Intelligent Data Centres Issue 65 | Page 71

flammable chemistries , such as nickel-zinc , also eliminate the need for additional safety equipment , permitting , and space considerations required by lithium-ion batteries . This can further lower battery system footprints .
Avoid expensive outages
Research from Uptime Institute found outages are becoming longer and more costly , with one-in-five organisations reportedly experiencing a significant outage in the past three years .
However , 43 % of outages in a data centre are caused by the failure of the UPS system itself . Many batteries can fail open or with a high impedance path , which prevents the battery from supporting the critical UPS load .
Nickel-zinc ( NiZn ) batteries ’ greater reliability makes them ideal for use in a data centre . In contrast to other battery chemistries , a weak or depleted cell in the battery string will continue to discharge and carry the load . All that ’ s needed is a simple battery replacement at the next planned maintenance cycle : little cost , and no operational impact . Nickel-zinc batteries help data centres protect themselves against the high costs of power backup failures .
Nickel-zinc batteries also do not go into thermal runaway . This safety advantage reduces site risk , which addresses potential insurance concerns and eases the approval process by Authorities Having Jurisdiction ( AHJ ). As a result , NiZn batteries don ’ t need the safety equipment for greenfield or retrofits required for Lithium-ion batteries . Instead , they are
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