of the highest calibre. The business provides complete peace of mind, bringing together the very best components to achieve industry leading performance and superior efficiency. For further information please visit www.powercontrol.co.uk, email info@powercontrol.co.uk or call 0800 136993 Borri Italy Based in Bibbenia, Italy, Borri has more than 80 years of manufacturing expertise. Over the years Borri Italy has invested heavily in its production facilities, which now span over 20,000m2.

All of its UPS components are designed, developed and engineered in Europe and quality tested in its own manufacturing site. It is this pedigree that positions Borri UPS in a different class. Not only are we leaders in the field for developing standard issue standalone UPS solutions ranging from 10kVA – 6.4MVA, we are also renowned worldwide for delivering custom built power protection solutions.

16

LEGISLATION

Emissions directive: the impact on critical sites Diesel backup generators will be hit by new legislation aimed at reducing emissions. But what will the directive mean for mission critical sites and how will it impact the market for demand-side response?

T

he Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD) could have significant implications for businesses using on-site generators for demand-side response (DSR). Guidance issued by the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) confirms that backup generation can run for 50 hours without having to meet strict emissions standards.

However, Defra defines a ‘backup’ generator as “a generator operated for the sole purpose of maintaining power supply at a site during an on-site emergency.” This means that backup generators cannot remain excluded from the regulations if they operate for other purposes, such as the provision of balancing services, even while conducting testing.

Defra had already clarified in October 2017 that generators that take on new balancing services or Capacity Market contracts from 31 October 2017 that remain in force after the end of 2018 would lose transitional arrangement MCP June 2018

status. That means generators that won contracts in the T-1 and T-4 auctions, in January and February 2018, must meet the new obligations by December 2018.

Generators that do not enter into new contracts, running beyond 2018 will not need to meet the new requirements until 2025 or 2030, depending whether they are larger or smaller than 5MW (individually or collectively).

Clean up or drop out The MCPD covers various emissions but the challenging aspect, particularly for older generators, is the limit of 190mg/Nm3 for NOx (Nitrogen oxides). Even some gas plant will require abatement technology to meet that threshold. While there is a year for companies bidding into the Capacity Market or entering into new balancing services agreements to clean up their plant, for some the cost to do so may outweigh the potential revenues available.

For those generators left standing, the upshot may

well be higher revenues from programmes such as shortterm operating reserve (STOR), or its equivalent once National Grid completes its balancing services redesign.

The legislation will also likely force some aggregators and suppliers to look much more seriously at ‘load’ DSR (turning equipment on or off ) as opposed to generation.

Eon’s Business Flexibility team, is concerned that the government’s proposed rule changes may potentially undermine the broader DSR sector.

“We fully supported the new MCPD regime, which was a proportionate method of introducing new emissions regulations in a way which would allow sufficient

There is every possibility that this sudden change in regulation will cause a number of generators to withdraw assets from balancing services agreements and Capacity Market contracts While some aggregators may have to rethink their business models as a result of the legislation, the government says it is determined to improve air quality.

Reaction: DSR damager?

Simon Mitchell, solutions development manager in

time for businesses to take appropriate action and plan investment strategies, backed by transitional arrangements lasting out to 2025 or 2030 depending on capacity size or running regime,” he comments.

But changes to the legislation, inserted without consultation, have jaundiced missioncriticalpower.uk

Sponsored column

the supplier’s view.

“The sudden shift in policy position has fundamentally altered the regime, and the clear risk is that policy undermines not just investor confidence but also the decentralised energy agenda, of which we know the government is supportive,” says Mitchell.

“We are already having discussions with a number of customers on this issue and there is every possibility that this sudden change in regulation will cause a number of generators to withdraw assets from balancing services agreements and Capacity Market contracts, potentially causing new entrants to rethink or even reverse their investment strategies in this area.”

Association for Decentralised Energy director Tim Rotheray also thinks Defra’s proposal is misguided.

Backup plant has to run as part of a test regime to ensure it works when companies face a power failure, so why not allow firms that are footing the brunt of policy costs to earn money from their testing regimes, he argues.

“The kit is going to run and it has a 50 hour a year limit [under the MCPD], which is fine, no one is opposing that.

But Defra changing the rules with no consultation was a complete surprise. Everyone agrees that improving air quality and reducing the amount of diesel in the system is vital.

“Yet Defra has published no evidence that this will improve air quality – and this kit is going to run regardless. How many hospitals [have backup generators]? They are under severe budgetary pressure and we are taking away their ability to generate revenue from an activity that they are already doing.”

Abatement costs: a turn off for critical sites?

Philip Branchflower, from SLR Consulting (a consultancy that provides global environmental missioncriticalpower.uk

and advisory solutions), says that the MCPD and the additional generator controls will need to be considered when participating in ‘energy balancing’ applications. If your diesel-fired generator is not already included in an agreement, you will struggle to use your generator for DSR, as it will not meet the NOx emission limits without abatement,” Branchflower comments. “We are conducting some studies to look at the financial implications of this.

Certainly, the costs of adding abatement can run into tens of thousands of pounds, which is not insignificant... Some DSR sites I have spoken to say that [using diesel generators as the mechanism] is not worth the hassle and they will simply look at load shedding and avoid the MCPD Directive entirely.

“The additional generator controls introduced by Defra were primarily aimed at STOR-type plants – those specifically set up to run for 1,000 hours or so, per year, just to balance the grid. These smaller-scale power plants are being targeted to ensure they are better regulated than they used to be; in a consistent way. If you are using gas-fired generators, however, you won’t have too much to worry about in terms of complying with the legislation, but a permit will still be required along with monitoring and fees to the Environment Agency.”

Branchflower adds that hospitals that have already signed up for DSR using generators have about a year to obtain a permit from the Environment Agency and will need to look at the air quality impact of the emissions.

“There are transitional arrangements, so participating hospitals could have around five years before they need to look at the abatement option.

Therefore, if you are already part of an existing agreement, you have some time to manage the investment and decide whether to employ abatement or simply walk away,” Branchflower concludes. ●

Meeting grid challenges with digitalisation

Adrian Timbus, Technology and Solutions Manager, Smart Grids and Renewables at ABB, explains how digitalisation can help grid operators at all voltage levels meet the challenges presented by the unprecedented rate of change in the power system.

Today’s grid operators are working in a complex and challenging environment along the entire value chain – from generation, through transmission and distribution, to storage and consumption of energy.

In terms of generation, there is a major shift from fossil-fuelled power plants to renewable energy sources that are far distant from the biggest centres of population. These result in generation that is distributed and weather dependant, leading to multidirectional flows and a reducing level of natural inertia in the system.

During transmission and distribution, operators need to upgrade and optimise ageing infrastructure and respond to market trends such as deregulation or changing requirements for reliability and quality of supply or customer experience. At the same time, they need to adopt new ways to protect against the growing risk of cyber security threats.

Consumption is also changing from being deterministic and well defined towards more volatility, with complex power flows. Rooftop solar, energy storage and electric vehicles behind the meter are affecting loading patterns, while power electronics can affect power quality.

These are creating a high degree of variability in the grid at all voltage levels, with grid operators having

to intervene, regulate and adapt to demand. Whereas operators previously based decisions on historical load patterns, they are now integrating grid edge technologies based on real-time data.

This requires a higher level of automation and intelligent management to keep supply and demand balanced – which must rely on new digital technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital sensors, and high speed and high bandwidth communications.

These will help grid operators to make decisions and take action efficiently and effectively through the use of automation, advanced monitoring, communication and control systems.

One example is the digital substation, a key component of next-generation grids. It combines digital communications from all substation equipment on a single fibre optic bus cable, replacing traditional analogue communication over multiple copper lines. The result is greater flexibility, availability and safety, at the same time as saving cost, risk and environmental impact. In turn, the data will enhance monitoring, diagnostics, protection and optimisation of assets.

Digital substations are at the forefront of the Internet of Things (IoT), with real-time data collection, monitoring and analysis using cloud-based software. This will give insight into the condition of components and allow operators to optimise performance and maintenance activity. The net result is improved efficiency and profitability.

18

VIEWPOINT

Forget PUE and reduce energy consumption?

How can data centres improve performance and how should this be calculated as a metric? Ian Bitterlin considers the question: should we care about PUE?

T

he term data centre efficiency is a misuse of the basic physical definition of ‘energy out divided by energy in’. With very few exceptions, probably less than 1% and in many countries far less, data centres can better be described as ‘zero efficient’ since we know what goes ‘in’ (mainly kWh electricity plus a little diesel fuel and embedded kWh and in utility water) and there is no energy coming ‘out’ other than waste heat. They are very good fan heaters but unfortunately outdoors.

The use of the term ‘effectiveness’ is more relevant as it relates the consumption of resources to a notion of the output (ICT services) being somehow valuable and sacrosanct – which is why we have PUE, WUE and CUE et al where the E stands for effectiveness, not efficiency.

However, we should not then immediately proceed to ignore the 1 in the ‘1 point something’; MCP June 2018

as in a PUE of 1.3 being regarded as measure of goodness and ignoring that the 1 (the ICT load) might make the facility a considerable waste of energy.

In fact, if you are cynical by nature, it is not much of a stretch to describe the original innovation of PUE as an initiative to take the focus away from the energy effectiveness of the ICT hardware at the time and put it onto the M&E infrastructure.

To be clear, I am not saying that PUE is not extremely useful, especially if it is related to the users’ business appetite for risk, rather that it should be based on the lowest ICT load that is needed to provide the IT service for the application.

The three steps of classical sustainability are, in strict order, reduction, optimisation and then (and only then) use renewable energy. PUE is the second step, optimisation, with far too much effort being currently directed to the renewable-power issue

which, results in a waste of a valuable resource.

If we ignore HPC, many mainframe loads, cloud, hyperscale search and social networking sites, the typical enterprise and collocation data centre (which perhaps counts for 80% of the global data centre estate) load is characterised by low utilisation and often with idling power consumption at far too high a percentage of full ICT load power. In other words, a high proportion of data centres spend most of the time idling and, when they do, burn a disproportionate amount of power.

While many best-practice design and operational guides include some nods to the load, such as the Green Grid’s Data Centre Maturity Model (DCMM) and the EU Code of Conduct, the amount of effort directed is not publicly aired much, if ever. We have, rightly, concentrated on the thermal management with raising

temperature to maximise freecooling and addressing air-flow with blanking plates and hole stopping – all with huge impact to the PUE and improvement easily monitored and reported.

So how can we focus on the 1 in the ‘1 point something’? One way could involve the power and IT performance data listed on the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) website.

Spec is a benchmarking suite measuring the power and performance characteristics of server-class computer equipment. It is used to compare power and performance among different servers and serves as a toolset for use in improving server efficiency.

This benchmark, now more than 10 years old, is targeted for use by hardware vendors, IT industry, computer manufacturers, and governments.

The test benchmark software was the first industry-standard missioncriticalpower.uk

19

Model A

Model B

Rated power at 100% = 394W

Rated power at 100% = 329W

Idle power = 226W

Idle power = 43.5W

Operations at 100% = 26,880

Operations at 100% = 4,009,213

Operations/Watt = 45.2

Operations/Watt = 12,212

Figure 1: two examples of servers from the 2018 Spec power test listings. Source: spec.org/power_ssj2008 benchmark that evaluates the power and performance characteristics of servers.

The drive to create the power and performance benchmark came from the recognition that the IT industry, computer manufacturers, and governments are increasingly concerned with the energy use of servers.

The workload exercises the CPUs, caches, memory hierarchy and the scalability of shared memory processors (SMPs) as well as the implementations of the java virtual machine (JVM), just-in-time (JIT) compiler, garbage collection, threads and some aspects of the operating system. missioncriticalpower.uk

Some people think the Spec power test routine does not reflect real loads, and that is not unreasonable, but all the server OEMs submit their performance data by model and processor type and the website is publicly open and free to access for anyone interested – so why not use it to compare servers as a first step in server evaluation?

If the server OEMs do not want to be benchmarked, then they have the choice not to list their products.

