Both new models are powered by a new ultra-high-rate monobloc battery from ZincFive – the Z5 13-90. This ultra-high-rate battery, while maintaining the same case size as its predecessor, now delivers even greater energy and power thanks to a boost in both amp-hour capacity and a remarkable 50% increase in maximum current carrying capability.
The Race to Reduce UPS Runtime: Why Backup Battery Selection Matters More Than Ever
May 20, 2024
In the high-stakes world of data centers, where downtime can spell disaster, the quest for reliable, uninterrupted power is crucial. When utility power goes down, data center Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems immediately turn to backup batteries to provide power until the generators come online. This ensures business continuity for servers housed at that facility and prevents costly downtime, loss of revenue, and potential damage to the company’s reputation.
Known as “battery backup runtime,” this transitional period has been slashed from 30 minutes to under 5 minutes within the last decade by advanced generator technologies and power architectures. Now, many new designs plan to shift their facilities to generator power in 3 minutes or less. The reduction in battery runtime provides a valuable opportunity for data center owners to optimize their UPS systems for reliability and cost savings.
For instance, many data center UPS systems currently rely on lead-acid batteries – which typically are not optimized for runtimes under 5 minutes. Re-evaluating the “tried and true” backup battery chemistries can reveal better options with greater reliability and safety during short-term, high-power discharges, a reduced footprint, and lower total cost of ownership.
Harry Handlin, U.S. Data Center Segment Leaders at ABB says: “Many data centers are selecting runtimes less than 5 minutes to optimize cost and minimize footprint. These customers have realized long ago that 5 minutes of UPS battery runtime does not provide added protection. If a generator fails to start, the problem cannot be corrected in 5 minutes or even 15 minutes.”
How ABB and Their Customers Future-Proof Construction Supply Chain with NiZn Technology
Read PostDue to their chemistries, traditional lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries require data center owners to purchase more cabinets than ultimately needed to provide adequate short-term power. In a lead-acid or lithium-ion battery string, a single failed cell impedes the current flow from surrounding cells in the string, creating an increased voltage drop or open circuit that can bring down the entire string in an outage. Compensating for this weak point requires data center owners to purchase additional redundant battery strings, increasing the overall cost of ownership and taking up valuable real estate within the data center.
In addition, lithium batteries’ risk of thermal runaway requires their Battery Management System (BMS) to disconnect them if even a single battery cell is out of tolerance. While necessary to prevent safety hazards, this precaution can prevent a battery system from providing runtime for the data center.
Newer battery technologies, such as nickel-zinc chemistries, eliminate this need for extra space and costs. Unlike lithium-ion and lead-acid cells, a weak or depleted nickel-zinc cell remains conductive and allows the rest of the battery string to continue delivering power. Nickel-zinc batteries are also incapable of thermal runaway, so they don’t need to be disconnected in case of a cell failure – allowing them to provide runtime without any concern of the BMS automatically shutting down a battery string. This inherent reliability reduces the need for (and costs of) redundant battery strings.
“Safe enough” is not safe: Assessing battery tradeoffs in data centers
Read PostNickel-zinc batteries also boast a winning combination for short–term, high-discharge applications: high power density and a high discharge rate. This allows them to reliably provide vast amounts of short-term power in smaller footprints than lead-acid and lithium battery systems. In contrast, lead-acid batteries have a high discharge rate but relatively low power density, requiring more or larger batteries to handle an equivalent load. Meanwhile, lithium-ion battery cabinets are limited to a low discharge rate, since the BMS shuts them down if their discharge current goes above the level needed to prevent fire hazards. These overcurrent protection limits increase the risk of cutting off the system during use.
Nickel-zinc batteries offer three times the power density of lead-acid, twice the current carrying capability of industry-leading lithium-ion batteries, and a BMS that won’t interrupt runtime operations (since there’s no risk of thermal runaway). This further reduces the cabinets needed and the UPS room’s space requirements, allowing more room within the data center for revenue-generating equipment like servers.
