Power & Cooling

ICS Cool Energy expands with a cold store dedicated team

ICS Cool Energy has announced the expansion of its hire division with a management team dedicated to cold stores. The team of engineering specialists that will manage the UK fleet of low to ultra-low temperature containerised cold store solutions is: Ralph Howes, Cold Store Major Accounts Manager Lisa Townsley, Cold Store Business Development Manager, South Kayla Shaw, Cold Store Business Development Manager, North Mike Elver, Cold Store Senior Sales Engineer The company's cold store container units can be used where raw or finished products require temporary or long-term temperature-controlled storage to preserve or increase shelf life. Cold stores can add storage space and deliver high cooling capacity in combination with precise temperature control from fresh to deep frozen, even in the most severe applications with high ambient temperatures, frequent door openings and long running hours. The units can be also applied in R&D applications, where a temperature-controlled environment is required to enable Accelerated Life Testing (ALT) of critical components. ICS Cool Energy temperature-controlled containers are available in 10ft, 20ft and 40ft length and feature tried and tested refrigeration technology from Thermo King. The units can be plugged in the 360-500V, 50 or 60Hz power supply to ensure cold or frozen temperatures in the container. Designed originally for global, seagoing reefer applications, its containers are equipped with features that make them suitable as static cold stores. They are washable with wash down drains, have man trapped person alarms, lighting inside emergency escape release and conform to BRC audit standards. The units can also be adapted to meet customer needs with options including telematics, remote monitoring, and controlled atmosphere. Customers can also benefit from a modular approach, where multiple cold stores, joined together without connecting walls, can be linked with buildings without time consuming engineering, ground works, or long planning permission process.

Centiel: Protecting power for hypercritical systems

By David Bond, Chairman, Centiel UK Products are cheap for a reason. If you jumped out of an aircraft, would you want to be wearing a cheap parachute? Probably not! The same logic applies to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) protecting hypercritical systems. Selecting the solution which offers the highest level of availability and a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is very important. However, finding the best way to protect critical power is a complex topic and one size doesn’t fit all. For this reason, Centiel’s expert team act as trusted advisors to data centres and facilities across the UK to ensure they always have the optimal UPS solution to reduce their TCO and maximise their uptime, whatever their requirement. Centiel’s sales team are all engineers and UPS solutions experts and are not required to “sell” UPS. They are required to establish long term relationships with clients and consultants by offering their wealth of experience and expertise. They must take time to understand the challenges faced by the client and always provide the best advice in relation to solutions. If, for example, the best solution is “don’t change the current UPS”, then this is the advice given. Centiel wants its customers to be able to pick up the phone and discuss the best options available for them now and in the future, knowing they will always receive excellent advice and recommendations based on best practice. It's this long-term vision and close relationships with Centiel’s clients which led to the development of their industry leading UPS solutions. For example, Centiel recently launched StratusPower, which shares all the benefits of the award-winning three phase, true modular UPS CumulusPower - including “9 nines” (99.9999999%) availability to effectively eliminate system downtime; class leading 97.6% on-line efficiency to minimise running costs; true “hot swap” modules to eliminate human error in operation – but now also includes long-life components to improve sustainability. Centiel’s team have long been at the forefront of solving technology challenges. To develop the innovation that is StratusPower, Centiel listened to customers and understood their concerns about sustainability. For the past four years, its design team has been working to ensure their latest UPS is as sustainable as possible. Uniquely, StratusPower has a 30-year design life and is almost 100% recyclable, providing complete peace of mind in relation to power availability, while helping data centres to achieve net zero targets. “StratusPower minimises TCO because of its class leading efficiency and low maintenance costs, it is fully scalable, so is unlikely be outgrown and it provides industry leading power availability. This is just one reason Centiel’s experienced team can now advise on the most appropriate options for organisations looking to improve their approach to sustainability and reduce their carbon footprint, as well as maintaining the highest level of availability for critical power protection." To arrange a discussion about the best UPS to protect your organisation’s critical power or for more information visit Centiel's website. Click here for more latest news.

