‘Decentralised energy key against DC construction bottlenecks’
Author: Joe Peck
Following warnings the UK risks missing out on significant investment in artificial intelligence (AI) facilities due to grid connection concerns, British temporary power and temperature control company Aggreko is encouraging operators to explore other options to best address ongoing bottlenecks.
Digital Realty, a data centre developer, has called for overhauls of Britain’s energy grid and planning system to ensure reliable power supplies for new facilities. With AI-related tasks requiring higher workloads from data centres, owners and operators are under increasing pressure to maintain site efficiency, resilience, and uptime.
With the number of data centres in the UK set to increase by almost a fifth, grid connection delays continuing as a concern, and the National Grid under increasing strain to facilitate ever-growing power demand, Aggreko is highlighting how decentralised energy provision could help project managers navigate these pressures.
The company’s recent whitepaper, Bridging the Energy Gap for European Data Centres, explores how on-site power generation can play a key role in ensuring data centre construction and commissioning remains on track.
“Our conversations with data centre owners and operators show Digital Realty’s concerns are echoed throughout the sector,” says Billy Durie, Global Sector Head for Data Centres at Aggreko.
“As with a great many other places, AI is set to have a transformative impact on the data centre industry. But if it is to do so, reliable power sources are key. The lengthening queues for grid connections provide proof that these sources cannot be guaranteed via the grid.
“While in the long run planning reforms will make it easier to deliver the necessary infrastructure needed to power facilities handling AI-heavy workloads, bridging power is required in the short- to medium-term. It is essential to ensuring UK data centre construction can continue to meet skyrocketing demand and not miss out on the huge levels of investment that come with AI technologies.”
The challenge of procuring suitable equipment in tier one and tier two markets has proved a historical impediment for data centre owners and operators looking to invest in permanent decentralised energy solutions. But with projects running the risk of stalling amid the AI boom, Billy is encouraging relevant stakeholders to consult the supply chain and explore procurement strategies based around temporary equipment hire in the short-, medium-, and long-term.
Aggreko, for example, has recently integrated Stage V HVO-fuelled generators and customisable SCADA controls at a critical UK facility, aiming to provide a robust standby power solution to ensure site resilience and reduce emissions, independent of grid connection status.
“Data centre construction and commissioning must continue as unhindered as possible if facilities are to be brought online within strict project timescales,” Billy continues. “However, grid connection delays and a scarcity of decentralised energy solutions available for outright purchase means deadlines may be missed.
“Yet power is power, whether it comes from the grid or a hired generator. It is therefore vital project stakeholders and facility operators investigate different strategies for procuring necessary energy supplies.
“Leveraging third-party expertise within the supply chains can help these organisations access the expertise and capacity to swiftly deploy energy-efficient and scalable technologies on a hire basis so they can meet specific site needs.”
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