For instance, a 3-minute high-power discharge for a 1 MW UPS load would only require 3 cabinets of nickel-zinc batteries, compared to 5 lithium-ion cabinets and 6 lead-acid cabinets. Since nickel-zinc batteries can be optimally sized for runtimes of 5 minutes or less and offer greater reliability, data center operators only need to buy the minimum number of battery cabinets to support their load and runtime requirements – decreasing their UPS systems’ total cost of ownership.
As data center owners adopt data center designs with faster automatic failover from UPS to generator, they will need a battery that can be right-sized and optimized for shorter runtimes while still delivering a high-power discharge. When choosing these batteries, they should invest in a battery that provides reliable, safe short-term power bursts in a small footprint with cost-of-ownership savings. With higher power density, reliability, safety, and reduced runtime capabilities, nickel-zinc batteries are a smart and cost-effective choice for the future of data center backup power.
Runtime Optimization: As Data Centers Reduce UPS Runtimes, The Right Batteries Become More Critical
Read PaperPreviously published with Data Center Dynamics
Bridging the Gap: Enterprise Strategies in the Age of Hyperscaler Dominance
April 30, 2024
Every modern data center, whether in the hands of the hyperscalers or the enterprise, will have to reimagine the way power is managed and backed up as part of a broader innovation strategy.
The AI era is poised to reshape the data center landscape. Businesses of every size are looking for ways to leverage generative AI. That means they’ll need more data centers – ones that are higher performing, safer, and more efficient.
The hyperscalers are the ones setting expectations for modern data centers. They have the resources to pursue greenfield opportunities, building new infrastructure with the best technology the market has to offer.
But that doesn’t mean enterprises have to settle for less. With the right technologies that optimize the use of real estate, it’s possible to retrofit a smaller-scale data center for the AI era. This means careful consideration of compute infrastructure to power AI applications, new approaches to rack configurations, cooling technologies, and data storage.
It also means strategically looking at a data center’s power backup systems to ensure a balanced power strategy for brownfield retrofit. Every data needs backup power, but it’s likely your existing power equipment is hogging floor space – without adding a dime of revenue. New technology innovations like nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries offer more density in power backup, potentially ramping backup capacity while freeing up valuable floor space for increased productivity.
Centralized or Distributed Backup Power
To understand the scale of change occurring, consider the numbers. McKinsey forecasts that data center demand will grow by about 10% a year until 2030. By then, demand will reach a total of 35 GW in the US market alone.
As it stands, data center customers are eating up more real estate than data centers can support. For both hyperscalers building new data centers and enterprises making upgrades, one answer is to drive up density delivering more compute per square foot. It’s no surprise, then, that even major cloud service providers are concerned with the amount of real estate their backup power systems are claiming from income-producing assets.
Designing for AI: Advancing Modular Builds to Accommodate Higher Demand
Read PostTypically, data centers have centralized uninterruptible power supply (UPS) backup systems. In the world of hyperscalers, there’s a move toward distributed backup systems – server rack battery backup units (BBUs).
Non-profits such as the Open Compute Project are pushing new standards that take this distributed approach to backup power. While it’s an approach that has several advantages for hyperscalers, it’s less optimal for colocation facilities or the enterprise. This is because colocation facilities need to accommodate different tenant configurations, making it less feasible. Meanwhile, a decentralized approach would be overkill for enterprise-grade workloads.
There’s also in-server backup power, which ensures the server shuts down properly in the event of an outage.
These backup systems can be complementary to one another, or not. The key is to find the right combination to ensure your power-hungry AI workloads can keep running. Many modern data center retrofits involve modular infrastructure, giving existing facilities the flexibility to add what equipment they need, in an iterative fashion and a constrained space.
The Move Away From Lead-Acid
Unfortunately, the lead-acid batteries that have supported data centers for decades are inefficient and hogging valuable real estate. They also have a limited operating temperature range, requiring even more space for cooling technology.
Lead-acid batteries are relatively cheap at the outset, but more modern battery technologies are worth the investment. Lithium-ion batteries hit the market less than a decade ago, but they already account for a sizable share of the market in new data center construction. They’re more efficient – thus taking up less valuable floor space – and don’t have to be replaced as often as lead-acid.
