Intelligent Data Centres Issue 40 | Page 32

WE ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY THIS YEAR THAT WE WILL BE CONSIDERING THE OPTION OF INSTALLING A SCALABLE 1.2MW HYDROGEN- READY FUEL CELL MICROGRID TO PROVIDE CLEAN ENERGY TO OUR FACILITY .
EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
MATT EDGLEY , DIRECTOR , TELEDATA
s a responsible data centre provider , we

A work hard to keep our energy consumption as low as we possibly can . That ’ s why we ’ ve taken a number of steps to monitor and reduce the amount of energy we use across our Manchester facility , in line with the city ’ s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2038 .

In 2019 we invested £ 1.5 million into a 2MW capable battery storage system which enables us to store electricity from the national grid at times of low demand and discharge it during the most beneficial periods , acting as a reserve during peak tariff times . The solution offers integrated variable voltage optimisation to deliver a stabilised voltage , thus boosting the resilience of the facility by improving the shelf life of equipment , reducing unnecessary energy waste and optimising the incoming power supply . We were supported on this project by the Business Growth Hub and we are the only colocation provider in the UK to have implemented these technologies .
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More recently , we announced in January this year that we will be considering the option of installing a scalable 1.2MW hydrogen-ready fuel cell microgrid to provide clean energy to our facility . The fuel cell would convert fuels such as natural gas , biogas and hydrogen – or a blend of fuels – into electricity through an electrochemical process that requires no combustion , therefore avoiding the emissions normally associated with burning this type of fuel . Working with Conrad Energy , Electricity North West ( Construction & Maintenance ) Limited ( ENWCML ) and Bloom Energy we would be the first data centre in the UK to deploy fuel cell technology and the move would help us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a cleaner , hydrogen-ready fuel supply .
Other measures put in place to improve our energy efficiency include metered power at every board and office in the building ; the implementation of highly intelligent control systems to monitor cooling consumption ; cold aisle containment ; under-floor cold air channelling to minimise wastage ; variable fans within condenser units ; free air cooling systems ; office space air conditioning controls to minimise wastage out of hours ; highly efficient cooling pumps and cold aisle blanking throughout the facility .
Intelligent Building Management Systems ( BMS ) allow us to harness
WE ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY THIS YEAR THAT WE WILL BE CONSIDERING THE OPTION OF INSTALLING A SCALABLE 1.2MW HYDROGEN- READY FUEL CELL MICROGRID TO PROVIDE CLEAN ENERGY TO OUR FACILITY .
Machine Learning via automated control temperature sensors placed in strategic locations to ensure that all units are working at the required temperature and load levels . The BMS monitors all air conditioning components to ensure maximum efficiency and issues an early warning to non-optimal situations .
These measures have already reduced our carbon output by over 500 tonnes annually , with the fuel cell set to reduce our carbon footprint even further providing clean , always-on power while facilitating a transition to a net-zero future . �
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