Is on-premise hydrogen production for greenhouse gas abatement a viable option?

By Joe Sheehan, Technical Director, i3 Solutions Group With green hydrogen widely touted as the most desirable option for achieving climate change goals, the debate is heating up in the data centre sector, where proponents of hydrogen believe it could well be an ideal primary power source for putting the sector on a path to net zero. But if hydrogen is the answer, there are important issues to address, not the least of which the necessary changes to the utility power and gas infrastructure. Additionally, we urgently need to gather data on the greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement benefits that might accrue from data centres using hydrogen. For a data centre, the real GHG abatement value of hydrogen lies in decarbonising the electricity supply - swapping out the utility grid for primary power and using green hydrogen to fuel engines or fuel cells for continuous use. This would take the data centre’s electrical consumption and replace it with a genuine source of renewable energy, since hydrogen causes no carbon emissions in use and green hydrogen is generated using only power from renewable sources. But achieving such a goal brings its own challenges. While many countries have developed a strategy for hydrogen, the hydrogen economy itself – in the form of production, transport and storage - is just not here yet. Practically no location yet supplies infrastructure or any piped hydrogen. It is certainly not yet possible to bring in vessels containing compressed hydrogen at a sufficient volume and rate to provide for full and continuous operation of a modern data centre. One obvious solution to this challenge could be for data centres and other energy intensive users to become both hydrogen producers and storage facilities. However, there isn’t currently a viable on-site source of clean energy that would produce green hydrogen by electrolysis of water. Where could such an energy supply come from? One possible answer is for data centres to tap into a renewable power grid and utilise such a grid’s surplus energy for the production of green hydrogen. When the wind is blowing or the sun is shining and/or demand is low, taking electricity from Renewable Energy Resources (RERs) means the carbon emissions associated with each kilowatt hour of energy supply are low. And in the opposite circumstances – when the wind is not blowing, the sun is not shining, and electrical demand is high – data centres could operate using its own reserves of locally stored green hydrogen rather than the utility grid topping up capacity using fossil-fuelled power plants to fulfil demand. Use of hydrogen stored on-site for peak shaving at times of high demand and low renewable supply levels out demand on the grid. This is a form of carbon trade-off, since drawing less power from the grid reduces the use of fossil fuels, achieving a net gain in emissions reduction. But is the round-trip efficiency, using this strategy good enough to achieve a meaningful advantage? Modelling the carbon benefits The big question is whether on-site hydrogen production is economically and spatially viable and offers affordable benefits in terms of greenhouse gas abatement. Using carbon intensity data which is publicly available from grid networks in the UK and Ireland, i3 built a mathematical model of the process and measured what GHG abatement benefits it might bring about. It factored in the storage and technology that would be necessary, with the model using a nominal 10MW data centre in different locations. The model showed the returns are quite modest in terms of carbon emission reductions in places like Scotland, where there are a lot of renewables on offer. It is possible to reduce by about 10% a data centre’s energy or carbon emissions - approximately 500 tonnes of carbon per year. Interestingly, the percentage reduction in the southeast of the UK was smaller, but that worked out to be the same carbon reduction in absolute terms because there is higher grid carbon intensity in the region. In other words, the carbon costs are higher, so a smaller percentage reduction is an equivalent saving. These modest returns need to be weighted against the cost of applying the hydrogen technology to data centres at sufficient scale. The i3 model provides useful insight about the need to coordinate with grid-level facilities. It has also aided understanding of how battery energy storage, and in future, hydrogen, could be used in conjunction with the grid for a range of technologies, including various forms of energy storage and electricity demand reduction in data centres. The tool developed can be applied to data centre designs for many types of energy storage systems and reveal what potential benefits they bring about in terms of carbon reduction. The amount of activity in the hydrogen market, from production to transport to storage is accelerating. The biggest cost is green hydrogen production, for which excess renewable energy is required. However, it is projected that these costs will come down. Some point to conditions where because grids are integrating increasing amounts of power generated using renewable energy sources this will lead to excess capacity at times of low user demand, making more clean energy available for electrolysis. In addition, the huge growth in the scale of electrolyser production will aid the speed at which the economics of green hydrogen production will swing in favour of the consumer. As green hydrogen becomes more available, the economies of scale will start to improve, making hydrogen a more viable fuel source for electricity for powering data centres. Production value Like many countries, the UK is a long way from a national hydrogen gas transport network (pipes), and therefore local production in data centres and other energy intensive industries should be considered. Designing and developing data centres with hydrogen in mind needs to happen. We can future-proof data centres for the growth of hydrogen production and supply, for example, by specifying the use of reciprocating engines or fuel cells which can be run using hydrogen as well as other fuels in data centre designs. Click here for more latest news.