Sustainable Backup Power with Uncompromised Safety and Reliability
Read PostNickel-zinc battery technology is not volatile like both lead-acid and lithium-ion. In fact, it has no thermal runaway and can operate at a wider temperature range than either competing battery chemistry. While lithium-ion batteries offer high energy density, nickel-zinc batters deliver high power density – meaning it has a higher power discharge rate. In a backup scenario, when the sole goal is to run a battery for anywhere from 15 to five minutes or less, you want a small battery that can quickly discharge a large amount of power.
Compatibility With Older Equipment
While hyperscalers have the luxury of starting fresh, the enterprise can’t ignore the incumbent equipment populating its data centers. Up until the introduction of lithium-ion, lead-acid batteries were in every data center.
Utilizing the same UPS charging system, data center operators can more easily retrofit nickel-zinc batteries with existing UPS equipment via drop-in replacements.
Meanwhile, replacing lead-acid batteries with nickel-zinc may be easier than purchasing new lithium batteries, due to the additional safeguards that lithium batteries require. The volatile chemistry of lithium creates more costs around venting, high-capacity fire suppression, enhanced room burn ratings, and other safety features that aren’t necessary for nickel-zinc batteries.
Tomorrow’s Growth, Today’s Challenges: The Next Frontier for Data Centers
Read PostThe bottom line is that all businesses, of every size, will need to modernize their data center strategy to keep up with the promise of AI. The opportunity to simply build new data centers doesn’t always exist, but the right retrofitting strategy will give the enterprise the transformative power it needs.
Previously Published by Data Center Knowledge
Tomorrow’s Growth, Today’s Challenges: The Next Frontier for Data Centers
March 15, 2024
The digital economy is growing – that’s indisputably good news. Developments in AI and growing compute power are creating room for new opportunities and innovations of all kinds.
This growth, however, hasn’t come easily. The global data center market is stretched to its limits. That doesn’t just mean that demand for capacity is outpacing supply. It also means that IT operators are left with overworked equipment, unable to replace it or acquire new equipment quickly enough – and that leads to critical system outages. In the worst-case scenarios, an overworked data center leads to risky scenarios.
While there have been bumps in the road, progress isn’t stopping. The demand for data center capacity remains robust, with hyperscalers – cloud titans like Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft – leading the way in greenfield deployments. Why are hyperscalers starting from scratch? First, existing infrastructure clearly can’t keep up with demand. Just as critically, hyperscalers have the resources and opportunity now to shape infrastructure to their needs, setting the stage for decades of innovation and economic growth.
Meeting capacity needs
Hyperscalers already operate approximately 900 data centers worldwide, Synergy Research Group reported earlier this year – accounting for about 37% of worldwide capacity. By contrast, just five years ago, nearly 60% of data center capacity was in on-premise facilities. In another five years, according to Synergy, overall capacity is expected to double, with hyperscalers claiming more than half of it.
By one estimate, the global data construction market should grow from $50.34 billion (as of 2022) to $73.43 billion by 2028. The buildout continues, even amid economic headwinds, global political uncertainty and continued supply chain challenges.
Broadly speaking, this growth continues thanks to the ever-expanding digital world. Commerce, communication and just about all facets of everyday life are increasingly digital. Major business sectors like healthcare, transportation and manufacturing continue to digitize their operations, demanding more data center capacity.
Meanwhile, the burgeoning possibilities of generative AI are driving demand for more processing power and more storage. Only about one year has passed since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, yet according to one recent survey, 80% of chief data officers believe generative AI is likely to transform their organizations.
Powering the Future: Nickel-Zinc Batteries Unlock Data Centers AI Potential
Read MoreThe demand for greenfield facilities is also coming from organizations running workloads at the edge. Small yet mighty data centers are powering digital services for retailers, hospitals and countless other entities with distributed operations.
Agile, efficient, sustainable
Organizations pursuing greenfield projects aren’t just looking for more capacity. Along with more computing power, there’s a whole range of advanced capabilities that new data centers offer.
