In recent years, with the explosive growth of mobile Internet, Internet of Things, cloud computing and other data business needs and the rapid development of IT technology, the data center has evolved into a rapidly growing industry and an important part of the new generation of information industry. Relevant research institutions predict that the market size of my country's data centers will exceed 180 billion yuan in 2019, of which about 70% will be newly built data centers.
Data center power faces challenges
At the same time, data centers are facing a series of problems such as excessive energy consumption, surge in load, and malfunction of main equipment, and they are becoming more and more severe. According to data from the China Data Center Energy Conservation Technical Committee, the total power consumption of China's data centers reached 120-130 billion kWh in 2017, which exceeded the total power generation of the Three Gorges Dam (97.605 billion kWh) and the Gezhouba Power Plant (190.5 billion kWh) in 2017. 100 million kilowatt hours).
Ensuring safe and reliable power and network supply are the two most basic functions of data centers, so data centers are equipped with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). The traditional data center power backup mode is: when the mains supply is normal, the UPS "filters the mains impurities" to supply power to the load, while charging the battery; when the mains is abnormal (interrupted power supply), the battery is discharged through the UPS supply The load guarantees power supply. But with the growth of data center size and density, this model will inevitably face some outstanding problems:
First, the electricity bill is high. After the completion of the data center, the operating cost mainly comes from the electricity bill. Statistics show that the electricity bill accounts for more than 60% of the data center's operating expenditure. Second, the battery investment is high. Lead-acid batteries are mostly used for backup power in data centers. The life of these batteries is usually about 5 years. To ensure the safety of backup power, they must be replaced regularly, and most of the batteries do not discharge during the life cycle, resulting in a waste of resources (sunk costs). Third, the battery has been in a floating charge state for a long time, and the state of health is unknown. Some data centers even need to verify battery performance through regular fake load tests, and the cost of this test is also considerable.
Energy storage technology has become a new breakthrough
In recent years, data center energy storage technology has developed rapidly. With its characteristics and advantages such as peak shaving and valley filling, on-demand response, on-demand management, power supply quality assurance, renewable energy integration, and reserve energy reserves, it has become an important means to solve the above problems. .
Data center energy storage places higher requirements on batteries. Traditional lead-acid batteries are considered to be the "weak link" of data center power equipment due to their high maintenance costs, heavy weight, need for regular replacement, and potential failures. In contrast, lithium-ion batteries have a longer cycle life, longer operating time, and the ability to operate at a higher ambient temperature, and have a higher power density. The space occupied by the same capacity is lead One third of the acid battery can save more room space, and the lithium-ion battery also has instantaneous response capabilities.
The combination of super capacitors and traditional UPS configurations can also help solve the problem. They can not only respond to power interruptions or power quality issues immediately, without the initial voltage drop due to battery resistance issues; they can also enable data centers to use batteries more frequently for peak shaving, thereby reducing monthly power demand costs; at the same time, they Helps extend the service life of lead-acid batteries. The advantages of supercapacitors are their high availability, relatively little maintenance, and long service life.
Advantages of new energy storage architecture
In addition to the equipment itself, the core of the energy storage system is system management. The working mode of the generally designed energy storage system is: island mode runs in the event of a generator failure to provide emergency power supply; energy distribution is carried out according to the grid quota to solve the problem of power guarantee. However, the real-time output current source and voltage source can not be switched, and there is no guarantee that the load power supply will not be interrupted. The new energy storage architecture represented by Eaton’s energy storage system, through optimized system design, parallel power supply in the mains mode and energy storage system, can effectively solve possible power outages caused by abnormal switching of the grid, and also solve the energy storage system The problem of energy distribution management; at the same time, combined with optimized battery management technology, it can achieve maximum economic benefits for customers.
Eaton has introduced two more reliable energy storage applications DCS and CPSS by combining the unique features of its own UPS products and a number of patented technologies:
Based on UPS electrical principles, the DCS system provides 96% efficiency of the system. The double conversion system provides real-time protection of the load. The system can provide parallel supply of the mains mode and the energy storage system. The battery discharge capacity can be customized according to the electricity price. Optimize the capacity of the battery used.
The CPSS system is based on Eaton’s unique patented AC direct supply technology. In addition to providing real-time parallel operation of the mains mode and energy storage system, the entire system provides a work efficiency of up to 98.5%. The switching time between the mains mode and the energy storage system is less than 2ms. To a great extent, the safe, reliable and uninterrupted operation of the system is guaranteed.
At present, energy storage technology has developed from a basic concept to an indispensable technical prerequisite for the current society to move towards a low-carbon economy, and has become a necessary condition for promoting the energy transition. Combining energy storage products with the current operating status of the data center, improving the problems existing in the data center, and maximizing its energy saving and management level are the current urgent needs of the data center.
About EATON
As a world-leading power management company, Eaton is committed to improving the quality of human life and the environment by providing more reliable, efficient and safe power management technology. In 2017, Eaton’s sales reached US$20.4 billion, with approximately 96,000 employees worldwide, and products covering more than 175 countries and regions. Eaton provides a variety of energy-efficient and efficient solutions to help customers manage electricity, fluid power and mechanical power more effectively, safely, and sustainably.
Eaton has been deeply involved in the Chinese market for more than 20 years. Since entering the Chinese market in 1993, Eaton has rapidly developed its business in China. In 2004, the company's Asia Pacific headquarters moved from Hong Kong to Shanghai. There are approximately 10,000 employees in Greater China, 27 manufacturing bases and 6 R&D centers. Today, all Eaton’s products are manufactured in China, and our energy-efficient products and solutions can help customers operate safer, more effective, and more sustainable business operations.
For more information, please visit Eaton’s official Chinese website:
Jiangmen Hongli Energy Co.ltd , https://www.honglienergy.com