Hyperscale data centres key to driving APJ’s energy transition

As corporations and governments pursue the challenge of achieving a low-carbon future in Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ), AirTrunk has released its ‘Powering a Clean Energy Future’ report that identifies hyperscale data centres as key drivers in APJ’s energy transition to 24/7 clean energy (CE). The report highlights how a hyperscale data centre’s size, electricity demand profile, innovation capabilities and proven experience in procuring renewable energy puts them in a prime position for partnership to accelerate the transition. Through energy system modelling, the report also determines the most effective technology pathways and costs to reaching 24/7 (CE), providing holistic analysis of what is required. AirTrunk's Head of Energy and Climate, Joscha Schmitz, says, “24/7 clean energy is crucial to achieving climate targets by fully decarbonising power grids. As the major hyperscale data centre provider in APJ, we released this report with the intention to build momentum towards achieving 24/7 clean energy in the region.” “24/7 clean energy is more advanced in the European and North American markets due to resource availability and market maturity. The report outlines opportunities to successfully deliver clean energy technology in APJ, which is the fastest growing region, but the one experiencing the most difficulty in managing the energy transition,” says Joscha. The report recognises the need for more industry collaboration and highlights the six steps key industry players and governments must do to fully realise the potential of 24/7 CE in APJ, including: Increase and strengthen grid interconnection between markets Accelerate ‘green molecules’ and other new firming and storage technologies Diversify renewables portfolio with local firming solutions Leverage on-site infrastructure to support local grids and power markets Shift non-latency-sensitive loads to lower cost markets Start the discussion to achieve 24/7 clean energy in a cost-optimal way AirTrunk's Chief Technology Officer, Damien Spillane, says, “Major corporations and governments in APJ have made significant emissions reductions commitments, however in the current climate, it remains challenging to achieve these. That’s why we are calling on energy providers, sustainability groups, corporations and governments to work together, and with us, to facilitate a clean energy future for all.” “We take our responsibility as a key enabler of the transition seriously and will continue to focus our efforts on decarbonisation as we progress toward net zero emissions by 2030,” says Damien. The ‘Powering a Clean Energy Future’ report can be downloaded here. Click here for more latest news.