For one thing, the data centers of the future have to be exceptionally agile. Unlike the resources found in older facilities, new infrastructure can scale up and scale down as needed to meet the fluctuating requirements of modern workloads.
Additionally, new infrastructure can offer real-time monitoring and automated maintenance, helping IT administrators maintain seamless operations with less effort. The global data center automation market was valued at $7.6 billion in 2022, according to data from Grand View Research, and it’s expected to hit a whopping $20.9 billion by 2030.
Meanwhile, organizations are facing more and more pressure to build more sustainable data centers. That means building facilities with lower emissions and lower water usage. For instance, Google last year acknowledged that its data centers used 4.3 billion gallons of water in 2021. By Sept. 2023, the company was hyping new facilities (in the desert of Mesa, Arizona, no less) that use innovative air-cooling solutions to drastically cut back on its water usage.
Then there are advancements in battery technology that can help improve a facility’s power density – a key factor when you want to minimize a data center’s physical footprint while supporting power-hungry workloads.
Since their initial availability about a decade ago, data center designers have increasingly turned to lithium-ion batteries in lieu of lead-acid batteries. They’re more efficient – thus taking up less of the valuable floor space – and don’t have to be replaced as often as lead-acid. The downside is that lithium-ion batteries are relatively volatile, creating a greater risk of data center fires.
The latest battery technology, nickel-zinc batteries, takes up even less floor space than lithium. Additionally, while lithium-ion batteries offer high energy density, nickel-zinc batteries deliver high power density – meaning it has a higher power discharge rate. In a backup scenario, when the sole goal is to run a battery for just about five minutes, you want a small battery that can quickly discharge a large amount of power. This combination – a higher power discharge rate combined with a smaller footprint – will be key to the future of data centers.
Choosing the Right Battery for your Data Center
Read MoreMeanwhile, the nickel-zinc batteries developed by ZincFive aren’t volatile, like lead-acid and lithium-ion. In fact, it has no thermal runaway at the fundamental cell level and can operate at a wider temperature range. Nickel-zinc batteries also have an operating life up to 3x longer than that of lead-acid batteries, making them significantly more sustainable. All told, nickel-zinc batteries are safer, more reliable, longer lasting and offer a smaller footprint than the competition – and that amounts to a low total cost of ownership.
A better future for everyone
Building the data center of the future will take a great deal of innovation – traditional infrastructure and designs won’t cut it in tomorrow’s world. There will be greater demands for capacity and power, but budgetary realities will require an efficient use of space and more nimble operations. Meanwhile, political pressure and the realities of a warming planet will require safer, more efficient and more sustainable operations. The industry’s hyperscalers are already embarking on the massive projects that will set the standards for decades of digital infrastructure. Let’s hope they get it right.
Previously published by Data Center Post
Efficient and Flexible: The Power of Modular Construction in Data Centers
February 27, 2024
Driven by the need for increased efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability, the data center industry is pivoting to modular data centers. As modular construction becomes the new standard, facilities are under pressure to take full advantage of the benefits offered by this paradigm shift. Those who are late to embrace these advantages risk losing their edge to competitors in attracting customers, investors, and employees.
Modular vs. Traditional Data Centers: Understanding the Differences
Modular data centers are pre-fabricated, scalable units that can be easily assembled, modified, and reconfigured as needed. These units consist of standardized modules including power, cooling, and IT systems, which allow quick deployment and hassle-free expansion.
In contrast, traditional data centers are custom-built, fixed structures that require significant time, resources, and planning for construction and expansion. A recent survey of 228 data center executives found that over half had already deployed modular facilities, while 99% shared that they have plans to use modular data center designs in the coming years.
Designing for AI: Advancing Modular Builds to Accommodate Higher Demand
Read MoreThe Key Advantages: Efficiency and Scalability
Modular data centers’ inherent efficiency is one of their primary benefits. By using standardized components, operators can optimize modular data centers for specific power, cooling, and space requirements. These adaptations lower both operational costs and the amount of waste. From the beginning, modular data centers are easier to work with: they can be built off-site in a controlled, indoor environment, which reduces delays and eliminates weather concerns.
