Justin Killick, UK & Ireland Manager – Critical Power, Socomec UK
Now designated as part of the UK’s critical national infrastructure, it’s vital that data centres are ‘always on.’ Furthermore, with the National Grid predicting a six-fold increase in the sector’s power consumption by 2034, energy efficiency is equally vital.
These dual demands — availability and efficiency — pose challenges for Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) performance and energy management. It has never been so important that UPS equipment is durable and optimised to support the uninterrupted supply of critical loads in the most efficient way possible.
Limitations of traditional UPS mode switching
The classic UPS operating mode is ‘bypass,’ where power flow is redirected from the UPS to the critical load during maintenance, servicing, or equipment failure. Other modes include ‘double conversion’ and ‘line interactive’, which have both been engineered to ensure uninterrupted power during outages and fluctuations. More recently, eco mode has emerged to help reduce power consumption.
Switching from one of the first three modes to eco mode is possible but it does cause a brief loss in power. To avoid this, data centre operators are often forced to make upfront decisions to maximise UPS performance and optimise Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). In doing so, they often face a trade-off between data centre uptime and energy efficiency.
A new era of UPS innovation
To counter this, UPS manufacturers are now developing smarter modes that reduce energy losses while guaranteeing a protected power supply. Unlike standard eco modes that can suffer from voltage drops, these advanced systems ensure instant transitions during grid disturbances without compromising load protection.
This wave of innovation not only reduces power consumption and CO2 emissions but also optimises energy performance. The UPS can intelligently manage and select the best operating mode, allowing data centre operators to continually balance power quality and sustainability.
Efficient design for energy savings
These next-generation UPS systems leverage advanced algorithms to monitor the network in real time, dynamically selecting the optimal mode. They ensure continuous protection by leveraging the static bypass as the main power source while keeping the active UPS synchronised with the grid.
Unlike traditional double conversion, where efficiency drops at high load levels, static bypass gains efficiency as the load rate increases. This leads to efficiency of nearly 99 percent from a 50 percent load level, potentially saving up to 350 MWh of electricity per year, reducing heat generation, cooling costs, carbon emissions and operating expenses.
Ongoing monitoring for power protection
Dedicated monitoring systems assess network characteristics like voltage, frequency, and harmonic distortion to ensure optimal conditions for the load. An internal algorithm continuously checks network quality, enabling instant mode switching during disturbances. Additional algorithms prevent repeated transfers between modes which might add to – rather than counteract – network instability. These controls ensure the load is always protected with a high-quality, continuous power supply.
Benefits
By reducing classic UPS energy losses by up to five times compared to a standard double conversion mode, these emerging smart modes enable organisations to significantly reduce their energy consumption. Furthermore, with lower consumption, less heat is generated, reducing cooling requirements and operating costs. These efficiency gains have a direct impact on the total cost of ownership of a data centre, while there are significant environmental benefits in the form of reduced emissions.
These efficiency benefits also come with major improvements in power quality. In the event of serious disturbances to the network, transitioning between modes is autonomous and instantaneous, resulting in the highest possible protection. Furthermore, advanced filtering capabilities help eliminate distortion content, protecting this vital infrastructure from overloads and under- or over-voltages.
Conclusion
The evolution of UPS technology is a critical step forward in meeting the growing demands of the UK data centre sector. With the need for continuous uptime and improved energy efficiency, smarter UPS systems offer an effective solution to balance power quality and sustainability.
By leveraging advanced algorithms and real-time monitoring, these systems not only reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions but also enhance infrastructure protection. This innovation ultimately leads to significant cost savings, improved operational efficiency, and a reduced environmental footprint.
As data centres face increasing pressure to support accelerating digital transformation goals, adopting these advanced UPS systems is essential for future-proofing operations while at the same time, meeting sustainability goals.