There are other benchmarking systems, such as SERT, LinPac etc, but whether or not ICT hardware purchasers use performance as

an energy criterion is an open question. One element of the benchmark test is to measure the idle power, a concept which contributes to the ISO 30134 metric ITEE. However, I have been criticised before (from sources that have somewhat of a vested interest) in suggesting that idle power should be a specification consideration.

I do understand where they are coming from – idling should be avoided as a waste of resources – but the fact is that far too many servers idle in the real world. Some sources, including Intel not so long ago, have suggested that utilisation is commonly 10%, so the idle power is, clearly, important and a realistic problem.

Maybe this argument would be resolved if all our ICT needs are migrated to heavily utilised ‘cloud’ data centres whose utilisation would exceed 60% but that is likely to be some way off and uptime, latency, security and national boundaries are still big issues to be taken into account.

In 2014, a White Paper from a very respected source predicted that the lower limit for idle power using siliconbased microprocessors was going to be 23% but, by 2017, that had been superseded by one ‘best-in-class’ model that idled at 13%.

However, that belies the fact that the highest idle power still listed is 79% – a considerable number if contrasted to the efforts to reduce a PUE for 1.6 to 1.5. But things are going in the right direction: between 2014 and 2017 the average (of several hundred listed servers) idle power had declined from 41% to 35%.

Other metrics listed for each server are ‘peak watts’ at full speed (something very interesting if compared to name-plate data), ‘operations

per watt’, the concept of which contributes to the new ISO 30134 metric iteu, and ‘operations’ at full speed. Put together, all of the metrics describe everything you would need to know to compare one server with another, except u-height and cost, always assuming that you appreciate that the Spec test may not precisely represent your real load.

Do you remember the time when your data centre load was nearly constant 24/7 even though your IT load wasn’t?

Or does that still describe your experience? Could it be probably due to idling power being very high in relation to your peak? Or what about the common experience of server name-plate power data being more than double the reality when in service? That could also be explained by idling.

So, let’s compare two examples from the 2018 Spec listings. I won’t name the OEMs (but you can look for yourself ) because it is the concept that matters more and the fact that servers are developing rapidly (figure 1).

As they say, comparisons are odious: Model B consumes 17% less power at 100% load, idles at 13% power instead of 57%, operates 150x faster and does so at 270x more operations/ watt. So, if you utilise it with virtualisation, Model B could replace hundreds of Model A with a power consumed of <1%, i.e. a 99% reduction.

Alternatively, if you indulged in bad practice, you could idle Model B at 20% of the power consumption of Model A. Any capex difference, if there is any, would be swamped by the huge savings in the cost of energy and in data centre construction.

Should we care about PUE? Absolutely, but only after we take the fist step of reducing the load. ●

Far too many servers idle in the real world. Some sources, including Intel not so long ago, have suggested that utilisation is commonly 10%, June 2018 MCP

20

DISTRIBUTED INFRASTRUCTURE

How distributed infrastructure can make or break a business Uptime Institute senior vice-president of strategy, Mark Harris, discusses the importance of ensuring infrastructure ‘at the edge’ is as reliable as installations within central data centre sites

T

he digitalisation of business is reframing just about everything we have learned as modern information technology professionals about leveraging economies of scale in the delivery of critical IT services for the corporate world. While there are numerous new enabling technologies now available for the IT industry, the biggest change can actually be attributed to looking at the problem from the opposite direction – focusing on the consumer of information rather than the delivery of it.

This change in perspective is forcing the entire IT function to be recast. The organisations that embrace this transformation will be rewarded, while those that don’t will be left behind.

In the 1950s, IBM rolled out the mainframe. Since that time, most would agree that MCP June 2018

‘real computing’ happens in ‘real data centres’. Many believe that concrete and steel, massive power feeds, rows and rows of racks filled with servers, switches and storage are prerequisites for real computing.

In fact, when the average IT professional thinks about what actually makes up their world of computing, they still visualise small numbers of these massive structures delivering the required computing.

In reality, the trend is quite different. Most analysts who follow computing trends would estimate that the distributed or ‘edge’ computing market will grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 30% per year for the next five years, compared with an overall IT segment CAGR of just 3%. Clearly the spend on

edge computing is something to stop and take notice of.

It is true that the distribution of some IT technology has been happening for years. At any retail or financial institution, there is a significant amount of IT technology in each store or branch. But when you focus on the function being delivered by those distributed edge deployments, what you will find is that technology is mostly aggregating user transactions to be transported and then processed in a centralised data centre far away. On paper these deployments look like distributed edge computing environments, but the biggest opportunity in the digital age is to enable complete processing of information at the edge itself, not just extend user access points.

New technologies such

as the Cloud, the Internet of Things and carrier 5G deployments are enabling exciting new applications that demand a level of performance that is only possible with processing at the edge. So,

30%

The estimated compund annual growth rate for ‘the edge’ market distributing computing to the edge is becoming the baseline for digital business.

As the world scales its digital footprint, we can no longer afford to rely so heavily on processing in centralised mega missioncriticalpower.uk

21 computing is the new digital business platform. The various technologies required to create and aggregate distributed computing have matured, and the deployments of such technologies are well past the pilot stages. This modern edgefocused IT delivery strategy requires that organisations be able to actively manage, maintain and defend hundreds or thousands of these sites with the same prowess they have successfully demonstrated in centralised data centres.

Resilience So how should businesses look to ensure a strategy for resilience for their distributed infrastructure? Businesses must take a holistic approach to addressing overall resiliency at the service level, rather than at the component level. From a hardware and data centre perspective a multi-site hybrid data centre environment is

describes the considerations that are critical to delivering business services in a hybrid environment. There are five key components involved in the predictable delivery business services at the right time and at the right cost: 1) the physical platforms 2) the connectivity between those platforms 3) the resilience of the data centres and colocation sites themselves 4) the application dependencies 5) the surrounding organisation and its ability to support this dynamic work-shifting environment Since many of these components are no longer under the direct control of the CIO, a protocol is needed to assure the delivery of business services upon this hybrid infrastructure is closely aligned with the business needs themselves.

As the world scales its digital footprint, we can no longer afford to rely so heavily on processing in centralised mega data centres.

The reason? Physics gets in the way data centres. The reason?

Physics gets in the way.

Simply put, the total distance that information needs to flow is directly proportional to the time it takes to complete the transaction. The greater the distance, the longer it takes to respond to the user. Longer delays may have been fine in years past, where applications were simpler, less mobile and less real-time, but when users are expecting instant gratification in a digital world, any delay is counter-productive. Even minor delays in certain real-time applications – like self-driving cars – could be catastrophic.

As a result, there are now literally millions of small computing cabinets in the back of retail stores, remote offices and bank branches, spread across campuses, or even at missioncriticalpower.uk

the base of a cellular towers that are quickly becoming full micro-zones of edge computing. These physically distributed micro-zones are being logically amalgamated into the bigger corporate processing function.

While it has been fairly common for remote sites to go offline from time to time in those historical deployments, the new digital business world must always be on and available, exhibiting the same level of reliability as their centralised data centre counterparts. That means IT practitioners must address these distributed sites with the same level of mission critical operational practices that they have provided for years in their centralised data centres.

Distributed or ‘edge’

typically comprised of enterprise, colocation and cloud data centres, provided by multiple providers. From a software perspective, applications and data are run on the appropriate platform and location that provides the best service to the customer for a given demand, time of day. In fact it is quite common for workloads to migrate dynamically over the course of the day, delivering the ultimate business service transparently to the consumer.

From a strategic point of view, it is the continuous delivery of the business service that matters, and it is the understanding of all of the linkages and subcomponents which each need to be optimised to realise that goal.

Uptime Institute has worked closely with 451 Research to develop a protocol that

Uptime Institute’s methodology can be applied to any given hybrid structure to assess its ability to deliver specific business services. Its Hybrid Resiliency Assessment provides a structured review of the five key criteria and provides a metric for each in the delivery of each studied specific business service. The assessment brings focus to deficiencies or other critical path items that will affect the ability to deliver a specific business service in various demand and stress situations.

Ultimately, how well businesses manage the transformational challenge to build and maintain truly distributed edge computing infrastructures will determine their ultimate viability as a company in the digital age. ● June 2018 MCP

22

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Does AI hold the key to reducing cost?

S Schneider Electric’s Patrick Donovan discusses the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in increasing reliability and efficiency

MCP June 2018

chneider Electric’s Data Centre Science Centre recently calculated that typical data centre physical infrastructure energy losses have been cut by 80% during the past decade. In many cases this has been enabled by improvements in UPS efficiencies, cooling technologies as well as deployment practices – for example, the use of inrow cooling. Data centres are now inherently cheaper too, on a £ per watt basis.

However, the question remains, how influential will artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) be when continuing this trend of increased performance, at a lower cost? AI and ML are two terms often used interchangeably or considered to be synonyms. In simple terms, AI refers to the concept that

a machine or system can be ‘smart’ in carrying out tasks and operations based on programming and the input of data about itself or its environment.

ML, however, is the ability of a machine or system to automatically learn and improve its operation or functions without human input. ML could therefore be thought of as the current state-of-the-art software for a machine with AI capabilities.

Many of today’s data centre physical infrastructure systems incorporate some form of AI. UPSs and cooling units will often have programmed firmware and advanced algorithms that dictate how the equipment both operates and behaves as conditions change.

For example, cooling control systems actuate valves, fans and

pumps in a coordinated, logical way to achieve user-defined set points, as environmental conditions change over time.

In addition, all IoT-enabled power and cooling equipment is equipped with sensors. These devices collect a large amount of useful data about the machines and their environment, which can be used to determine machine operations and its response(s) to emerging conditions and events.

It can also be used by smart systems such as building management systems (BMS), power monitoring systems (PMS) and Schneider Electric’s StruxureWare for Data Centers data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) software to extract useful insights about the data centre’s status and provide real-time information missioncriticalpower.uk

23

Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT

By applying algorithms to large datasets drawn from diverse types of data centres operating in different environmental conditions, the goal of DMaaS will be to both identify and predict when equipment will fail missioncriticalpower.uk

on its capacity, reliability, and efficiency.

ML in data centres is an exciting new concept that is currently being researched by manufacturers, including Schneider Electric. By increasing the intelligence and automation of physical infrastructure equipment and management systems, and integrating it with the IT load, it is possible to make data centres more reliable and efficient, both in terms of energy use and operations.

Laying the foundations for this advance is Schneider Electric EcoStruxure IT and EcoStruxure for Data Centers system architecture.

EcoStruxure leverages IoT, cloud and Big Data analytics to gain an insight into data centre operations with the aim of delivering improved data centre security, reliability, efficiency, and sustainability.

The vendor-neutral solution connects customers’ assets to the Schneider Electric Cloud to deliver faster issue resolution and digital services, while harnessing the power of IoT to predict and prevent incidents, or downtime in data centres. Real-time recommendations are provided to optimise infrastructure performance and mitigate risk.

An important component in Schneider Electric’s overall EcoStruxure offering has been the introduction of a more advanced data centre management as a service (DMaaS) solution.

This is an integrated portfolio of both hardware and software solutions that enables optimisation of the IT layer by simplifying, monitoring, and servicing data centre physical infrastructure from the edge to the enterprise. It uses cloud-based software for DCIM-like monitoring and information analysis, to offer real-time operational visibility, alerts, reporting and shortened resolution times.

Although DCIM tools have previously been made available on a software-as-aservice (SaaS) basis, DMaaS differs from this model in

a number of ways. DMaaS has simplified the process of implementing monitoring software throughout a data centre facility.

Once the IoT-enabled infrastructure components are connected, monitoring can begin and the service both aggregates and analyses large sets of anonymised data directly from data centre hardware via a secure and encrypted connection. This information, once harvested, can then be further enhanced using big data analytics with the primary goal of predicting and preventing data centre failures, foreseeing service requirements and detecting capacity shortfalls.

