.gif)
.gif)
PowerViews
The Green Data Center Opportunity - Latest Innovations in UPS Technology Improve Energy Efficiency
Brad Thrash, Product Manager, GE Energy
Page 2
go to page: 1 2
Innovations in UPS Technology:
UPS is a critical part of the power infrastructure for data centers. It improves the energy utility company’s reliability from a typical 99.9 percent to the 99.999 percent required by a data center facility. Throughout the industry, double-conversion UPS has become the preferred technology for data center applications.
There are significant improvements in UPS energy efficiency available today, based on new technology, better understanding of power quality requirements for IT servers and reliability of the utility grid. Recent technology improvements for high-efficiency operating mode (previously called “eco mode”) for double-conversion UPS reduce energy consumption significantly, by almost 75 percent. The data center industry will be able to adopt this high-efficiency mode for double-conversion UPS without compromising operational reliability.
The power quality of the utility grid determines the availability of UPS high-efficiency operating mode. The more reliable the utility power, the higher the availability of UPS high efficiency mode. To evaluate utility reliability the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has developed the System Average RMS Variation Frequency Index to measure the actual utility voltage variation at more than 200 substation sites around the U.S. for a two-year period.
EPRI shows that the average utility events outside the ITI (CBEMA) curve are only about 25 events per year. While most of these events are of very short duration (less than 10 seconds), a conservative assumption of one-hour duration per voltage event results in UPS only needing to operate in double-conversion mode about 25 hours per year; the high-efficiency operating mode availability would exceed 99 percent.
The eco mode UPS is included as an energy efficiency recommendation in the recent Green Grid Data Center Maturity Model and, the U.S. EPA has included eco mode in the upcoming EPA Energy Star specification for UPS, stating that eco mode is an innovative strategy for energy saving in UPS systems.
Evaluating Savings:
The lifecycle cost savings of high-efficiency UPS operating mode is significant when evaluated over a 10-year lifecycle. A data center with 5 MW of IT load, operating UPS in traditional double-conversion mode will have power costs exceeding $4.5 million over 10 years at $.10/kWh. That same data center operating in UPS high-efficiency mode will only have power cost of about $1.2 million, providing a savings of $3.2 million over 10 years.
If the data center industry adopted UPS high-efficiency mode as normal operation, the impact would be significant. Based on Frost & Sullivan UPS World Reports, the last 10 years of UPS-installed base is between 60,000 to 70,000 MW and the efficiency of this legacy UPS double-conversion technology is probably 90 percent or less. If this installed base was replaced with UPS operating in high-efficiency mode, the data center industry could realize energy savings of at least 4,000 MW, which would produce an annual energy cost savings of more than $3 billion per year.
UPS manufacturers, such as GE, have responded to ever-increasing energy demands by offering a new range of energy-efficient models. Although the conversion of the legacy UPS-installed base to high-efficiency UPS mode will not happen overnight, the technology is proven, the business case is clear, and the opportunity for new data centers to install and operate UPS in high-efficiency mode is attainable today.
go to page: 1 2
About the Author
Brad Thrash is a product manager at GE Energy working in the Power Quality business and is responsible for the 3-phase UPS product line globally. He has more than 25 years of experience in the GE power generation and power quality businesses with leadership roles in application engineering, service engineering, sales and product management. Brad also is a member of IEEE and ASME and is on the Power Sub Work Group of The Green Grid.
We welcome the opportunity to publish your opinions. Please email us at editorial@darnell.com.
White Papers
March 11, 2013
Power Modules for Charger Applications
Sponsored by Vincotech
February 27, 2013
The Adaptive Cell Converter Topology Enables Constant Efficiency Over Universal Input AC Line in Front-End, High-Density Power Factor Correction Applications
Sponsored by Vicor Corp.
February 27, 2013
From 48 V direct to Intel VR12.0: Saving "Big Data" $500,000 per datacenter, per year
Sponsored by Vicor Corp.
More White Papers
- DOE Selects Consortium to Develop Next-Generation Batteries for Automobiles
- Dana Receives Grant from NRCan to Improve Thermal Management for EV Battery Packs
- Bosch Claims First Sub-$450 240V EV Charging Station
- Altera Acquires Enpirion for $140 Million, Forms Power Business Unit
- Ericsson Saves Board Space with Surface-Mount Digital Bus Converter
- SiC Modules, IGBTs and Super-Junction MOSFETs Introduced on Day One of PCIM
- SiC and GaN Again a Major Focus at PCIM Europe
- PowerbyProxi Joins Wireless Power Consortium
- Vincotech and Infineon Introduce New Packaging Options at PCIM Europe
- Eaton and CA Technologies Join to Deliver Infrastructure Management for Data Centers
- Renesas Adds IGBT Drivers with Micro-Isolator for Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Inverters
- Bosch Claims First Sub-$450 240V EV Charging Station
- European Project Reports Achievements in Drive to Shape the Future of Power Microelectronics
- Eltek's New Rectifier Delivers 97.2% Efficiency for Data Center and Server Powering
- Ericsson Saves Board Space with Surface-Mount Digital Bus Converter
- Digitally-Isolated Gate Drivers Provide Robust Drop-in Replacements for Opto-Drivers
- 36V Digital Potentiometers Support Wide Signal Swings and High Power-Supply Voltages
- Teen Wins $50,000 for Development of Nanorod Supercapacitors
- Europeans Establish Dueling Projects to Advance Power Electronics Technologies
- Altera Acquires Enpirion for $140 Million, Forms Power Business Unit
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: Fujitsu Components America
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: CUI Incorporated
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: EMerge Alliance
- Green Building Power Forum 2010: Anderson Power Products
- Green Building Power Forum 2009: Independence Station
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Coilcraft
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Champs Technologies
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: EXAR Corporation
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: PMBus
- Darnell's Digital Power Forum 2009: Power Plaza
Design Features
October 22, 2012
Energy Efficiency with Class D Amplifier Modules
Class-D switching amplifiers are helping audio designers create personal multimedia devices and home audio/visual systems that demonstrate how compact and stylish equipment can also deliver high sound quality and high audio output power. The key to this breakthrough, providing freedom from the large and bulky boxes housing traditional audio products, lies in the class-D amplifier’s high energy efficiency, which is typically around 90%. This allows designers to reduce or eliminate heatsinks as well as using smaller-sized PCBs and smaller components such as transformers, connectors and power supplies.
Design Features
October 8, 2012
The Role of Hall Effect Sensors in Power Distribution Infrastructure
Power distribution units (PDUs) form an essential part of modern computing and data communications hardware. They provide multiple outputs for transferring electrical power with maximum efficiency, controlling the power capacity and safeguarding against the possible causes of supply interruption. With an ever increasing need from tech savvy consumers for higher data throughput and greater quantities of data storage capacity, as well as tough international legislation now governing CO&sub2; emissions, the demands being placed on these units are proving challenging for engineering teams to satisfy.
Product Focus
August 13, 2012
The Year in AC-DC Power Supply Technology
The past year witnessed significant new product releases, technological developments, and industry news related to the field of AC-DC Power Supply technology.