Data centres’ net zero plans blown off track by the energy crisis

According to research published by Schneider Electric, 81% of business leaders at UK and Irish data centres say the energy crisis will impact their organisation’s ability to meet its emissions reduction plans. Of that figure, around half of organisations say they are delaying planned investment in sustainability and net zero plans (49%). Four in ten of the same organisations (40%) say they now have more immediate business challenges to meet, while 43% claim that emission reduction targets are no longer an issue for their stakeholders. More than one in five (22%) of these firms claim that taking practical action to meet targets is difficult. Decarbonisation helps businesses reduce energy use and lower energy costs at a time when energy prices remain volatile.  Crucially, the survey of more than 1,500 large organisations reveals that business leaders still recognise the importance of working to emissions reduction targets, as nearly one third (32%) of data centre business leaders believe that climate change and net zero ambitions will become more of a priority over the next three years. Only a small minority (11%) believe that national net zero commitments will be diluted in that time. “Business leaders tell us that the energy crisis should be seen alongside the many other challenges they have faced over the last twelve months, including economic pressures, cyber security and skills shortages. Yet our research suggests that some of the UK and Ireland’s data centres are ‘kicking the carbon emissions can down the road’, as a result of the energy crisis,” says Mark Yeeles, Vice President, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric UK and Ireland. “As fears grow about progress against global commitments made under the Paris Agreement, and the UK’s Climate Change Committee warns of a lack of progress on emissions cuts, the UK and Ireland need data centres to play their part and stick to their net zero and emissions reduction targets,” says Mark Yeeles. The survey also reveals that 32% of data centre managers believe that energy prices will fall over the next three years, while more than seven out of ten (71%) think their organisation will still be addressing the energy crisis in 12 months’ time. Presenting the survey findings, Mark Yeeles urged data centres to re-engage with their emissions reduction ambitions, “It’s not all doom and gloom, as our research shows, business leaders still believe in their climate change ambitions – they simply need to push the subject back up the corporate agenda. “The technology required to help businesses decarbonise is already available – and the return on investment for these solutions has never been more attractive, with payback periods measured in months rather than years. Organisations still have time to meet their net zero commitments by understanding and addressing energy use, investing in renewable energy and energy saving technology, and embedding sustainability and carbon reduction targets in their business plans. “What’s more, those that invest in green skills and green jobs will reap the rewards of a diverse workforce for decades to come. At Schneider Electric, we’ve seen this for ourselves through our apprenticeship and graduate programmes.” Click here for more latest news.

AirTrunk releases report on powering a clean energy future  

As corporations and governments pursue the challenge of achieving a low-carbon future in Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ), AirTrunk has released its ‘Powering a Clean Energy Future’ report that identifies hyperscale data centres as key drivers in APJ’s energy transition to 24/7 clean energy (CE). The report highlights how a hyperscale data centre’s size, electricity demand profile, innovation capabilities and proven experience in procuring renewable energy puts them in a prime position for partnership to accelerate the transition. Through energy system modelling, the report also determines the most effective technology pathways and costs to reaching 24/7 (CE), providing holistic analysis of what is required. AirTrunk, Head of Energy and Climate, Joscha Schmitz, says, “24/7 clean energy is crucial to achieving climate targets by fully decarbonising power grids. As the major hyperscale data centre provider in APJ, we released this report with the intention to build momentum towards achieving 24/7 clean energy in the region. “24/7 clean energy is more advanced in the European and North American markets due to resource availability and market maturity. The report outlines opportunities to successfully deliver clean energy technology in APJ, which is the fastest growing region, but the one experiencing the most difficulty in managing the energy transition,” says Joscha. The report also recognises the need for more industry collaboration and highlights the six steps key industry players and governments must do to fully realise the potential of 24/7 CE in APJ, including: Increase and strengthen grid interconnection between markets Accelerate ‘green molecules’ and other new firming and storage technologies Diversify renewables portfolio with local firming solutions Leverage on-site infrastructure to support local grids and power markets Shift non-latency-sensitive loads to lower cost markets Start the discussion to achieve 24/7 clean energy in a cost-optimal way AirTrunk, Chief Technology Officer, Damien Spillane, says, “Major corporations and governments in APJ have made significant emissions reductions commitments, however in the current climate, it remains challenging to achieve these. That’s why we are calling on energy providers, sustainability groups, corporations and governments to work together, and with us, to facilitate a clean energy future for all. “We take our responsibility as a key enabler of the transition seriously and will continue to focus our efforts on decarbonisation as we progress toward net zero emissions by 2030,” says Damien.

