Data centres seek reliable power
29 July 2022
It has been estimated that data centres consume between 2-3 per cent of electricity worldwide and that this that could reach as high as 14 per cent by 2040 as people store valuable information, send more and larger emails, hold meetings remotely and consume greater quantities of online entertainment.
The data centres storing all these electronic resources need a lot of power, and a recent survey by the generator rental specialist Aggreko suggests that smaller facilities in the UK and Ireland face cost pressures in the current economic climate. This could make them consider hire as an effective means of price-competitive, secure and reliable supplies.
The Power Struggle: Data Centres report states that small data centres have seen their margins significantly impacted as a result of the energy crisis, with some seeing energy bills increase by as much as 50 per cent over the last three years.
Two-thirds (65%) of the UK data centres surveyed have experienced power outages in the last 18 months.
The survey says that, despite an announcement of financial support for high energy users in April, confidence in the UK government’s energy strategy remains lukewarm, as the help is mainly focused on heavy industry, such as steel and paper manufacture.
As a result, data centres seeking greater independence from the grid may look at alternative options. Aggreko offers its Hired Energy as a Service model, which allows customers to access decentralised energy solutions without being locked into long-term contracts and fixed energy pricing.
Also, outdated technology was mentioned as the biggest barrier to implementing a decentralised energy, again making hire attractive as a way of benefiting from the most modern equipment. Over 60 of data centres in the UK said they had used hired equipment to avoid capex restrictions.
● Pressure on grid capacity caused by the number of data centres built over recent years with cabling along the M4 corridor could prevent new houses being constructed in west London until 2035.
According to a report in the Financial Times yesterday, the Greater London Authority believes that it could take more than a decade to provide sufficient new capacity in Hillingdon, Ealing and Hounslow.
Data centres use considerable amounts of power round-the-clock. Also, new building rules require new homes to adopt low-carbon technologies like heat pumps and electric vehicle charge points – which in turn puts extra strain on the grid.
Perhaps the need for off-grid power supplies will be even greater than feared.
