What Is A UPS In a Data Center?
A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) in a data center is a critical component that provides backup power in the event of a power outage or disruption. It is designed to ensure continuous and uninterrupted power supply to the data center's equipment, including servers, networking devices, storage systems, and other critical infrastructure. The UPS acts as an intermediary between the utility power source and the data center equipment. It is typically connected to the utility power grid and continuously charges its internal batteries while the utility power is available. The UPS also conditions the power by regulating voltage levels and filtering out any fluctuations, spikes, or electrical noise that could potentially harm the sensitive electronic equipment.
In the event of a power outage, the UPS instantly switches to its battery power to provide a seamless and uninterrupted power supply to the connected equipment. This ensures that the data center operations can continue without any disruption or loss of data, giving system administrators time to initiate backup generators or gracefully shut down systems if necessary. In 2022, the global data center UPS market reached a size of US$ 6.1 billion. It is expected to witness substantial growth and reach a value of US$ 9.1 billion by 2028. This growth is projected to occur at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% during the period from 2023 to 2028.
How Many UPS Are in A Data Center?
The number of UPS units in a data center can vary depending on the size, capacity, and redundancy requirements of the facility. The specific number of UPS units installed in a data center depends on factors such as the power load of the equipment, the criticality of the data center operations, and the desired level of redundancy and fault tolerance. In smaller data centers or those with lower power demands, a single UPS unit may be sufficient to provide backup power. However, larger and more critical data centers often employ multiple UPS units in parallel or in a redundant configuration to ensure high availability and fault tolerance. Data centers typically follow best practices such as N+1 or 2N redundancy, where the number of UPS units installed exceeds the actual power requirement. The "N" in these terms represents the number of UPS units required to support the load, and the "+1" or "2N" signifies the additional UPS units for redundancy.
What Are the Different Types of UPS In Data Center?
There are several different types of UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems commonly used in data centers.
- Standby (Offline) UPS: Standby UPS systems are the most basic type and are commonly used for small-scale applications. They provide basic surge protection and switch to battery power only when there is a utility power failure. The transfer time between the utility power and battery power is typically a few milliseconds, resulting in a slight interruption in power.
- Line-Interactive UPS: Line-Interactive UPS systems are an improvement over standby UPS systems. They actively regulate and correct small variations in voltage levels without relying on battery power. Line-Interactive UPS systems use an automatic voltage regulator (AVR) to adjust the input voltage and maintain it within a predefined range. They switch to battery power when there is a complete power failure or if the voltage fluctuates outside the acceptable range.
- Online (Double Conversion) UPS: Online UPS systems provide the highest level of protection and are commonly used in mission-critical data center environments. They constantly supply clean and conditioned power to the connected equipment by converting the incoming AC power to DC and then back to AC. The equipment is always powered by the UPS's inverter, which isolates it from any power quality issues, such as voltage fluctuations or harmonics. The batteries in an online UPS are continuously supplying power, which eliminates any transfer time during a power outage.
- Delta Conversion (Delta-Conversion Online) UPS: Delta Conversion UPS systems are a variation of online UPS systems that use a different topology for power conversion. They offer high efficiency and provide an additional level of power conditioning. In a delta conversion UPS, the incoming AC power is converted to DC and then reconverted back to AC using a three-phase conversion process. This topology helps to eliminate common mode noise, harmonics, and other power quality issues.
- Modular UPS: Modular UPS systems are designed with modular architecture, allowing for scalability and easy expansion. These systems consist of multiple UPS modules that can be added or removed as per the power requirements of the data center. Modular UPS offers advantages in terms of flexibility, redundancy, and ease of maintenance, as modules can be hot-swapped without interrupting power to the connected equipment.
Top Key Players Operating the Market
- BCR Environmental
- Burch Hydro Inc
- Cambi ASA
- Casella Waste Systems Inc.
- Cleanaway Waste Management Limited
- EnGlobe Corp.
- Lystek International
- Merrell Bros. Inc.
- Recyc Systems Inc.
- Remondis SE & Co. KG (Rethmann SE & Co. KG)
- SYLVIS
- Synagro Technologies and Walker Industries.