Modular data centers also offer unparalleled scalability. As a company’s IT needs grow, it can rapidly deploy additional modules without disrupting existing operations. This flexibility not only saves time and money, but also ensures that businesses can adapt to changing demands with minimal downtime.
Upgrading UPS Systems and Alternative Battery Chemistries
A critical component of any data center is the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system, which ensures continuous operation during power outages or fluctuations. Modular data centers provide a significant advantage when it comes to upgrading UPS systems, as they can easily accommodate alternative battery chemistries such as lithium-ion and nickel-zinc. These alternative chemistries offer higher power density, smaller footprints, lower weight, and faster recharge times compared to traditional lead-acid batteries.
Choosing the Right Battery for Your Data Center
Read MoreFor instance, nickel-zinc battery chemistries’ high power density allows operators to reduce the space (and associated costs) needed for backup power supplies. Some nickel-zinc UPS battery cabinets can deliver the same power as lead-acid battery cabinets twice their size and weight, which significantly reduces the number of cabinets required and the linear size of the overall container. Nickel-zinc batteries can also operate at higher temperatures, which enables a lower-capacity cooling system with lower up-front and operating costs. Since they can’t go into thermal runaway, nickel-zinc batteries don’t need the additional safety infrastructure that lithium-ion batteries require – making them ideal for modular data centers.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability: The Green Benefits of Modular Data Centers
Increased demands for scope 3 emissions transparency are gaining momentum, driven by pressure from investors, regulators and the general public. Data centers that stay ahead of the competition in reporting and addressing scope 3 emissions will attract customers and investors who are seeking comprehensive disclosure and commitments to sustainability. This applies to the climate impact of both the data center companies and their customers (as happens with colocation facilities).
Modular data centers have a significantly smaller environmental footprint compared to traditional data centers. Due to their scalable nature, modular data centers can be tailored to meet specific energy requirements, resulting in reduced energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. They can be also easily upgraded to incorporate technologies with lower environmental footprints, such as the previously discussed sustaimable batteries for UPS systems.
Why Modular Data Centers are Good for the Environment
Read MoreThe Bottom Line: Embracing the Future of Data Center Infrastructure
With greater efficiency, scalability, flexibility, and sustainability, modular data centers are the new norm for data center infrastructure. As the demand for data storage and processing grows, savvy enterprises will recognize and act on the benefits of adopting modular data center solutions to remain competitive, reduce costs, and minimize their environmental impact. By not only adopting modular construction, but fully embracing its advantages, businesses can ensure that they are well-equipped to adapt to the ever-changing technological landscape while contributing to a greener, more sustainable future.
Previously published by Digitalisation World
How to achieve sustainable data center backup systems
February 26, 2024
Data center reliability and resilience are non-negotiable. These facilities, which house vital digital assets and support critical business operations, must maintain high uptime to meet the demands of an increasingly connected world.
At the heart of this reliability is the center’s uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, which ensures consistent power flow and protects against potentially catastrophic downtime.
A UPS system failure can lead to significant financial losses, damage to equipment, loss of data, and erosion of customer trust. According to the Uptime Institute, more than two-thirds of all outages cost data centers over $100,000.
Backup power systems have another increasingly urgent imperative: sustainability. Investors, customers, and regulators are exerting pressure on industries, including the data center sector, to adopt environmentally friendly practices and ultimately achieve net zero GHG emissions.
The failure to embrace sustainability carries risks that extend beyond environmental harm. Reputational damage, regulatory penalties, and loss of business from eco-conscious clients can all impact the bottom line.
Conversely, the adoption of sustainable practices can enhance a company’s reputation, attract investment, and provide a competitive edge in an increasingly green market. Sustainable UPS systems can help data centers achieve these goals by reducing their environmental impact.
Choosing the Right Battery for your Data Center
Read MoreSo how can UPS systems be made more sustainable? One key lies in the choice of batteries used in these systems. Traditional UPS systems often rely on valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries.