Consult Red celebrates 20 years of innovation

Consult Red has marked its 20th anniversary of continuous success, growth and innovation. Over the past two decades, it has helped its clients transform the media, telecommunication and IoT technology landscapes. Since its inception in 2003, the company has remained steadfast in its commitment to delivering trusted consultancy and high quality engineering services, while embracing technological advancements and industry trends. Throughout the years, it has built an enviable reputation for its dedication to excellence, customer satisfaction and innovative solutions. "We’ve reached this significant milestone, thanks to our valued clients and the work of our talented and dedicated team," says Raghu Venkatesam, CEO at Consult Red. “We are grateful for the long-term trust and support of our clients, partners and stakeholders, who have been instrumental in our continued growth over the past two decades." Over the past 20 years, the company has achieved numerous milestones and accomplishments, including: Contributing to innovative product launches for our key customers, including set-tops, connected TV devices and embedded software services for media and connectivity operators across Europe, US and Asia. Delivering connected devices and systems for industrial and IoT applications, including vehicle charging, industrial vision, telehealth, power management, consumer devices and wireless connectivity. Establishing as an employee-owned company, giving employees a stake in the business and ensuring long-term stability for clients. Nurturing a talented and diverse global workforce that drives innovation and fosters a culture of collaboration and excellence. Click here for latest data centre news.

Vertiv's guidance on data centres during extreme heat

Summer in the northern hemisphere has just started, but already devastating heatwaves have washed over much of the US, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia. Widespread wildfires in Canada have triggered air quality alerts across that country and much of the eastern half of the US and similar extreme heat events across Asia have caused widespread power outages, Europe also continues to break heat records as the fastest warming continent. The data centre cooling experts at Vertiv have issued updated guidance for managing the extreme heat. Climate change has made the past eight years the hottest on record, but with an El Niño weather pattern compounding the issue this year, many forecasts anticipate record-breaking temperatures in 2023. The sizzling outdoor temperatures and their aftermath create significant challenges for data centre operators who already wage a daily battle with the heat produced within their facilities. There are steps organisations can take to mitigate the risks associated with extreme heat. These include: Clean or change air filters: The eerie orange haze that engulfed New York was a powerful visual representation of one of the most immediate and severe impacts of climate change. For data centre operators, it should serve as a reminder to clean or change air filters in their data centre thermal management systems and HVAC systems. Those filters help to protect sensitive electronics from particulates in the air, including smoke from faraway wildfires. Accelerate planned maintenance and service: Extreme heat and poor air quality tax more than data centre infrastructure systems. Electricity providers often struggle to meet the surge in demand that comes with higher temperatures, and outages are common. Such events are not the time to learn about problems with UPS system or cooling unit. Cleaning condenser coils and maintaining refrigerant charge levels are examples of proactive maintenance that can help to prevent unexpected failures. Activate available efficiency tools: Many modern UPS systems are equipped with high efficiency eco-modes that can reduce the amount of power the system draws from the grid. Heatwaves like those seen recently push the grid to its limits, meaning any reductions in demand can be the difference between uninterrupted service and a devastating outage. Leverage alternative energy sources: Not all data centres have access to viable alternative energy, but those that do should leverage off-grid power sources. These could include on/off-site solar arrays or other alternate sources, such as off-site wind farms and lithium-ion batteries, to enable peak shifting or shaving. Use of generators is discouraged during heat waves unless an outage occurs. Diesel generators produce more greenhouse gas and emissions associated with climate change than backup options that use alternative energy. In fact, organisations should postpone planned generator testing when temperatures are spiking. “These heatwaves are becoming more common and more extreme, placing intense pressure on utility providers and data centre operators globally,” says John Niemann, Senior Vice President for the Global Thermal Management Business for Vertiv. “Organisations must match that intensity with their response, proactively preparing for the associated strain not just on their own power and cooling systems, but on the grid as well. Prioritising preventive maintenance service and collaborating with electricity providers to manage demand can help reduce the likelihood of any sort of heat-related equipment failure.” “Again this year, parts of Europe are experiencing record setting heat, and in our business we specifically see the impact on data centres. Prioritising thermal redundancy and partnering with a service provider with widespread local presence and first-class restoration capabilities can make the difference in data centre availability,” says Flora Cavinato, Global Service Portfolio Director. “Swift response times and proactive maintenance programs can help organisations to sustain their business operations while effectively optimising their critical infrastructure.” Click here for more on Vertiv.

