Good Time to Consider Microgrids for Data Centers?

Vendor claims macro trends are driving growth in market for mission critical microgrid systems

Bill Kleyman, CEO and Co-Founder

February 9, 2016

2 Min Read
Power transmission
David Ramos/Getty Images

The modern data center has evolved into an engine that drives the entire business, and the pressure to maintain uptime is greater than ever. Since companies rely more and more on their data centers, are there better, more resilient mission critical support systems?

At Data Center World this March, Justin Jurek, regional sales manager at Pillar USA, will talk about the applicability of microgrids in the mission critical market and an elegant approach to microgrid systems that has been adopted by multiple end users.

Remember, we’re seeing an evolution taking place in the business and in the data center. Market strategies are now built around the capabilities of your facility. Changes around governance, uptime classification, and even weather patterns are all impacting facility uptime:

  • State legislation like AB32, California’s bill that requires reduction of carbon emissions, may become drivers for onsite power generation, while large end users, such as data center operators, may simply want to rely less on aging electrical grid.

  • Uptime Institute’s Tier IV classification of power generation onsite having to be rated for prime power may drive some data center operators to explore Combined Heat and Power plants and other on-site power generation technologies.

  • The rise of superstorms may also lead more companies to want to rely less on the grid.

Trends like these are driving growth in the microgrid market, Jurek said.

“When working with microgrid systems, it’s critical to understand the challenges of onsite power generation, but also both the resiliency and economic drivers for onsite power generation,” he pointed out. “This means knowing multiple unique mission critical microgrid systems that are in operation in the USA and across the globe and how they impact your facility.”

Join him at Data Center World in Las Vegas and be sure to attend his session, titled Mission Critical Microgrid System to learn more about:

  • Why it makes sense to adopt the mission critical microgrid architecture if, as an end user, you’re already committing to a microgrid architecture for your data center.

  • Why a centralized power stabilizer for your microgrid enabling a mission critical microgrid architecture makes more sense than point-of-use UPS combined with onsite power generation.

  • The architectures and case studies discussed in the session eliminate the use of UPS, batteries, and other commonly used mission critical system components (in some cases diesel generators).

Want to learn more? Join Pillar's Justin Jurek and 1,300 of your peers at Data Center World Global 2016, March 14-18, in Las Vegas, NV, for a real-world, “get it done” approach to converging efficiency, resiliency and agility for data center leadership in the digital enterprise. More details on the Data Center World website.

About the Author

Bill Kleyman

CEO and Co-Founder, Apolo

Bill Kleyman has more than 15 years of experience in enterprise technology. He also enjoys writing, blogging, and educating colleagues about tech. His published and referenced work can be found on Data Center Knowledge, AFCOM, ITPro Today, InformationWeek, Network Computing, TechTarget, Dark Reading, Forbes, CBS Interactive, Slashdot, and more.

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