While these technologies have long been considered a standard, alternative battery chemistries can offer a path to more sustainable UPS systems, taking into consideration a variety of characteristics:
Material use: The materials used in different battery chemistries vary in their lifecycle environmental impact. For instance, nickel and zinc are safe and abundant materials that mitigate battery hazards, health risks, and scarcity concerns compared to the lead and lithium used in lead-acid and lithium batteries. This advantage carries through to the end of the battery lifecycle; recycling nickel and zinc batteries uses less energy than lead, which requires energy-intensive high heat smelting.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: The production, use, and disposal of batteries all contribute to GHG emissions, which drive climate change. Certain battery chemistries and designs, such as nickel-zinc batteries, have a lower manufacturing carbon footprint than other battery types. They’re also energy-efficient with a long lifespan, further reducing these emissions.
Carbon payback time: This is the time it takes for a product to ‘pay back’ the carbon emitted during its production through its operational life. A shorter carbon payback time means the product used less carbon in its manufacture and is more beneficial for the environment.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): VOCs are often used during the production of batteries and can contribute to air pollution and health problems. Batteries that minimize the use of VOCs in their production processes are more sustainable.
Water footprint: This refers to the total volume of freshwater used to produce a product. Battery manufacturing can be water-intensive, so choosing batteries that prioritize water efficiency in their manufacturing processes contributes to their sustainability.
Energy footprint: This is the total energy consumed over a product’s lifecycle, including its manufacturing process. The less energy used over the battery’s lifecycle, the lower its energy footprint and the more environmentally friendly it is.
These characteristics play a crucial role in determining the sustainability of UPS batteries in data centers. By understanding these factors, data center operators can make informed choices that favor sustainability, reducing their environmental impact while maintaining reliable power supply.
For instance, nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries fulfill all these requirements by using abundant raw materials with a low carbon manufacturing footprint, yielding a shorter carbon payback time than lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.
Nickel-Zinc Climate Impact Profile
Read MoreOver their lifetime, nickel-zinc batteries use 95 percent less water than lithium batteries, and 22-33 percent less energy than lithium-ion and lead batteries.
Data center operators including Corscale and Wyoming Hyperscale have chosen to utilize NiZn-powered UPS systems for their facilities, driven in large part by their sustainability metrics.
According to Boundless Impact Research and Analytics’ analysis, nickel-zinc batteries have achieved the highest climate rating of 9.4 out of 10, making them an ideal option for data centers looking to reduce their scope 3 emissions and reach their sustainability goals.
Considering sustainability when implementing resilience strategies is not just good for the environment – it’s good for business. Environmental responsibility is becoming a necessity rather than a choice.
By choosing sustainable UPS energy storage systems, data centers can improve their environmental performance, meet growing stakeholder expectations, and ensure their operations remain resilient and reliable.
Previously published by Data Center Dynamics.
Designing for AI: Advancing Modular Builds to Accommodate Higher Demand
February 6, 2024
“Modular design has taken off in the past decade – but the demands of AI and machine learning mean we need to innovate even faster for smarter, more sustainable data centers,” declared ZincFive’s Director of Product Management Aaron Schott as he kicked off an insightful panel at the recent 7×24 Exchange Conference. Aaron and data center experts from Skybox Data Centers, Integra Mission Critical, and Telios Engineering explored how cutting-edge designs for modular data centers can power sustainable growth amid surging demand.
As data centers face escalating power needs driven by AI and numerous other emerging technologies, rack densities continue to climb and force data center operators to adjust. Luckily, modular data centers are perfectly positioned for such adjustments.
Modular data centers are a design approach in which prefabricated units are assembled and outfitted with preselected, preconfigured equipment. This approach allows more flexibility in location and timing, and easier as-needed scaling and replacement of the center’s equipment and systems over time – perfect for the ever-shifting needs of data centers. Additionally, modular design also supports sustainable construction and operation of a data center.
Density Strains Traditional Designs
The panel began by discussing one of the biggest new challenges for modular data centers: the sheer amount of data needed for burgeoning applications such as generative AI.
You have these large, large demands. New chips drive densities beyond what’s been cooled before – or even considered possible.”
