UNCOVERING THE LAYERS
Alex Emms , Operations Director at Kohler Uninterruptible Power
in power semiconductor technology and the advent of IGBT devices . This technology is more efficient than the earlier , transformer-based designs with an overall improvement in efficiency across the load spectrum of about 5 %. This can lead to substantial reductions in heat loss and energy running costs .
Transformerless systems also bring the input power factor closer to unity with less load dependence . This is important as anything less than one means that extra power is required to achieve the actual task at hand .
Managing the load
Traditionally , UPS design involved a large framework system which had to cover all the capacity required . Therefore , the system was always on at full power – operating below its optimum efficiency because it was not easily scalable . Nowadays , there are modular designs where calculating and managing the load , so there is always redundant capacity for spikes in power usage .
When working out energy efficiency , reviewing the power required is critical so the design of the data centre and its systems , as well as its ability to handle maximum load , are put in place and futureproofed . System engineers will now look to only fit and connect what is needed but with smarter procurement and flexible modular systems . These designs can offer more longevity and still cover redundancy for the critical power needed .
Newer modular systems offer flexibility in a single infrastructure cabinet which can be run smarter , such as in Kohler ' s Xtra VFI mode where spare modules go into standby mode when not required to www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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