This is useful to data centre operators with resource constraints for a number of reasons. According to a report carried out by 451 Research, DMaaS “ties remote cloud-based monitoring into maintenance and fix services, enabling a full-service business model for suppliers”.

It therefore opens a doorway allowing new and additional smart eyes on the infrastructure (from a service provider’s network operations centre) to support a customer’s internal team.

It also opens the door for the development of new offerings from service partners, from energy management to proactive maintenance, and again, for those with resource constraints, it provides the ability to have complete insight into both the data centre infrastructure and the IT load, enabling intelligent and proactive support to be provided when required, on a data driven basis.

The breadth of data is key The greater the volume and depth of data that can now be captured from IoT-enabled equipment increases the capability of DMaaS compared with earlier software or service models. This is because the value of data is multiplied when it is aggregated and analysed at scale.

By applying algorithms to large datasets drawn » June 2018 MCP

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

from diverse types of data centres operating in different environmental conditions, the goal of DMaaS will be to both identify and predict when equipment will fail, and when cooling thresholds will be breached. The larger the dataset, the smarter DMaaS becomes with every iteration.

The report from 451 Research goes on to say that having more data about the performance of specific equipment in specific environments (temperature, humidity, air pressure) will enable predictions to become more accurate over time. It predicts that in the not-toodistant future, increased data centre automation will also be made possible, in addition to the full remote control as part of DMaaS-driven services; for example, the ability to switch a UPS to advanced eco-mode when utilisation is low and thereby directing IT load away from areas of potential failure.

In other markets, the emergence of IoT technology and use of Big Data has also been the stimulus for the introduction of innovative business models.

IT deployments and companies reliant on edge data centre portfolios.

The fundamentals and best practices of data centre design and operation will still be crucial

A potential capability of DMaaS is to enable service suppliers and manufacturers to include monitoring and management services into lease agreements for data centre infrastructure equipment to deliver an asset-asa-service offering.

With this type of DMaaSenabled service, the supplier maintains ownership and charges for operation and service. 451 Research believes that this could be especially interesting for highly distributed

In the not-too-distant future, increased data centre automation will also be made possible

Data centre design remains a critical factor Right now, it is important to say that AI is not going to solve all of the industry’s current data centre challenges. It will not magically transform a traditional or stick-built data centre into a cuttingedge site with a perfect PUE and availability record.

The fundamentals and best practices of data centre design and operation will still be crucial to that success.

However, the advances brought via DMaaS are an excellent starting point, and we can expect that as future developments in AI and ML are applied in the data centre, they will build on, or provide incremental value to these major performance improvements that were gained over the past 10 years. ● Patrick Donovan is senior research analyst with Schneider Electric’s Data Centre Science Center IT Division

Machine learning to increase resilience Nlyte Software has partnered with IBM Watson IoT group to offer its first cognitive DCIM solution – Nlyte Machine Learning

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lyte Software is tapping into the analytical and machine-learning power of IBM Watson IoT to unlock hidden patterns from millions of environmental, power, systems, thermal and other operational data-points, to improve the process of placing and managing workloads in the data centre.

Data centres continue MCP June 2018

to increase in complexity as they are fragmented into edge computing, containerised deployments, hybrid IT and multi-cloud environments while still being interconnected to deliver applications.

The level of sophistication needed to optimise these facilities and ensure application performance, requires operators to collect, harness and understand a tremendous amount of data from the facilities and IT stack. The IT industry needs intuitive tools to rapidly collect and analyse information, enabling data centre operators to better understand how to manage workloads and their impact on critical facilities infrastructure.

Nlyte Software chief

strategy officer Enzo Greco said: “Regardless of the type of data centre or business model, operators need to leverage analytics to minimise operating costs and understand the infrastructure where workloads are running.”

Nlyte Machine Learning, powered by IBM Watson IoT, will address the data centre analytics issue by collecting, normalising and creating patterns of facilities and IT data and streaming the information to IBM Watson IoT. IBM Watson IoT then uses its machinelearning capabilities to extract predictive models and send the analysis back to Nlyte for a visual dashboard display of potential vulnerabilities, such as future hot server rows.

With this information, data centre administrators can proactively identify potential future issues and preemptively move server workloads. The net result is greater control of the infrastructure with more resiliency.

Nlyte Software CEO and president Doug Sabella said: “Workload infrastructure continues to grow in importance and how an organisation manages it directly affects application performance and availability.

Nlyte Machine Learning will allow organisations to incorporate critical infrastructure information to make decisions that will help reduce costs and increase performance around their application delivery.” ● missioncriticalpower.uk

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

In search of an internet powered by renewables The data centre industry has a responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint and to minimise the impact of digital progress, believes Equinix managing director (UK) Russell Poole. He argues that collaboration, investment and hard work are vital across the sector

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he past decade has seen global data traffic accelerate at an unprecedented rate. The exponential growth of connected devices and businesses around the world increasingly adopting automated ways of working are major contributing factors to this data explosion. But while the massive growth in data traffic signifies great progress for the digital economy, it comes at a price of significantly higher energy demands.

The Global Interconnection Index, published by Equinix last year, predicts that direct

MCP June 2018

interconnection between businesses will outpace the public internet by 2020. Private data exchanges between businesses are forecasted to grow nearly 2x faster â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and by nearly 6x in data volume â&#x20AC;&#x201C; than global IP traffic in the same timeframe, leading to a huge increase in data traffic between businesses within data centre environments.

With the energy requirements of this data explosion in mind, the data centre industry has a responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint and take

significant measures to ensure growth is achieved as sustainably as possible. What steps do data centre providers need to take to meet this challenging goal?

Green design is in the detail Thanks to a concerted effort by the internetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major power consumers, clean energy resources are being deployed at a much faster rate than traditional fossil fuel sources around the world, and going some way toward rebalancing the environmental impact of digital progress. missioncriticalpower.uk

27

Making progress on environmental sustainability requires creative thinking, investment and a great deal of effort and persistence

missioncriticalpower.uk

Since the early 2000s, energy efficiency has underpinned Equinix’s entire design process. In every data centre, we implement energy efficient components and use construction materials that complement our long-term sustainability goal of using 100% clean and renewable energy for our global platform – a commitment referred to

by Greenpeace as “a giant step forward for building a renewably powered internet”.

Applying these sustainability methods from the ground up when designing and building new data centres has had a massive impact in reducing our carbon footprint in the past 20 years.

Our flagship LD6 data centre in Slough was the first data centre in the UK to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold energy efficiency rating, which marked a major milestone in the journey towards a sustainably powered internet. Achieving this was no easy feat, and required meticulous planning from the offset. As one of the few Equinix data centres that was built from scratch, there was significant freedom in design and development that enabled us to optimise efficiency from both an environmental and operational perspective.

As a result, LD6 incorporates several green building technologies and design practices that have since been applied as standard in Equinix expansions around the world. This includes indirect evaporative cooling, indirect heat exchangers, rainwater harvesting and air handling units, as well as a bore hole to an underground water source, reducing the impact and dependence upon local distribution networks.

Deploying these specialist technologies means that for roughly 85% of the year LD6 is cooled purely by natural air passing through the vents. LD6 also uses 100% renewable electricity from mixed sources through a

utility green programme.

Furthermore, LD6’s power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating – which measures how much of a data centre’s energy use goes on powering the computing equipment and how much goes on overheads such as lighting and cooling – is 1.2, which is well below the industry average.

cool and reduces run off from rain water, which otherwise could contribute to pollution of nearby water sources.

The amount spent on energy efficiency upgrades by Equinix

A shared mission Making progress on environmental sustainability requires creative thinking, investment and a great deal of effort and persistence. But it is important to remember that sustainability is not just about social responsibility – it is fundamental to business success.

In recent years, we have seen a concerted effort from our customers to use data centre providers that take their sustainability seriously – not just because they often have their own renewable energy goals, but because many companies see environmental stewardship as an integral part of their brand identity.

With so many parts of the industry aligning to this shared goal, collaboration is vital. By sharing advice and best practices, data centre providers, customers, partners and suppliers need to help each other to work toward the shared goal of reducing our industry’s energy dependence and environmental impact.

Our AM3 data centre in Amsterdam was launched in 2012 and remains one of the leading examples of sustainability in a retrofitted data centre. AM3 relies on free-air cooling until the temperature hits 64 degrees Fahrenheit – then it cools the data centre using hybrid cooling towers and water drawn from a cold well about 170 metres underground.

The heat that is removed from the building is transferred into the water, which is then used in the central heating system for one of the nearby University of Amsterdam buildings.

In addition to this, a ‘green roof’ was also created on top of the data centre that, as well as improving the aesthetics, helps to keep the building

No quick fix As with so many things, there is no quick fix solution but we believe at Equinix that we need to continually challenge ourselves and others to search for solutions that are more sustainable, which is why we are continually sharing information on how sustainability goals can be reached.

Progress will continue to require collaboration, investment and hard work across the entire industry, but the industry is showing real commitment and ambition to achieve this shared mission.

Continuing to build robust facilities that look to tackle the challenges of today while also preparing for the future, is critical to the long-term success of our industry and needs to remain our focus in the months and years to come. ●

Conversion techniques It is one thing deploying these innovative solutions in a brand-new building, but converting existing buildings with sustainability in mind is far more challenging. Since 2011, Equinix has invested more than $86m in energy efficiency upgrades, retrofits, and improvements across its portfolio of data centres. This significant investment has led to the company achieving 56% use of renewable energy worldwide and 81% renewable energy in Europe.

$86m

June 2018 MCP

28

DATA CENTRE OPTIMISATION

Call for data centres to improve thermal strategies

Thermal issues are top of the list of problems found in data centres, warns Vertiv’s Simon Brady. He tells Louise Frampton that data centre operators need to get to grips with the basics

S

econds matter when mission critical systems go down, with the recovery potentially taking hours or even days to restore the entire infrastructure, damaging reputation and the ability to trade. Yet many data centres are failing to get to grips with thermal issues, putting their facilities at risk, warns Vertiv’s head of data centre optimisation, EMEA, Simon Brady.

“When carrying out surveys, in 2017, I found thermal issues in virtually every case – in fact, it was the number one issue,” comments Brady. “It is rare for me to find a temperature underneath a raised floor anywhere near where it should be.”

Brady points out that there is a lack of knowledge in the sector and many data centre operators do not have an accurate picture of their MCP June 2018

facility’s thermal status.

“With 29% of outages due to thermal issues, data centres need to improve their thermal strategy, comments Brady.

“If equipment gets too hot, it can lead to thermal overload. It is not an equipment failure, per se, or a software issue, it is simply that part of the room is too warm. This is 100% preventable…

29%

of outages in data centres are caused by thermal issues thermal management and general best practice in the white space is a huge issue.”

It is not just overheating that is posing a problem; many data centres are also over cooling, leading to wasted energy and higher costs.

Brady points out that thermal utilisation in data centres is typically less than 38%. “This stems from the design of the data centre from day one… there is a huge overestimation of capacity,” he says.

Brady advises that effective control and monitoring systems can help optimise the temperature and avoid kneejerk reactions. A lack of data can lead to either over cooling, or undercooling, if operators haven’t fully understood the issues in their data centre.

One strategy is to use the services of a third party to provide remote diagnostics and preventive monitoring for thermal management equipment, with the aim of delivering increased uptime and operational efficiency.

Data can be transferred from equipment, to allow experts to gain a real-time insight and quickly identify, diagnose, and

It is rare for me to find a temperature underneath a raised floor anywhere near where it should be Simon Brady, Vertiv

missioncriticalpower.uk

29 your temperatures, overall, in your cold aisle; raise chilled water temperatures on your chiller and implement free cooling. You cannot do these things until you have tackled the basics.”

Another major issue facing data centres is a fundamental skills gap in the sector, which urgently needs to be addressed.

“There is a tendency to pigeonhole people,” comments Brady. “We have some ‘rocket science’ clever thermal people, but they don’t know about power, and we have power people who don’t know about thermal management. There needs to be a wider view.

