F E A T U R E

increases in demand and subsequent infrastructure changes show no signs of slowing, data centres must integrate longterm thinking at the planning stage. change. Our open channel busway is available up to 1,200 amps, offering very high capacity that is unique in the market. operation: the‘ day two’ phase, or when future-proofing is required. With busway, organisations can specify a higher capacity system from the outset, even if that capacity isn’ t initially required. When higher-density racks are deployed, custom plug-in units can be quickly and easily added to meet increased demand.

This is where the flexibility of busway helps streamline ongoing operations. You can procure custom-built units and scale capacity far easier than with an RPP. With RPPs, scaling or reconfiguration typically necessitates a system shutdown and the complex routing of new power cables, making busway a more straightforward solution for long-term evolution.

For instance, we were once accustomed to seeing 400 amp busway and below specified, whereas today we’ re seeing 800 amp or 1,000 amp allocated for server rows. To remain future-ready, data centres need to plan for a longer term – perhaps even‘ over-designing’ or allocating more power capacity within server rows than is immediately required, and potentially considering busway from the outset. Companies must adopt this long-term mindset, planning for rising demand despite uncertainty and designing infrastructure that is adaptable as power needs

How do traditional RPP systems compare to overhead busway solutions when it comes to supporting future-ready data centre operations?

On the surface, on‘ day one’ installation, Remote Power Panels( RPPs) and overhead busway systems appear similar. Both can be specified from a given design brief and installed to meet those immediate requirements.

The significant advantage of the busway system, however, truly emerges during

How does moving power distribution overhead and utilising a modular design fundamentally change a data centre’ s white space planning?

With busway, the system’ s backbone is installed overhead, effectively spanning the server racks. Visually, it’ s quite easy to trace the plug-in unit powering a specific rack or load.

The design significantly reduces the potential for mistakes, as it provides a simple and intuitive way to distribute power.

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