Warnings about electricity blackouts should drive businesses of all sizes to review their power protection needs, says Alan Luscombe of Uninterruptible Power Supplies Ltd.
Closure of seven of Britain’s nuclear power stations this autumn for inspection, repair and maintenance has raised serious concerns about the reliability of the UK’s power supply. Further, in May, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across England experienced power cuts after a fault caused an unplanned shutdown at the Sizewell B nuclear power plant in Suffolk.
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,” cautions 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.
Power continuity
Business functionality is increasingly driven by power-dependent, sensitive equipment. However, in stark contrast to rapid growth in commercial demand for energy, evidence and expert opinion confirms that there’s good cause for alarm about future supplies. Rising consumption, coupled with an aging power infrastructure and predicted shortfalls, means that UK businesses should be prepared for a less reliable electricity supply, harmful spikes and potential blackouts.
The proliferation of microprocessor-based equipment in industry and commerce has dramatically increased the numbers and types of electrical load falling into the ‘critical’ category, requiring a more stable and reliable power source than is generally offered by the utility mains supply. The importance of protecting commercially vital IT and electronic systems against mains deficiencies and failures has driven the development and uptake of modern uninterruptible power supply (UPS) solutions that can provide continuous, processed, clean power.
Weathering the storm
UPSs can also protect businesses against power interruptions resulting from extreme weather conditions. Flooding across England and Wales in July 2007 for example caused mains 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 on-site but also at electricity sub-stations many miles away that business owners need to consider in their continuity planning.
While flooding and storms are the more obvious threats, high temperatures coupled with summertime peak power demand also presents risks. During heat waves, 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 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.
In addition to providing protection in the event of summertime power cuts, 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.
Protecting Revenue
In the current economic climate, with many companies experiencing fragile market conditions and tight margins, it is arguably even more important to ensure power continuity since system downtime can have a catastrophic effect on business operations and vital income.
Without adequate protection, hours or days of trading can be lost and, unfortunately, there are numerous examples of companies which have gone into liquidation as a result of mains power failures.
UPS Solutions
For critical loads, there is no alternative but to install a form of UPS. Many modern systems are uniquely designed to remove single points of failure, achieving virtually zero downtime and the elimination of costly disruptions to mission critical operations.
Decentralized Parallel Architecture for example works by paralleling independent rack-format UPS modules. This means that each individual module contains all the necessary hardware and software required for full system operation. With all critical components duplicated and distributed between the independent modules, potential single points of failure are eradicated, giving guaranteed system uptime.
With a minimum of one module over and above that required by the ‘capacity’ system, the electrical load is supported with inverter power if any one module shuts down, thereby increasing system reliability.
When compared with conventional parallel protection systems, decentralized modules also reduce electricity costs, heat loss and CO2 emissions, while delivering the industry’s smallest footprint.