“We are trying to bring people up to at least a minimum level, through our training programmes but our industry is desperately short of electrical and mechanical engineers. There is an urgent need to replace those in the industry who are retiring, so we are looking to develop apprentice programmes – taking people straight out of

resolve any irregularities that may arise in operation.

There is a strong business case for tackling the problem; Brady points out that over 35% of data centre energy use is attributed to cooling: “After the IT load, cooling is the number one consumer of energy. Data centres need to understand what the best practices are.

There are a number of standards that are out there to help.

“The EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres offers lots of hints and tips, for example, and it is free to download. As I walk around data centres, I see problems all the time… sometimes I think there is a bit of apathy: ‘It’s not broke – I don’t have to fix it.’

“Data centres need to make a plan and tackle the small things such as blanking off; if you tackle the small things, it will enable you to deal with the bigger issues; to increase missioncriticalpower.uk

to go. The cost of R401 gas [refrigerant] has gone from £5 per kilo to £50 per kilo in the space of six months due to EU import restrictions. The cost is going up for every airconditioning manufacturer.

“By the end of the year, it could cost more for the gas for

<38%

the typical thermal utilisation in data centres an air-conditioning unit than the actual air-conditioning system itself. Having a system that doesn’t rely on mechanical cooling compressors, is going to be critical moving forward, if this situation isn’t resolved.”

The return on investment, when replacing a traditional chiller with an adiabatic free cooling system is typically about three years, according to Brady. However, it can be as little as one year.

In the future, Brady also sees a role for virtual and augmented reality technologies within data centres to overcome one of the main causes of downtime: human error.

The real-time data collected by sensors can easily be integrated with virtual reality to help evaluate issues with thermal management. But from a service perspective, technology could offer significant opportunities.

“One of the main causes of downtime is human error. The British Airways failure was due to the wrong person switching the wrong thing off at the wrong time. An augmented reality system could direct engineering personnel to ensure equipment is switched off in the right order, with checks and balances built in. We are looking at this for our own service engineers.

When virtual reality glasses are donned, the technology could identify the equipment, what health and safety checks need to be performed, and what tool has to be used and in what order,” Brady concludes.

“This could happen now; I have seen demonstrations.

Once the technology becomes more mature, service engineers will be able to operate more quickly and, most importantly, more safely.” ● Some examples of the problems found in data centres that cause themal issues.

Many operators are failing to get the basics right

college, university and even school level.

“I think we should be encouraging the education sector to place a lot more value on the career of electrical engineer or mechanical engineer,” Brady continues.

While training is a key issue that needs to be addressed to drive improvement, Brady also highlights some interesting developments in terms of technology.

“Adiabatic, evaporative and free cooling are the way June 2018 MCP

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TRAINING

Mind the skills gap: the human element in data centre resilience

There is a lot of talk of the skills gaps within the data centre sector but what exactly are these ‘gaps’ and what must be done to tackle them? Louise Frampton reports

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he human element within the data centre sector is a major issue in relation to risk, according to the Uptime Institute. Analysis of downtime incidents, in 2017, revealed at least 38% could be traced back to human error, including the two highest profile downtime incidents: AWS and British Airways.

Uptime Institute went on to state that ‘technician error’, on closer inspection, usually stems from ‘management failure’.

Among the management shortcomings identified was a lack of priority given to training. Tackling skills gaps and improving training in the data centre sector is key to increasing resilience and preventing costly failures.

“The key concerns for data centres are around risk and energy. If the data centre has an outage, you are talking about tens of millions of pounds,” comments Professor Robert Tozer, a director at Operational Intelligence and visiting professor at London Southbank University. He warns that the skills shortage cannot be ignored: “The growth in data centres in the UK MCP June 2018

alone is around 10-15% year on year. Around 40,000 people work in data centres in the UK. The industry is growing at a rapid rate, but there is a problem; academia is producing professionals, each with a specialisation – in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or IT – yet these individuals have no idea of

70%

of IT organisations have trouble recruiting candidates for data centre and facilities roles the context of the data centre.

People are being educated in silos,” he says.

451 Research has further warned of a looming skills shortage in the sector. A survey carried out by the organisation last year found more than 70% of IT organisations have trouble recruiting candidates for data centre and facilities roles.

Respondents highlighted the most common reasons, which included a lack of skills and

experience among applicants.

Industry views Vinny Vaghani, operations and commercial manager with UK colocation company IP House, warns the skills shortage in the data centre industry will prove a challenge for many businesses in the coming years, unless addressed quickly.

“Research has revealed that the most experienced professionals tend to be males of a senior age group, and while experience is highly valued in the industry, creating a diverse and enthusiastic talent pool for data centre operators to harness will be crucial as the ageing population of facility operators and IT experts begin to leave their roles,” he says.

“One thing remains clear: it will be key for this new and dynamic community to build their skills alongside the current experts, in order to understand fundamental elements of the industry, while applying modern technologies and new processes to adapt and further the advancements being made – both from an engineering and a service perspective.

“A set of industry-accredited

training, certification or mentor schemes would provide data centre owners and operators with a well-informed and efficient recruitment process, which could work well to complement many of the diverse graduate programmes we see today, such as those by critical infrastructure vendors.”

John McGee, managing director of data centre and critical infrastructure specialist Durata, warns that industry, government and education must align or we will continue to witness a growing skills gap in our market. “There is a major obstacle to the success of UK business, and that is the fact that industry allowed successive governments to abandon a highly effective apprenticeship system, with no suitable replacement,” he says.

“My experience in the technical and technology industry is that few university graduates join the employment market with the practical experience necessary to be effective out of the blocks.

Critical power infrastructure environments are a highly skilled and essential element to any enterprise and data missioncriticalpower.uk

31 centre and we need technically competent starters who understand that the quality of their work is crucial to the problem-free operation of technology businesses.”

Grow your own Some businesses within the data centre sector have taken to growing their own talent.

Equinix, for example, has established an apprenticeship programme to address the skills gap and has seen all 15 graduates accept positions within the organisation.

Equinix managing director Russell Poole says: “I look at it as growing a youth team. From an educational perspective, it was obvious to us that the UK government had decided to maximise the number of people going to university. A lot of people were coming out having had a great time, with a degree of no use to them or any industry, while having accumulated a large amount of debt. We wanted to offer something for those who wanted to take a different, more vocational path, and build a career outside of that academic framework. Legislation now means that a certain amount of payroll has to be spent on apprenticeships and we are ahead of this.”

Gender gap IP House’s Vaghani adds the UK has failed to address the gender imbalance within both the IT and data centre sectors, and there is a need to focus

on attracting more women to the industry to help tackle the skills gap. “It is our belief that those currently working within the sector should be given the opportunity to lead teams in senior roles that will provide future generations of technology professionals with the inspiration to focus and achieve board level careers,” he says.

Equinix’s Poole also believes there is further work to be done to attract more women into the sector: “Our apprenticeship scheme is currently all boys; we have had just one female

are now in leadership positions all over the world. There are career tracks where people can become master technicians.”

New ‘blood’ Michael Akinla, TSE manager, Panduit EMEA, believes there is a need for the data centre sector to identify how to create a fresher branding: “Take a look around most technical environments and you will see older males across the spectrum of roles. If current trends continue, in the next 10 years, how many of these

aimed at developing a qualified pool of new talent in the sector.

“There are data centrerelated training courses in place for those already in the industry, many of these supplied by companies such as CNet Training and DC Pro. Ruskin University also run a Masters Degree in Data Centre Leadership & Management.

However, these qualifications are for those already in the industry,” he comments.

“Although this professional development training is vital, the DCA equally believes the

Creating a diverse and enthusiastic talent pool for data centre operators to harness will be crucial as the ageing population of facility operators and IT experts begin to leave their roles applicant in the whole five years. I would like to find a way of getting more girls interested in this as a career. It feels like a missed opportunity.”

Poole agrees with Vaghani that there is a need for more female role models in the industry: “In our company, we have an equal gender mix in the non-technical areas of the business, yet engineering and technical is almost 100% male,” he comments, adding: “I think there is a misconception that engineering is a ‘dirty world’, when in fact the data centre is a pleasant working environment.

“We are a progressive company. People who started in technical engineering roles

people will have retired from the industry, and where is the influx of next generation innovators and engineers?

“We need to create, within a much younger audience, the desire to join our industry.

To make them understand the links between mobiletechnology, Netflix, the Cloud and the industry that drives it, to encourage students into engineering and technology careers,” he continues.

Steve Hone, CEO of the Data Centre Alliance (DCA), agrees students need to be made aware of data centres and the career opportunities they afford. He believes there is a need for specialist education

skills gap in the data centre sector needs to be filled by new blood entering the industry. There is an urgent need to provide entry level qualifications to cater for those wishing to enter the sector.”

To achieve this, Hone argues the data centre sector needs to not only do a better job of promoting itself from an awareness perspective but also to ensure that students are able to access specialist modules that focus on the data centre sector: “Awareness and accessibility to qualifications need to go hand in hand if we are to stand any chance of fixing this growing issue,” he concludes. ●

Data centre industry ‘wish list’ of skills Professor Robert Tozer is an expert in mission critical facilities reliability and energy strategies, and has participated on many technical committees (ASHRAE, CIBSE, BREEAM, The Green Grid, and European Code of Conduct). He recently canvassed more than 100 data centre industry leaders for their views on training and the key areas that need to be addressed. The research identified a need to increase the understanding of ‘engineering within an IT context’. In particular, potential candidates need further training to ensure thay can describe exactly what data centres are for; show a knowledge of the current landscape, e.g. cloud services, hyperscale, IoT etc; and also have an insight into possible future requirements and developments. Risk, was also high on the agenda. Leaders indentified that candidates should be able to identify design and operational vulnerabilities and evaluate their possible impact on facility reliability. They should also have the skills to highlight areas for improvement.

Industry leaders also commented that a knowldge of sustainability is important. There needs to be greater understanding of the highest areas of environmental impact, including energy consumption of IT and M&E systems, and how this relates to business objectives. Furthermore, there is a need to improve understanding of the design, operational and management practices to improve environmental performance.

Promoting cross-disciplinary working was also identified as important, while candidates should be able to demonstrate the ability, curiosity, passion and motivation to adapt to fresh challenges presented by technological developments and new business models. missioncriticalpower.uk

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Beware of the dangers posed by arc flashes

optimum safety levels on the ground. It is of paramount importance that those in the field are aware of how to wear their PPE – for example an unzipped jacket, won’t provide the sufficient protection; however, wearing an arc flash vest would – meaning there is flexibility when it comes to selecting product that will both protect and be comfortable to wear • Specialist garments: Arc flash protection is found in everything from insulating warm arc flash base layers to arc flash waterproof jackets and trousers. Enhanced and effective protection comes through wearing layers of protective garments manufactured from inherent fibres and which feature specific arc flash resilient components

An arc flash is among the most dangerous risks on any work site.

Mark Lant from arc flash specialist ProGARM explains how you can protect both yourself and colleagues

If you do not have the correct garments, your protection levels will be compromised.

In addition, it is important to consider longevity of the

A

20,000°C

rc flashes can occur for several reasons and their frequency is alarming. From being initiated through accidental contact or equipment that is underrated for the available short circuit current, to contamination or deterioration and corrosion of equipment, these are just a few of the many causes of an arc – making the risks higher than many first think.

In a nutshell, an arc flash is high risk and can result in devastating consequences.

Expelling large amounts of deadly energy, causing an ionization of the air, an arc flash can reach temperatures as high as 20,000°C. To put this into context, an arc flash is hotter than the surface of the sun. The scale of destruction cannot be underestimated: • The high temperature can set fire to clothing and severely burn human skin in fractions of a second, and at a significant distance from the event • The heat can also result

MCP June 2018

•

•

•

• •

•

in ignition of any nearby combustible materials Metal parts near the event can liquefy or vaporise. This will rapidly expand in volume as it changes state from, a solid to vapor, resulting in explosive pressure and soundwaves The pressure wave can knock workers off balance, ladders or even throw them across the room against walls or other equipment The sound blast can cause eardrums to rupture, resulting in temporary or permanent hearing loss Molten metal can be sprayed by the blast throughout the vicinity Solid metal debris and other loose objects, such as tools, can be turned into deadly projectiles by the explosion The bright flash can result in temporary or permanent blindness

Protective clothing can minimise risk and prevent staff from facing the most fatal of consequences. If worn correctly,

arc flash protective clothing and equipment can help to prevent serious injury and fatalities.