Schneider Electric launches contractor program

Schneider Electric has announced the launch of a new partner program in the UK and Ireland. The Contractor Program offers online resources and digital tools via mySchneider portal to help contractors quickly and efficiently meet customer demands. It also offers opportunities to generate more business and training to support sales activities, as well as advice on sustainable solutions. In addition to the above, it includes the following benefits depending on whether the contractor is a registered, premier or premier plus customer: Personalised news, information and promotions. Advanced commercial and technical support. Digital platforms and tools. Training and education resources. Invitations to local partner events. Partner locator listing. EcoXpert badge eligibility. Hands-on training. A new world of energy The launch is part of Schneider Electric’s strategy to mitigate the energy crisis by calling on its customers, partners and suppliers to reduce the amount of energy used in their day-to-day operations and buildings and to select more sustainable solutions. In response to the ways in which the energy landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years, it has developed the mySchneider Contractor Program to answer the following challenges: demands for more electrification to reduce the usage of fossil fuels; an increase in cybersecurity; and demands from the market for multidirectional energy supplies. In the long term, the convergence of electric and digital brings disruptive new possibilities for contractors. It enables them to harness the potential for efficiency and sustainability, and more critically, in the near term, to directly impact energy security, an issue that has been front of mind for the UK and Irish governments and their citizens in recent years. David Williams, Vice President of Transactional Business at Schneider Electric, says, “As a global business, we understand the challenges our contractors and partners are facing around the world in light of the economic and political landscape and energy crisis. With the launch of the mySchneider Contractor Program, we are giving our partners priority access to our global partner ecosystem. We hope that by rewarding our contractors in this way that they will be empowered to stay ahead of the competition by offering the latest sustainable solutions to their customers.” Click here for latest updates on Schneider Electric.

Aruba on track to meet the CNDCP 2030 targets

Aruba has announced that it has completed the certification of its adherence to the principles of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (CNDCP) by meeting the requirements of the Self-Regulatory Initiative (SRI). Bureau Veritas has validated the conformity of the procedures and calculation methodologies for the company's data centres, in relation to the values of PUE, WUE, clean energy, economy and circular energy indicated by the Pact. This milestone demonstrates that Aruba is already on track to achieve the objectives set by the Pact for 2030. The Pact In 2021, leading cloud infrastructure providers and data centre operators founded the CNDCP, a historic commitment to proactively drive the transition to a climate neutral economy. To date, more than 80 signatories, including national industry trade associations and individual operators, have joined the initiative aimed at a more sustainable management of the industry, setting targets for 2025 and 2030 in the following areas: Energy efficiency of data centres by meeting defined thresholds that are measured through monitoring and recording of PUE data. Usage of energy in increasing percentages from renewable and carbon-free sources that are confirmed through record keeping and copies of certificates of power purchase agreements. Water conservation is ensured through the calculation of WUE and the recording of incoming water meter readings for each data centre. Circular economy is checked through server reuse and recycling programmes, which require companies to have deployment plans and asset management mechanisms that allow for the recycling, resale or reuse of IT equipment. Circular energy is measured by periodic audits to assess implementations for the possibility of heat recovery and reuse. The Pact, therefore, by focusing primarily on achieving climate neutrality, is in line with various aspects of the Green Deal. By addressing these areas, it aims to promote a positive change in the data centre sector towards a more sustainable and responsible future. As part of the implementation of SRI, the first deadline requires a declaration by the operator that confirms the existence of monitoring policies and procedures, and a calculation methodology for data collection and storage. For large operators, this requires verification by an independent third party and for small and medium-sized operators, a self-declaration is sufficient. After announcing in March 2023, the successful completion of the audit concerning the compliance of the first perimeter in the path of adherence to the Pact, with this, Aruba has confirmed that it has completed the certification of adherence to the SRI and is, therefore, compliant with the terms of the Pact.