The UPS market is growing

The UPS battery market is predicted to grow by over 8% per year through to 2019, according to a report by Technavio. Demand from South East Asian countries as well as the growth of data centres and the rapid adoption of IT, will play a significant part in this new trend.

Data centre reliability a critical issue

As we become increasingly reliant on IT, data centre reliability could become a life or death issue. Failure at an air traffic control data centre, for example, could pose a significant risk of fatality. Speaking to the DCD Converged Europe 2015 conference, Chairman of I3 Solutions Group, Ed Ansett stated “We still have a long way to go. It is only a matter of time until failure in our industry starts killing people.”

Ansett clearly sees significant room for a reduction in data centre failures. “The industry is currently nowhere near the upper practical limit of reliability of 100,000 to 200,000 hours [of operation without failure.]” He listed power failure as one of the nine ultimate causes of data centre failure, an issue that could be resolved with appropriate energy storage systems.

Common causes of power failures

A 2013 study by the Ponemon Institute reported that 91 percent of respondents had experienced an unplanned data centre outage. Ponemon listed three reasons for this; UPS battery failure, an exceeded UPS capacity or human error.

At SEC we consider the failures attributed to exceeded capacity as a direct consequence of “human error.” If a battery is not selected, installed and maintained properly it can malfunction. This is why it pays to choose the correct units for your application and get expert help to ensure operation is flawless.

Battery selection and maintenance

In 2012 on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, a poorly installed, low quality 10 megawatt energy storage system used to balance wind-farm power generation with grid load, caught fire. There were no injuries from the fire due to the highly specialised response of the Honolulu Fire Department. But, the fire raged for 13 hours and continued to smoulder for another 36 hours illustrating the importance of choosing high quality batteries and maintaining them correctly.

Quality manufacturing counts!

The demand for UPS in data centres is on the rise as the consequences of failure become increasingly expensive and dangerous. Although human error will always remain a cause of data centre failure, eliminating the possibility of one human risk factor is possible by choosing your UPS batteries wisely.

If you’re a data centre operator, we suggest looking into our Partner Grid Programme to discover how SEC can help you create a more secure future for your clients. SEC UPS batteries are specialist designed with CatVentTM catalyst technology to prevent the escape of highly flammable gases and turn them into harmless water.

Nothing is more important than public safety and choosing energy storage from a safe, proven and reliable source will ensure this.

Sources

• http://www.govtech.com/data/224102581.html
• http://www.cbronline.com/news/data-centre/infrastructure/could-data-centre-failures-result-in-human-fatalities-4733745
• http://www.researchmoz.us/global-battery-market-for-ups-2015-2019-report.html
• http://www.firefighternation.com/article/firefighting-operations/green-energy-threats