Key considerations to implement when auditing safety against arc flash include: • Prevention is better than the cure: As with all on-site health and safety matters, prevention is the most effective way to stay safe. To ensure the correct measures are taken, education is key.

Any workforce that could be impacted by an arc flash incident must be trained on how to optimise safety on site – helping to reduce the chances of experiencing an arc flash from the offset • Educating your workforce: If your workforce doesn’t properly understand the dangers posed to them by arc flash hazards because it hasn’t been explained properly, then they may not wear the clothing correctly, leaving them vulnerable to the risks of an arc flash as a result. Training a workforce is essential to ensuring

Temperatures that can be reached by arc flashes, hotter than the surface of the sun garment – depending on how its manufactured it may lose its effectiveness. Always look for products that feature arc flash protective qualities in the thread, as opposed to just a sprayed material, which will lose its impact over time.

Arc flash remains a pressing issue and one that many of the UK workforce are not fully educated on. To ensure your workforce is protected from the potentially fatal risks of an arc flash, education and prevention are vital. At present, there is a lack of awareness to the dangers and limited guidance from the government. It is the responsibility of industry to invest in specialist expertise to ensure safety remains a number one priority. ● missioncriticalpower.uk

34

THERMAL MANAGEMENT

Testing times: the importance of keeping your cool Sebastian Beyer, test centre manager at Stulz, explains why knowing the actual capabilities of equipment under temperature and air humidity conditions is vital, and how individual performance tests can help to achieve an energy efficient configuration for data centres

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ith utility bills rising, growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and an increased demand on power networks, data centre owners and operators are faced with a major challenge when it comes to energy consumption.

Although organisations such as Google and Microsoft are leading the way in measuring and improving energy use – mainly because they consume such vast amounts and it makes economic sense – the fact is that all enterprises need to do the same, at least until such a time as we develop 100% renewable energy sources.

It is widely accepted that data centres consume almost as much energy for non-computing resources – such as cooling and power conversion – as they do actually powering their MCP June 2018

servers. Cooling and airflow management is a continually evolving science due to the amount of equipment variations possible and the number of options in terms of data centre design and operation.

Air conditioning solutions must be planned and implemented meticulously, and for large-scale projects, in particular, it is not just the investment cost of cooling solutions that have to be considered but the operational expenditure associated with them. In addition, planners and operators face the question of how to achieve energy savings by dimensioning their systems appropriately.

Legislation is increasingly putting pressure on data centre owners and operators and this will only increase. Germany, in particular, is leading the

way in this area and its Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) legally obliges operators of air conditioning solutions to subject all systems over 12kW to an energy inspection on initial installation, on the replacement of important components, or every 10 years.

This type of legislation is expected to become more widespread across the globe in years to come, as countries try to reduce energy usage and lower CO2 emissions. Therefore, the challenge is to implement high performance, efficient and future-proof dimensioning for these systems in data centres.

Although manufacturers of air conditioning units ascertain the technical specifications of their equipment in accordance with DIN EN 14511 by testing to determine total cooling output and energy efficiency,

in practice there can be considerable differences in cooling capacity. This is due, for the most part, to different environmental influences, which cannot be taken into consideration in the standard performance test.

Data centres around the world have varying requirements for their air conditioning units. Therefore, a system’s performance is determined not just by the quality of the individual components but also by its location. Ambient conditions, such as the temperature and humidity of the return air at the unit intake, or of the supply air at the unit outlet, have a significant influence on the performance of the system as a whole. In practice, changes to the equipment’s temperature and air humidity parameters missioncriticalpower.uk

35 From left: a qualified test centre can simulate individual operating and site conditions in real time; testing an air conditioning unit at Stulz’s headquarters in Germany

may have a negative influence on actual cooling capacity and efficiency. This affects the operating points of vital components such as pumps, fans and compressors.

If specialist planners and operators rely on the theoretical data provided by manufacturers, they run an increased risk of reduced capacity for cooling their data centres during future operation. The result can be incalculable additional expense, as electricity costs spiral out of control and upgrades or conversions become necessary.

As well as jeopardising cost efficiency, badly planned precision air conditioning can also be detrimental to the ability of a data centre to

operate efficiently in the future and meet its Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) targets.

Knowledge is power There has been a recognised problem, whereby standardised air conditioning systems have not performed to the levels expected once in-situ. To address this, some manufacturers now offer customers simulations and performance tests under realistic operating conditions.

This allows specialist planners and operators to gain essential data on actual performance and efficiency ratings during the planning stages of large air conditioning systems. In the UK – due to strict rules governing the accuracy of

With an area of more than 700m2, the test centre features four conditioning systems, where airflow rates from 500m3/h to 55,000m3/h can be achieved the stated performance data – tests of this kind are now standard procedure among manufacturers, with end users increasingly demanding field based information on cooling capacity and energy efficiency, so that they can remain economically competitive. For this reason, manufacturers now also offer individualised customer tests.

Stulz built a test centre for the internal testing of

Figure 1: the Stulz testing facility has two separate climatic chambers and four conditioning systems missioncriticalpower.uk

prototypes in the design and development phase as well for customers, data centre planners and operators to test their facilities.

With an area of more than 700m², it features four conditioning systems, where airflow rates from 500m³/h to 55,000m³/h can be achieved.

It has two separate climatic chambers, in which air conditioning systems can be put through technical tests either individually or connected via both chambers, as shown in figure 1. Here, different operating parameters, such as environmental influences (-20°C to +50°C) and return air conditions, can be set precisely to match a customer’s requirements, thereby simulating realistic operating conditions. While this is taking place, engineers in the control room record and document test data in real time, and analyse it if necessary.

Specialist planners and operators can use the information gathered from » June 2018 MCP

36

THERMAL MANAGEMENT

Figure 2: the climatic chamber In conditioning mode

these tests as verification of cooling capacity, efficiency and power, creating an important aid to decision making during the specification of precision air conditioning solutions.

Technical tests of air conditioning units in accordance with DIN EN 14511 (performance of air conditioners, liquid chilling packages and heat pumps), EN 1216 (heat exchangers and forced circulation air cooling and air heating coils) and ISO 9614 (sound power levels), can be completed.

Using the air enthalpy method, system performance is ascertained by measuring the airflow rate and the associated intake and outlet conditions of the air. The calorimetric method, on the other hand, is particularly suitable for simulating partial load conditions during full load tests. Here, three important scenarios are used: conditioning mode; simulation of data centre cooling with supplementary cold or hot aisle enclosure; and environmental simulation mode that tests entire air conditioning systems with indoor and outdoor units.

As all scenarios permit the

variable setting of heat and air volumes, air humidity and return air temperature, a customer’s specific local requirements can be simulated with great precision. Let’s look at each one in more detail: • Scenario 1 - Conditioning mode: Conditioning mode is a common standard test that simulates conventional closed circuit air conditioning, with or without a raised floor. The almost unlimited choice of operating conditions enables the performance and energy efficiency of the test object to be measured for a great variety of applications, as shown in figure 2. The test records and documents all the important performance data and measured values of the air conditioning system.

• Scenario 2: Simulation of a side cooler system with cold aisle enclosure: The second test scenario simulates the row cooling equipment with a cold aisle enclosure that is commonly used today in small and medium-sized data centres.

By separating the cold

Figure 3: side coolers are especially suitable for small and medium-sized data centres supply air and hot server air with partition walls, this method effectively prevents chaotic air conduction and ensures that airflows at different temperatures cannot mix. This means that the required cooling capacity and, consequently, the energy consumption are considerably reduced, as shown in figure 3. A further benefit of separation is that the return air temperature can be controlled, so that the air conditioning units can be kept at an ideal operating temperature from an energy efficiency perspective – ASHRAE recommends a server inlet temperature of up to 27°C. This temperature enables the especially efficient operation of cooling system components, such as compressors, while simultaneously protecting the sensitive IT equipment.

• Scenario 3: Testing entire air conditioning systems with indoor and outdoor units: If a facility has two separate climatic chambers, it is possible for entire cooling systems to be tested

These individual test scenarios enable precisely the right dimensioning of air conditioning systems in data centres, under consideration of local environmental influences MCP June 2018

in combination, along with their indoor and outdoor units. In the first climatic chamber, conditioning systems generate the desired heat load, which equates to the data centre’s expected IT load, and the indoor unit under test then cools this air down. The second climatic chamber simulates the country’s specific environmental conditions, in order to reflect heat removal via air cooled condensers, air cooled heat exchangers or chillers.

Precision engineering These individual test scenarios enable precisely the right dimensioning of air conditioning systems in data centres, under consideration of local environmental influences.

In this way, users have full cost control as regards investment sums and expected future running and energy costs. The use of test centres offers a further advantage, however, as the extensive accompanying documentation can be used not only to verify the performance of air conditioning systems, but also as a basis for configuring the data centre cooling. It is therefore worthwhile for all customers of air conditioning solutions to take up services of this kind that are offered by manufacturers. ● missioncriticalpower.uk

38

BACKUP POWER

Better safe than sorry An increasing number of installers and contractors are opting to install uninterruptable power supply (UPS) rather than central power supply (CPS) systems.

However, the two technologies do not offer the same high level of protection, warns ABBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jenny Paramore

A

wareness of safety and critical backup systems has never been higher. Public safety has been in the public eye since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017. Many building owners are now taking the opportunity to look carefully at all types of fire and emergency safety equipment that is installed in their commercial, industrial and residential buildings to ensure it will be up to the job.

In addition, many electrical contractors and consultants are re-examining standards and certifications of equipment. This will ensure they are specifying and purchasing the right type of equipment.

It is essential that electrical contractors, facility operators and building owners fully understand what electrical equipment is best suited to minimising hazard to people and property in an emergency.

If and when it is needed, such equipment will protect people inside the building.

However, it will also give peace of mind and professional protection to the electrical designers and contractors responsible for specification, procurement and installation of the equipment. The building owner and operator will also benefit from this peace of mind.

Power outages are likely MCP June 2018

in a fire or other emergency events, and to minimise risk to a buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s occupants, reliable fail-safe power must be made available for safety systems such as emergency lighting, fire pumps, fire lifts and sprinkler systems.

Such safety systems literally provide the guiding light that leads people out of the building to safety. In an outage, the backup supply will need to sense the loss of power and switch over to battery power for up to three hours.

Outside of emergency operation, operators must test their fire safety and emergency systems regularly to ensure that they will be ready at a momentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notice if needed. Therefore, many operators specify equipment that is compatible with automatic testing. Some systems are even integrated into building management systems for automatic logging of test results. This helps facility managers minimise red tape and helps them meet safety legislation.

However, there is an important additional requirement for emergency power supplies. Gridconnected equipment may be damaged by an explosion or fire, which can lead to abnormal fault currents arising on the network. The emergency power systems must therefore have the missioncriticalpower.uk

39 capability to clear these faults, as well as providing enough power to ensure that emergency lighting and other equipment work properly for the expected duration.

CPS or UPS system?

In practice, either a CPS or UPS system can provide all of this functionality but there are important differences that mean a UPS is not a direct replacement for a CPS. If using a UPS, the electrical designer and installer will need to make additional allowances for fault currents and testing.

The main purpose of a UPS is to provide backup power for computer servers, for example in data centres or telecommunications installations. In this job, it will provide a steady and consistent power for server racks, electronic equipment and cooling systems. This will ensure continuity of data services and protect revenues and reputation of the operator and its customers.

To achieve this, the UPS will provide backup power over a few minutes as a bridge to ensure power continuity from the time of an outage until a backup generator can come up to speed.

