EXPERT OPINION

Emerging energy storage technologies signal radical changes for data centre power . Ed Ansett , Founder and

Chairman , i ₃

Solutions Group , discusses the future of the data centre industry with a focus on data centre energy storage developments and emerging technologies . apid technology advances are about to shift the landscape

From battery banks to gravity , for emergency backup discharge in seconds or long-term discharge over days , weeks and months ; how energy is stored on-site and off-site has the potential to radically shake up data centre power chain design , and operation solutions already in use include the increasingly common Lithium-ion batteries and the familiar kinetic flywheels . Less familiar may be gravity and liquid air energy storage .

Here , we offer a list of just some of the new and not so new technologies that are in use today and those that could find their way into the data centres of the future .

1 . Lithium-ion batteries

Use of Li-ion has grown rapidly in data centres . As the Uptime Institute reported , this is mainly due to better energy density , rechargeability and management . It says ‘ Li-ion energy storage is also regarded as a key component in renewable energy distribution , which is being adopted primarily to reduce carbon emissions ’.

In addition to being more compact and lightweight than VRLA equivalents , advantages of Li-ion include : energy capacity superiority ; lower battery discharge through efficiency ; extended lifespan ; software optimisation enhancement ; and better remote management capability .

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