Extreme weather conditions, an increase in energy demand and an aging power infrastructure mean that UK businesses should be prepared for a less reliable power supply, harmful spikes and potential blackouts, warns Peter Bentley, sales director at Uninterruptible Power Supplies Ltd.
Since our streets were first illuminated by electricity in 1870, we have come to expect a reliable supply of power. However, evidence and expert opinion suggest that theres good cause for alarm about future supplies, in stark contrast to rapid growth in demand.
In May this year, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in London, East Anglia, Cheshire and Merseyside experienced power cuts after a fault caused an unplanned shutdown at the Sizewell B nuclear power plant in Suffolk. The National Grid had to deactivate local stations, creating a supply shortfall of about 400 megawatts - almost one percent of national demand. When demand is greater than generation, the system fails, the National Grid noted. A simple truth that should drive businesses of all sizes to review their power protection needs.
The UK's largest independent energy consultant, McKinnon and Clarke, has called on the government to build new power stations or face further blackouts. "This incident reflects the crumbling nature of the insufficient infrastructure on which homes and businesses depend, said energy analyst David Hunter. In fact the Institution of Civil Engineers has warned for years that without sustained investment, Britain risks a staggering 80 per cent energy shortfall by 2020. Today, businesses are already susceptible to supply issues and the effects of extreme weather.
It never rains but it poursFlooding across England and Wales in July 2007 caused power supply problems to many businesses, leaving them unable to trade and in extreme cases causing long-term and even permanent closures. It is not just the risk of flooding onsite but also at electricity sub-stations many miles away that business property owners need to consider in their business continuity planning.
Even if businesses or their data centres are not directly affected by the force of natural phenomena such as flooding and storms, they may suffer from the consequent rise in power demand or reduction in availability if the national grid is in some way compromised. If supply cant cope with demand, fuses will blow, and systems will power down.
In the event of a power cut, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) batteries can be sized to cover loss of electricity for potentially a few hours. Beyond that, a diesel generator is needed. UPS Ltd provides secure power solutions including UPS, generators and switchgear. However, expert advice is also a key element of the service, beyond simple supply and installation, and clients often ask what if..., as they consider the impact of power fluctuations and cuts on their business.
Aside from the obvious threat to IT systems and daily business operations, a loss of power can have a wide variety of knock-on effects. For example, a mobile phone airtime company recognised the importance of installing an uninterruptible power supply system to protect its servers, after identifying potential major revenue losses from customers making uncharged calls. On a more practical level, another business had a generator installed on a gantry over the entrance to its basement car park so that power and crucial lighting would not be lost in the event of flooding.
While high rainfall and storms are the most common threat, other natural phenomena also present risks, for example high temperatures which are coupled with summertime peak power demand. In July 2006, during the European heat wave, parts of London lost power due to high energy requirements for air conditioning. On hot days, a/c units are combating outside temperatures as well as the extraneous heat generated by the IT systems they are installed to protect. Uninterrupted power then is essential to maintaining the controlled operating environment, since an operations room can get critically hot in minutes and over-heating could quickly result in system collapse.
The overall efficiency of UPS systems has a significant effect on both the size and the operating cost of air conditioning plant. The high efficiency figures (up to 97 percent) quoted for modern on-line UPS may mean that no additional air conditioning is required.
With IT energy consumption up 400 percent per server rack since 2003 and no sign of a slow down data centre managers are turning to a new generation of UPS systems to meet demands for high power availability, maximum efficiency and reduced emissions. The drive for energy efficiency has increased market demand for systems with higher power density, and hot swappable rack-mount modules that can be inserted or removed to continually match capacity to respective critical loads.
Concerns about the reliability of the mains supply are compounded by the shift away from coal, gas and nuclear power as we seek alternative energy sources. Rising demand conflicts with the shortfall in supply, and the UKs aging infrastructure is highly susceptible to extreme weather conditions. Pressure to shrink carbon footprints, plus increasing energy costs and an economic slowdown, make these issues all the more pressing.
Businesses have a tough task specifying systems today that will cater for energy needs over the next ten to twenty years. Modern UPS technology is helping businesses address these issue by providing new ways to reduce power consumption and provide flexible, reliable protection for business critical systems.
For further information contact Deeann Gallagher, Uninterruptible Power Supplies Limited, Bacchus House, Calleva Park, Aldermaston, Berkshire RG7 8EN, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 (0) 118981 5151. Fax: +44 (0) 118 981 5152.
E-mail: sales@upspower.co.uk or visit www.upspower.co.uk
ENDS
About Uninterruptible Power Supplies Limited
The UKs leading supplier of power protection systems in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Ireland. It backs its PowerWAVE products with comprehensive technical installation, commissioning and maintenance services.
The company has recently introduced the PowerWAVE9000DPA Series which is the third generation of its renowned rack-mount modular UPS system. It also supplies standby generators, software to monitor and control uninterruptible power supplies and to control the orderly shutdown of critical systems.
In addition to publishing an authoritative handbook on the subject entitled The UPS Handbook (Published in October 2007 3rd edition), the company is an Institution of Engineering and Technology Endorsed Training Provider.
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