It will also provide backup over seconds to ensure high power quality, which will in turn protect high value electronic equipment. In this mode, the UPS will inject and absorb power to overcome power sags and overvoltages that may result from large loads being switched on and off elsewhere on the power grid.

In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of electrical installers and contractors purchasing UPS systems

The Grenfell Tower tragedy has led to closer scrutiny of the types of fire and emergency safety equipment installed in buildings over CPSs. CPSs – or static inverters – are the traditional choice for emergency lighting and safety systems, as they are designed for emergency applications.

So, although both systems have their immediate similarities, CPSs are more suited to emergency applications than UPSs. Both contain the same types of components as they integrate battery systems that are built up in modules to meet the voltage, power and duration required. Both also make use of components including converters and inverters to convert power between direct current and alternating current.

Cost and operational considerations In terms of functionality, both provide backup power in an outage. Furthermore, the required backup duration can met from either type of unit.

However, UPS systems are notably less expensive than CPSs, so can seem to be an

opportunity to reduce overall project costs.

Nevertheless, there are important technological differences that mean a UPS may not operate as expected in an emergency when it is needed the most.

CPSs are specifically designed for emergency lighting situations. One of the most notable differences in CPSs compared with UPSs is that they have larger batteries, which gives them a much higher overload protection.

They are able to deliver a pulse of high power, which gives them the capability to operate a building’s main switchgear and clear any high-level fault currents.

After completing switching operations, the CPS can provide up to three hours of backup power for fail-safe emergency lighting.

For example, ABB’s EmergiLite EMEX battery system typically has three and a half times the power of its output rating. This gives it the capability to clear substantial »

It is essential that electrical contractors, facility operators and building owners fully understand what electrical equipment is best suited to minimising hazard to people and property in an emergency missioncriticalpower.uk

June 2018 MCP

40

BACKUP POWER

workplace safety regulations, fault currents and disruptions as well as standards that before providing power for govern the design, size, backup lighting. material, clarity and In comparison, a UPS location of light fittings and system will generally be luminaires, central power limited to provide no more supply systems and regular than its power rating. This testing. will give it the capability to CPSs must meet the BS EN provide the same backup 50171 standard, as they are duration for emergency traditionally used as central systems but it will be unlikely power supply systems. to operate a building’s Under the legislation, switchgear as it does not have building owners and operators the required power output. must carry out regular testing As a result, the UPS may fail of fire safety to work as and emergency required, with equipment. the result of Manual testing cutting power of emergency for emergency lighting lighting, fire systems can pumps or lifts prove costly and putting and timethe building’s consuming occupants at and many risk. operators are It is keen to save possible for operating knowledgeable budgets. consultants and In support contractors to of this, CPSs specify a UPS can integrate to perform the automatic same role as a A CPS is specifically testing of CPS – as long designed for emergency emergency as they take the lighting situations circuits. These crucial step of will help the operator meet uprating its battery system to the requirements of the IEC supply the high-power impulse 62034 standard for automatic to operate switchgear. Only then testing of emergency lighting will the UPS be fit for purpose systems. as a power supply for an This function can be set emergency lighting system. up to regularly replicate the Rather than performing conditions experienced during this additional work, it is a power cut and then test the much more straightforward operation of the emergency to install a CPS in the first lighting circuits. This is an instance, as it already meets essential check to ensure that the required standards. This they function as expected. gives the reassurance that the It will then generate installation will function as a report and highlight expected. any circuits that require inspection and maintenance, Are there any other before logging the results benefits of a CPS? into a building management CPSs can also help building system. owners reduce their facilities This will ensure that management budgets because the building managers and they have been designed to owners have a complete meet safety standards for centralised record of safety buildings. tests. This capability depends A wide range of standards on compatibility with governs safety and emergency building management, such as lighting systems in the UK. Lonworks and BACnet. ● These include fire safety and MCP June 2018

Saft on track for Qatar Metro Saft has signed two major battery contracts for Qatar’s Doha Metro project

S

aft is providing UPS manufacturer Borri with more than 150,000 nickeltechnology backup batteries for Qatar Rail’s Doha Metro project.

The batteries, which are designed to operate with the highest reliability under extreme climatic conditions, will be fitted in 37 metro stations and on board trains to provide a total of 100 million amp hours (Ah) of backup capacity for three metro lines covering a total distance of 76km.

Qatar is undertaking a transport revolution as it prepares to become a tourist destination of the future as well as hosting the 2022 Football World Cup. A new ‘Qatar National Vision 2030’ outlines Qatar’s master plan to improve its quality of life, including the creation of Doha’s new automated, driverless metro, currently one of the world’s largest projects for a single metro system.

When it came to specify the backup batteries for the Doha Metro, the crucial factor was the high operating temperature in the hot desert climate. The average summer temperature of +38°C, with peaks that sometimes exceed +45°C, can severely limit the performance and operational life of lead-

acid batteries. In contrast, Saft’s batteries are based on nickel technology that ensures reliability and long life over a wide range of temperatures.

For the metro substations, Saft is supplying Borri with more than 140,000 maintenance-free Uptimax battery cells. They will support critical sub-systems, including the UPS serving the station power substation systems and cover signaling, automated fare collection, telecom and Scada, platform screen doors and tunnel ventilation. If the main power supply should fail, the batteries will also provide up to eight hours of backup power for the CCTV, emergency lighting and firefighting equipment.

Saft is also supplying complete ‘plug and play’ onboard battery systems to rolling stock manufacturer Kinki Sharyo for 75 sets of three-car driverless metro trains.

The MRX batteries will provide backup power for up to 60 minutes to support emergency lighting, air conditioning, door operation and communication systems in the event of an interruption to the main power supply.

Deliveries have already started and are scheduled for completion in 2019. ●

Construction of the new metro line at Doha city centre in preparation for the football World Cup in 2022 missioncriticalpower.uk

ENERGY STORAGE

41

T

he energy market is changing, warns Rock Clean Energy director Chris Roberts. There is talk of a looming ‘energy gap’ and the answer, he believes, could be greater investment in battery storage “Many traditional sources of generation are going offline; there is a lag in the development of nuclear power stations and there is also growing demand and more volatility in the system.

“Whether or not an ‘energy gap’ will materialise is a subject for debate but the system is certainly going to come under strain. This means prices will go up and there will be an increase in stress events as we transition to a new type of grid,” he commented, while speaking at the ‘Battery storage for business’ seminar at Worcestershire County Cricket Club on 19 April.

“The UK transmission system is 100 years old and is no longer fit for the future… we will see a transition to a smart grid and this will include the use of battery technology.”

He highlighted a recent survey, published by Centrica, which showed that 39% of businesses have found that energy costs have had an adverse effect, while 81% have had at least one energy failure in the past year.

“We think this is an increasing risk. If you have four, hour-long power outages in one year, it will cost a manufacturer 12% of turnover. However, for 11% of organisations, these outages will put staff at risk,” he commented. Roberts provided an example of a food manufacturer that experienced 26 outages in one year: “In the event of an outage, all the product being processed on the production line has to be scrapped, the processing equipment cleaned, and the operation started all over again.

This is a significant cost to the organisation.

“Batteries not only provide backup during network failure,

missioncriticalpower.uk

How a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ can reduce energy costs The seminar ‘Battery storage for business’ recently explored the opportunities for large energy users that are seeking to reduce their bills and improve resilience. Louise Frampton reports but also improve power quality issues and avoid the cost of downtime,” he continued.

“You can also create a reserve to provide extra power – many businesses would like to expand but they are reaching the limits of the capacity of their incoming electricity supply. Batteries can give you additional power at peak times to avoid the need to upgrade incoming supply.

Large energy users can also charge their batteries at times when electricity is cheaper and discharge it when it is more expensive.”

Roberts commented that Rock Clean Energy favours the Tesla Power Pack. “It is

proven lithium-ion chemistry, it is scalable, versatile in layout and compact. Through a combination of modules, a system can be created to fit the needs of any business.”

So many uses These batteries have been dubbed the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of energy management, as they

£45.5K

The figure Rock Clean Energy saved one business in transmission and DUoS charges

have so many uses – from ensuring security of supply and reducing net energy spend, to generating revenue from the grid through Firm Frequency Response (FFR). Battery energy storage systems can be an alternative, or complementary to, other forms of backup power systems.

Their response times may not be as fast as UPS but the Tesla Powerpack can pick up a full site load in approximately 200ms, and then operate for several hours (depending on the system specified). Driven by the growth in electric vehicles, prices of rechargeable lithium batteries have reduced in price to such an extent they now offer a viable alternative.

“Having solar helps, but batteries can still make a compelling proposition without onsite renewables. The smallest size is around 100kW. You can start saving money if your electricity spend is around £6,000-£8,000 per month. But, if you are spending around £60,000 per month, then there are more extensive options to finance it,” Roberts explained.

For example, Rock Clean Energy saved one business £39,000 per year in transmission charges and £6,500 in DUoS charges. In terms of revenue, through frequency response, the business was able to generate £44,000 per year. For the capacity market, revenue of £13,000 per year was achieved.

“When you add this up, revenue of over £100,000 per year can be delivered, with an outlay of £480,000 – achieving a payback of four years and 10 months. This excludes the benefit from reduced power outages.” The battery assets can be purchased, financed, or (depending on the size of the opportunity) the assets can be fully funded on the basis of a share of the revenue. ● June 2018 MCP

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BATTERY TECHNOLOGY

Why UPS needs to be Li-ion ready Centiel sales and marketing director Mike Elms provides an insight into lithium-ion battery technology and predicts that it will become mainstream for UPS applications in the future

D

evelopments in UPS technology have focused heavily on improving efficiency, reliability and availability.

Increases in operating efficiencies while in online double conversion mode have primarily been achieved by the introduction of transformerless technology in the 1990s.

The removal of the bulky transformer, with the associated significant reductions in size, footprint and weight, led to the innovation of the modular concept. This in turn reduced the important mean time to repair (MTTR) figure, thereby significantly increasing availability.

Development in UPS design now realises efficiency figures of 97+%, and the evolution of several generations of MCP June 2018

modular UPS systems has increased availability from 99.9995% to 99.9999999%.

Downtime has been reduced from seconds to milliseconds.

Of course, a UPS system does not just comprise of the UPS units themselves but also includes the vital DC source needed to convert and provide outpower power in the event of a mains supply failure.

This DC source has predominantly remained the battery: a simple chemical device used to store energy until it is required. For the UPS world, the traditional â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;go toâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; battery has been the valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) block.

VRLA has been around for a long time for many good reasons: the technology is old but proven, it is robust, price competitive, the batteries are

recyclable and, as a result, has been the backup of choice for the vast majority of UPS systems (note that batteries for UPS systems have been specifically designed for the unique characteristics of the

80%

The fall in the price of Li-ion batteries since 2010 application and therefore the correct battery type must always be used).

Like any industry, there are always improvements in technology and a change in battery type is coming. In the not-so-distant future, UPS systems will be supported by

lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology.

Li-ion batteries have their origins in the early 1970s but the commercial success was really driven by Sony with its handheld video camera of the early 1990s. Continued growth and development has been driven by laptops, then mobile phones because we all want our electronics to be smaller, cheaper, more powerful and operate for longer periods.

While critical IT power protection solutions and handheld electronics both share the common goals of demanding more power, occupying less space, longer run times and a justifiable price point, the batteries supporting consumer electronics are not the same as those for data centres.

Interestingly, the adoption missioncriticalpower.uk

43 Li-ion can work at a higher temperature, therefore requiring less expensive cooling and reducing the amount of overall energy consumed in the comms room floor installation can require structural strengthening of the building simply to house the required batteries.

Logistically, moving many tonnes of equipment in and out of an upstairs comms room when batteries need replacing can also present challenges.

In terms of physical footprint, there is a significant difference in the two technologies: Li-ion occupies <50% of the size and <25% of the weight of VRLA batteries.

Although they are currently a more expensive purchase option, Li-ion’s price is falling rapidly (approximately 80% since 2010) and as a result, cost models and ROI are starting to look increasingly favourable. If you consider the value of comms room space, Li-ion is now starting to be viable for data centres looking to increase their power density within the same footprint. In fact we know a small number of European of Li-ion within UPS systems so far has been greater in developing countries in Africa and also the Middle East, where the main power grid is less reliable than in the UK and frequent power problems are more commonplace. In these instances, the UPS and battery systems are required to be cycled several times per day. This greater adoption is primarily due to the higher cycling life of Li-ion: typically, 2,500 power-up and down cycles compared with about 300 for VRLA technology.

In the UK and Europe, different drivers including the continued rising cost of real estate will influence the adoption of Li-ion technology far more. This is because the main disadvantages of VRLA batteries are their size and weight. Above groundmissioncriticalpower.uk

facilities now incorporating small Li-ion systems in their UPS including one wellknown search engine.

A further advantage of Li-ion is that it can work at a higher temperature, therefore requiring less expensive cooling and reducing the amount of overall energy consumed in the comms room. By contrast, an industry standard estimate is that for every 10 degrees above 200C the operating life of a VRLA battery is halved.

As well as being much lighter and able to work at a higher temperature, Li-ion has a significantly longer design life (about 15 to 17 years) compared with VRLA, which normally needs replacing every seven to eight years for a 10-year design life battery.

This level of maintenance can cause issues in itself.

Depending on what you read, there are numerous of sources of data that suggest a sizable proportion

of problems are caused by battery systems. Of course, things are always improving and some battery monitoring systems also equalise the charge over battery systems, resulting in extended life.

However, when you evaluate total cost of ownership, Li-ion is indeed becoming a more attractive solution.

So are Li-ion batteries ready for primetime and powering the majority of critical facilities? Not all Li-ion batteries are the same; like the VRLA battery, the correct type of block must be chosen to suit the specific application.

Common variants of Li-ion are cobalt, manganese, phosphate, aluminum and titanite.

These all display different levels of characteristics and performance: recharge time, power density and the capability to operate at higher temperatures. Depending on the choice of material for a Li-ion battery, its voltage, energy density, working life »

The future is lithium-ion and supercapacitors Teemu Paakkunainen, Eaton senior application engineer, (critical power solutions), points out that, despite a good track record, traditional UPSs require relatively frequent battery replacement and a suitable infrastructure to house the lead-acid battery – including temperature controlled battery rooms with ventilation for the removal of hydrogen. In comparison, lithium-ion battery technology provides long lifetime solutions for systems where a typical reserve power from the UPS of between five and 15 minutes is sufficient.

Paakkunainen argues that, although prices can still be two to three times more expensive compared with lead-acid batteries, the benefits are clear: lifetime up to 15 years; tolerance to higher ambient temperatures; inbuilt battery monitoring system; and smaller and lighter footprint. In the end, all of these reduce the total cost of ownership. Another newly introduced alternative is a supercapacitor. These are suited to applications that only require a short runtime in the range of seconds to half a minute.

“Typically, these would be used in hospitals or data centres to provide bridge power until backup generators kick in, or in industrial applications to filter out micro-outages and prevent production machinery halting. In comparison to lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors can tolerate even wider temperature ranges (up to +65oC) while still giving a service life of 15-20 years,” Paakkunainen comments.

“The best part of these advancements in battery technology is the fact that while both have their advantages, lithium-ion and supercapacitors are not competing with each other. Instead they complement one another to provide a more reliable and cost-effective solution for customers with mission critical applications. As the cost of lithium-ion and supercapacitors continues to drop down to that of lead-acid batteries, there’s now an opportunity to disrupt the status quo. Not only is the technology proven superior with lithium-ion and supercapacitors – the economics make sense too,” Paakkunainen concludes.

June 2018 MCP

44

BATTERY TECHNOLOGY

time and safety can vary dramatically.

Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) offers a higher energy density but presents safety risks, especially when damaged.

This chemical composition is widely used in consumer electronics. Lithium-iron phosphate (LFP), lithiummanganese oxide (LMO) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) batteries offer a lower energy density but are inherently safer. In UPS applications, the most commonly used are LMO and NMC, which offer the best compromise between performance and safety levels currently available on the Li-ion market.

In the past, you may have read some troubling stories in the press, predominantly about consumer electronic devices. Perhaps you remember the Samsung Note 7s catching fire and being banned from being taken

MCP June 2018

on aircraft? The amount of energy density stored in these devices batteries does present specific problems.

Although the incident rate is low compared with the huge quantity of devices in the field, it is still an area that needs addressing.

However, high-end applications such as UPS systems do not quite present the same challenges. Li-ion batteries for UPS systems offer safer chemistries, bigger operating parameters, more robust materials and less stressed user environments.

Li-ion manufacturers use x-rays as part of quality control and there are safety fuses overcharge protection built in.

Chemistry and cell science has improved but so has the electronic management systems which monitor the battery system, obtaining details of each individual cell such as voltage, current, temperature and alarms, and

Incorporating Li-ion batteries will inevitably reduce the size and weight of UPS systems Mike Elms, Centiel control the charging regime appropriately.

Because nobody likes being a guinea pig and, by its very nature, the critical power protection industry tends to

be particularly risk averse, the first moves to Li-ion batteries in the UPS industry will be by innovators. How soon they will be adopted by the mainstream will likely depend on the experience of these first installations.

We believe that over time there will be a move towards Li-ion batteries as cost reductions, driven by developments in the automotive industry, flow through to the standby power sectors.

Incorporating Li-ion batteries will inevitably reduce the size and weight of UPS systems and the longer useful working life of Li-ion will mean fewer costly replacements. All of which will benefit customers with reductions in both capex and opex and make Li-ion batteries a winning solution for UPS applications requiring compact, innovative protection.

The UPS systems of the future will need to be designed with Li-ion in mind. â&#x2014;?

missioncriticalpower.uk

UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLIES

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ata centre operators are willing to invest in UPS systems because they protect the facility’s critical load from noise, spikes, brownouts and other mainsborne aberrations, and from complete power blackouts.

The UPS’s success depends heavily on having enough battery autonomy to ride through brief power failures, or to allow a generator to come on line if this autonomy becomes likely to be exceeded. If no generator is available, the UPS should give the critical load enough warning to shut down safely before the batteries are finally exhausted.

The above scenarios highlight the need for efficient, reliable communication between the UPS, generator if present, and the critical load.

Without this, the generator won’t receive the timely warning it needs to start up, nor will the load be alerted to shut down safely before the power fails; the battery autonomy becomes pointless.

Additionally, the UPS should missioncriticalpower.uk

45

Wise up to UPS as an Internet of Things device Uninterruptible Power Supplies director Alan Luscombe discusses how to implement a UPS as a network-visible device, and considers the benefits of doing so be able to communicate its status and flag any issues to appropriate maintenance resources that can take preemptive action. Finally, the UPS should be amenable to remote command and control, allowing deployment into widely distributed or unattended locations.

Simple communications Modern UPS systems contain facilities to communicate with operator stations, building management systems and other facility networks, as well as the critical load and generators.

Even those that do not have

full network capability have at least a simple set of volt-free contacts that supply status information as a set of true/not true signals.

These contacts typically signal mains supply status, battery condition or an alarm indication. Software within most Windows, Mac, Linux and other operating systems can use these signals to initiate an orderly system shutdown or perform other actions as required. It is usually available from the UPS or network operating system supplier.

A more sophisticated approach uses serial RS-232

or USB communications to exchange more information.

This can include analogue values for inverter and bypass output voltage, frequency, current, kVA and kW, battery conditions and statistics for mains failures and UPS operation. Software is also available to handle alarm monitoring and emergency shutdown procedures.

In addition to displaying this information graphically and periodically logging it, the software usually allows operators to configure appropriate responses to alarms, and schedule diagnostics checks. » June 2018 MCP

46

UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLIES

Networking and SNMP Many operators today want to see their UPS systems integrated into their facility networks as network attached devices, just like the rapidly growing number of other attached Internet of Things (IoT) items. This allows higher volumes of data to be moved in real time between large numbers of UPSs and other equipment, even if they are distributed across a large site or even around the world.

To achieve this, some issues must be overcome. If a large number of ‘talkative’ items are widely distributed, some will find themselves on sites without human operators ready to handle any problems as they arise. This could lead to irreparable damage to system hardware and software.

Fortunately, a solution is available in the form of simple network management protocol (SNMP); this allows a centrally located network manager to monitor and control UPSs and other network devices across the entire network.

SNMP is a part of the transmission control protocol/ internet protocol (TCP/IP) suite which, by operating as a single standard, allows all network devices to transmit management variables across enterprisewide networks. Accordingly, a modern UPS should come with SNMP compatibility to support connection to major network management systems such as IBM’s Tivoli NetView or HP OpenView. A UPS can become a SNMP-enabled device with the addition of an adaptor card or box that can interface between the UPS’s serial port, or even volt-free contacts, and the enterprise network.

SNMP is vendor and platform independent and establishes guidelines for what information will be collected, how it will be structured and how the messages are mutually formatted between the network device and the manager.

Network devices then gather information into a management information base (MIB). Users’ operating systems can use MCP June 2018

Figure 1: PowerNSURE graph showing how battery six is weak after 30 minutes of discharge into a 45-minute run SNMP software to collect and display MIB data in an easily understood format.

An SNMP-enabled UPS is an intelligent device that can log activity and alarm events, continuously monitor power quality, report on battery status, load and temperature, and perform self-diagnostics.

It should also support remote control, graceful shutdown and rebooting of multiple UPSprotected devices over the network or internet, and provide alarm notification through email, mobile phone or SMS texts.

Examples and benefits of UPS networking UPSL’s PowerREPORTER is one practical example of a networking UPS as part of a protection and maintenance

Batteries are always a potential vulnerability for any UPS installation unless they are carefully maintained, operated and monitored

strategy. The software continuously monitors the UPS to detect any error or alarm messages; if an incident occurs, it communicates with UPSL’s service centre, providing a device identification string together with any available details on the device’s status and fault condition.

This information allows UPSL’s field staff to liaise with the UPS site operators, perform remote diagnostics and arrive on site within agreed timescales and with the right test equipment and spares holding. This not only allows timely responses to failures, but also facilitates early fault detection and pre-emptive action to assure continuous availability – the ultimate goal of any data centre manager.

Batteries are always a potential vulnerability for any UPS installation unless they are carefully maintained, operated and monitored. A networkenabled UPS can benefit from using PowerNSURE, a remote battery monitoring and management system that checks the internal resistance, temperature and voltage of every UPS battery sequentially.

By continuously monitoring each battery block’s individual charging voltage, it ensures equalisation – a regime of optimal charging levels which avoids problems of gassing,

dryout and thermal runaway arising from overcharging. It also prevents underchargingrelated problems such as sulphation and loss of capacity.

By protecting the batteries through equalisation, their service life can be extended by up to 30%. However, if rises in temperature and internal impedance do occur, remote detection of these can indicate problems and allow corrective action before they lead to failure. Figure 1 shows how displays generated by the software give a visual indication of a weak battery that needs rapid attention before failure.

Generator reliability is as vital as UPS reliability to ensure power protection in the event of an extended blackout. Availability can be improved through using a remote monitoring system that automatically starts each generator once a week and runs it for 10 minutes, checking voltage, frequency, oil and water temperature, battery condition, emergency stop and fuel levels.

A condition report based on these measurements is sent to the monitoring centre, with SMS or voicemail messages also sent to nominated mobile phone numbers. Monitoring can be performed on a 24/365 basis. Notification of mains failure and generator operation can be provided, together with successful test run confirmation and automatic low fuel warnings.

Networking and internet technology allow a UPS to be added to the edge of the enterprise network like other IoT devices, and made visible and controllable accordingly.

This online presence brings immediate benefits to data centre operators, especially those responsible for widely distributed and remote applications. Yet it becomes even more powerful if it is connected into a specialist maintenance organisation’s infrastructure to boost the speed, accuracy and efficiency of its established support capabilities. ● missioncriticalpower.uk

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Micro data centre for tough environments ABB, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Rittal have unveiled the Secure Edge Data Centre (SEDC) for industrial and telecommunications environments. SEDC will allow customers to run enterprise-grade IT in close proximity to their operational technology (OT) environments, machines and equipment to enable low-latency as well as secure and reliable digital processes.

Research company Gartner says that “currently, around 10% of enterprisegenerated data is created and processed outside a traditional centralised data centre or cloud. By 2022, this figure will reach 50%.”

Also, the market for so-called micromodular data centres is growing rapidly.

According to 451 Research, the market has seen an annual growth rate faster than 50% on average over the past 3 years and it will

Smart-UPS with Li-Ion for resilience at the edge Business-critical applications and IoT systems are increasingly being moved closer to the edge of the network to reduce latency, enhance connectivity and improve performance.

As a result, the criticality of these distributed IT environments has become paramount to everyday business operations.

While effective power management is essential, these sites often lack dedicated IT staff with the proper expertise to tackle the task at hand.

This means regular maintenance of power protection equipment, such as an uninterruptible power supply, can be overlooked, potentially leading to unplanned downtime that can affect business performance and lead to costly replacement due to poorly maintained equipment.

Li-Ion battery technology offers a host of benefits that make it an attractive and affordable option for a growing set of businesses reliant on distributed IT missioncriticalpower.uk

infrastructure. End users need better performance in a smaller footprint with easier maintenance, all while lowering total cost of ownership (TCO) over the life of their device, For this reason, Schneider Electric is expanding its APC Smart-UPS portfolio with a Li-Ion battery option for its single-phase offer.

With Li-Ion embedded technology, Smart-UPS On-Line offers several maintenance and costsaving benefits: • Longer life span: Li-Ion batteries have a service life upwards of 10 years • Smaller size and weight: Due to higher energy densities, Li-Ion batteries have a much smaller footprint and weigh about 30% less than sealed lead acid batteries • Lower maintenance and total cost of ownership: With double the battery life, the amount of maintenance and associated costs required over the life of the UPS is reduced by up to 53%

continue to expand with initiatives such as 5G and the ongoing OT-IT convergence.

Responding to this demand, SEDC provides a turnkey and resilient data centre optimised for harsh environments. It enables customers to run data acquisition, analytics and control processes near industrial equipment to avoid latency, security and reliability issues associated with data communication through remote IT systems. Delivered as a factory-integrated and tested turnkey solution, it is equipped with HPE software-defined infrastructure and is ready to operate within 12 weeks.

SEDC features an IP55-rated enclosure, protecting against humidity, dust and dirt, with integrated cooling and fire suppression from Rittal and redundant power supply from ABB with backup power.

Rack-level precision data True data centre thermal optimisation is now a reality for operations of all sizes thanks to an ultra-low cost IoT-enabled wireless thermal sensor from EkkoSense.

According to the company, the sensor can be deployed in such vast numbers that true realtime thermal management of critical facilities, such as data centres, is a realistic option.

All temperature and humidity data is encrypted before transmission to a wireless data receiver for forwarding to cloud-based 3D visualisation and analysis software.

Paul Milburn, EkkoSense’s head of product management, comments: “It essential for data centre managers and their energy teams to have access to

much more granular levels of data. Unfortunately, less than 5% of data centres currently gather this kind of rack-level precision data, and that’s largely been due to the expensive hardware required to measure effectively.”

With ultra-low cost wireless IoT sensors, rack-level sensing is now accessible, allowing the air temperature and humidity of each asset to be accurately monitored at predefined intervals – making true data centre thermal optimisation a reality for all.

This granular mesh of networked sensors not only accurately captures temperatures but also energy usage, heat outputs and airflows.

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PRODUCTS

Energy efficient range of modular UPS Uninterruptible Power Supplies Limited (UPSL) has launched the PowerWAVE 9250 DPA – the latest addition to its range of modular UPS products.

Designed specifically for medium-sized critical power applications, the PowerWAVE 9250 DPA delivers energy efficiency of 97% in true online mode, across a broad spectrum of loads. The new UPS also supports Xtra VFI, which further minimises power consumption by intelligently configuring the number of modules required to support the current critical load.

The PowerWAVE 9250 DPA continues UPSL’s development of DPA (decentralised paralleled architecture) technology, with ‘hot-swappable’ modules that can be removed and replaced in minutes, without

risking downtime.

Front access for cabling provides another benefit, eliminating the need for extra space at the rear. Plus, with a physical footprint of just 0.73m2, the PowerWAVE 9250 DPA offers one of the industry’s highest power densities (342 kW/m2), delivering scalable power from 50 kW to 250 (N+1) kW in a single frame, and up to 1.25MW when five units are connected in parallel.

The new PowerWAVE 9250 DPA also supports the latest in lithium-ion battery technology, and the associated energy storage benefits of longer life, lower cooling costs, faster charge/discharge and less space and weight.

Peace of mind is also provided through the PowerWAVE 9250 DPA’s ability to connect with UPSL’s hardware and battery-monitoring software.

Cabling range meets BSI standards Eland Cables, the global supplier of power, data, control and instrumentation cables and cable accessories, has launched Veriflex – its own brand range of industrial automation cables.

These cables for control, servo and fieldbus applications have been tested against British and European standards under the new BSI Cable Batch Verification Kitemark. Veriflex cables are subject to stringent tests in Eland Cables’ ISO 17025 UKAS accredited in-house facility, The Cable Lab, under a rigorous BSI surveillance programme. The Kitemark provides valuable independent verification of the cable’s quality and compliance.

BSI Technical Certification Expert Paul Turner confirmed: “The Cable Batch Verification Kitemark is applied to products, including the Veriflex SY, CY and YY range of PVC and LSZH control cables, under strict UKAS test parameters and subject to BSI’s rigorous surveillance programme.

“The range of tests provide third-party assurance that cables meet relevant British and international standards for key safety criteria, making them fit for use in appropriate applications.”

Tests on component layers as well as the completed cable, will cover key material tests necessary to ensure that the cable properties match intended performance and construction. These include vertical flame propagation, conductor resistance, and tensile and elongation in insulation and sheathing materials. Extended warranties on the Veriflex range also come as standard, with PVC cables under warranty for three years, and LSZH cables under warranty for two years.

MCP June 2018

Collaboration on battery solutions Canara, a provider of critical power analytics and facility management services, and Saft, a manufacturer of advanced lithiumion technology backup battery solutions, have entered into a strategic partnership.

This new partnership brings safe, reliable, purpose-built super lithium ion phosphate (SLFPTM) proprietary battery technology to data centres.

Saft’s Flex’ion battery system is designed for high-power UPS applications in data centres and mission-critical facilities in the telecom, oil, gas and utility markets.

The battery system features a reduced footprint, with one-third of the volume and one-sixth of the weight compared with lead-acid designs, 10 times more cycle life and maintenance-free cells, while providing 20 years’ calendar life.

“All lithium-ion chemistries are not created equal and it is important to select the specification that best meets the needs of your application. We designed the Flex’ion system with power density, long life and safety as they are the three most important factors that meet the data centre market needs,” said Guy Ragault, general manager at Saft North America.

“With Canara as our partner, we are able to offer our proven SLFP technology to some of the largest data centres in the world.”

In addition to the physical benefits of Flex’ion lithiumion battery system, monitoring hardware capabilities are embedded at the battery, module and cabinet level.

Canara’s hardware-agnostic analytics and monitoring platform can easily interface with Saft’s system and closely monitor the performance of each battery to ensure uptime and to achieve optimum service life.

Chris Oberkfell, COO of Canara, commented: “Our platform and expertise not only focuses on uptime and safety but ensures our customer’s batteries are properly monitored and maintained according to Saft’s specific guidelines and recommended maintenance.”

missioncriticalpower.uk

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June 2018 MCP

50

Q&A

David Bond Centiel’s chairman discusses his ‘man crush’ on Arnie, ancient maps and lost civilisations, and having the courage to say ‘no’ Who would you least like to share a lift with? Any politician or someone like Jeffrey Dahmer. Neither the thought of being talked into a coma or killed and then eaten are appealing.

You’re God for the day.

What’s the first thing you do? I would cure cancer. I appreciate everyone needs to go sometime to create space for the young. However, having experienced the pain of seeing my father slowly deteriorate with cancer made me realise that there are better ways to go.

If you could travel back in time to a period in history, what would it be? The era pre-industrial revolution – its simpler way of life appeals to me. It would have been hard work back then and there was a high degree of poverty but sometimes the idea of working on a farm and in sympathy with the seasons seems attractive.

Who are you enjoying listening to? I couldn’t name a single tune in the current charts. I mainly listen to talking radio like the Today Show on Radio 4. Interestingly, I also rather like Women’s Hour. I find it astonishing and at the same time fascinating what women are happy to talk about so openly mid-morning.

What unsolved mystery would you like the answers to?

Graham Hancock has written books (Fingerprints of the Gods, Heaven’s Mirror etc) that present compelling MCP June 2018

evidence for a lost global civilisation that existed pre9000BC. For example, there are 15th century maps of the land mass beneath Antarctica (which has been under very thick ice for more than 6,000 years). Recent images from NASA satellites have mapped the Antarctic land mass under the ice and they match the 15th century maps. Who had the technology to accurately draw the source maps more than 6,000 years ago?

I would love to know more about the mystery of this lost global civilisation.

What would you take to a desert island? I would take a wine making kit as it would help me pass the time on the island more enjoyably and at least I would starve to death happy.

fractured eye socket and severe concussion has probably put pay to that.

What would your super power be and why?

I am a very honest person (which has got me into plenty of trouble in the past) and I detest dishonesty. I would love to be able to expose some of those big lies you see people telling. I don’t mean little white lies like how many biscuits someone’s eaten but the big lies: Donald Trump and President Putin certainly spring to mind.

What would you do with a million pounds?

I would buy a house on the coast so my wife and I could walk our dogs on the beach together.

What’s your favourite film?

I love the Godfather trilogy.

However, Terminator 2 is my favourite film. I’ve always had a bit of a ‘man-crush’ on Arnie and, while he’s not a great actor, his physique was magnificent and I understand the dedication and effort it took to look like that.

What’s your greatest extravagance? Cars and motorbikes. I love boy’s toys and have a Bentley Continental GTC, which does less than 1,000 miles a year, and a Harley Davidson Fat Boy, which only does 500 miles a year.

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

That I’m a brilliant skier! However, a recent accident on the slopes where I skied off the edge of a mountain and ended up in hospital with a broken and dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, a

If you were blessed with any talent, what would your dream job be? I would love to be able to sing and be a singer but can’t put two notes together.

I sang at a karaoke evening at my local rugby club once and the audience threw shoes at me until I stopped. My whole career has been in the UPS industry.

I’ve tried to retire three times but each time I’ve returned to work when I’ve been offered a new and exciting challenge.

Nowadays, I am most interested

in helping young companies and managers that may benefit from my many years of experience.

That’s why I’m now involved with Centiel. I know the people well and regard them as friends. I believe in who they are and what they are doing and I want to help the company expand globally.

What is the best piece of advice ever been given? An ex-chairman once advised me: “Sometimes the biggest business decision you need to make is to say no. Wherever you look there are opportunities and it is natural to want to grab them.

However, by grabbing the wrong one, you have the potential to take a whole company down.”

What irritates you the most in life? Currently, it is the concussion following my recent skiing accident!

What should energy users be doing to help themselves in the current climate? Take good advice from trusted suppliers to introduce systems that are right sized, correctly configured and well maintained. This goes not just for the UPS but for air conditioning, alarm systems, lighting etc too.

What’s the best thing – work wise – that you did recently? Joining the main board of Swiss UPS manufacturer Centiel.

Previously, I had global responsibility for Newave and I am now looking forward to drawing on my experience to help Centiel and drive its business development on a global scale. ● missioncriticalpower.uk