Gordon Kellerman, Skybox Data Centers
While modular designs are inherently more flexible than traditional data center designs, they must adapt even further to sustainably support spiking compute power needs. Megawatt demands from users are increasing yearly. Gordon noted how “in the past, a 1 MW deal was great; now, many customers require 150-300 MW and beyond.”
Cooling Innovations Accommodate Capacity and Lower Footprint
Greg MacNeill of Integra Mission Critical offered cooling techniques, such as immersion cooling, as examples of ways data centers are meeting this skyrocketing compute density demand without exceeding budgets and sacrificing sustainability goals.
“As densities increase, I recommend planning a facility evolution to fluid cooling,” Greg shared. “A planned shift to integrate more powerful cooling strategies can help prevent rip-and-replace retrofitting down the line, helping future-proof modular data centers for rising density.”
More powerful cooling strategies allow data centers to reduce their shell size by 15-20 percent. By packing more equipment into modular power and cooling yards, over 35% more capacity fits in less land. This smaller physical footprint is both more sustainable, and more cost-effective in terms of real estate costs. Ambient cooling solutions can also deliver major infrastructure savings.
“The time is now to consider hybrid environments that combine air and liquid cooling,” agreed Gordon. “Immersion cooling enables massive space savings compared to traditional cooling strategies.”
Mason McPike of Telios Engineering also supported these techniques and suggested incorporating modular electrical rings underneath facilities to enable easy future cooling expansions, since “modular power infrastructure enables component replacement without full shutdowns.”
Why Modular Data Centers are Good for the Environment
Read PostBuilding on Mason’s point, Greg McNeil added how “modular design lets us phase in infrastructure as the facility grows. Designing for scalability is more sustainable, since growing the data center won’t result in discarded materials from reconstruction.”
Modular power rooms enable flexible equipment deployment, and allow for renewable energy connections anywhere.
Enhancing Resiliency and Sustainability Despite Demand
While meeting data demand is paramount for data centers, the ability to do so without sacrificing resiliency and sustainability will set successful data centers apart. Investor pressure to disclose scope 3 emissions is growing, and as companies look to reduce their emissions, data centers are increasingly under the microscope as an opportunity for impactful reductions, considering they are one of the most energy-intensive components of their customers’ supply chains.
Meanwhile, the cost of data center outages is rising, with a quarter of data center operators responding to an Uptime Institute survey stating that their most recent downtime incident cost them over one million dollars in both direct and indirect costs.
Aaron Schott explained that backup battery innovations like ZincFive’s nickel-zinc battery cabinets help data centers simultaneously increase server space, meet resiliency goals, and improve sustainability.
Sustainable Backup Power with Uncompromised Safety and Reliability
Read PostNickel-zinc batteries have the highest power density on the market, which frees up valuable real estate for data centers by allowing them to pack the same runtime capacity into a significantly smaller space than lead-acid or lithium-ion solutions. Their 15-20-year lifespan is double that of lead-acid batteries, which reduces replacement needs and costs. And since they’re incapable of thermal runaway, they don’t need the same bulky safety equipment that lithium-ion batteries need to protect from fire hazards.
Nickel-zinc batteries also provide greater resiliency against power failures and shutdowns, which can cost data servers hundreds of thousands per event. Nickel-zinc battery cells allow full conductivity even when depleted, which guards against the string failure and emergency maintenance visits that lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries can require.
Greg MacNeill added that nickel-zinc batteries’ resilience against heat can help data centers save on costs and energy as well.
We’re always exploring innovations across electrical systems, including pushing for increased operating temperatures, that help data centers save energy and cooling costs. For a long time, backup batteries limited data centers to lower temperatures to avoid lead-acid and lithium battery failure. By removing that constraint, new chemistries like nickel-zinc allow us to operate at higher temperatures and save energy.”
Greg MacNeil, Integra Mission Critical
Collaboration Is Key
As Gordon Kellerman of Skybox Data Centers stated, collaborating across manufacturers, operators, and clients is key going forward. Innovations like immersion cooling and nickel-zinc batteries boost efficiency, resiliency, and energy savings.
The panelists all concluded that reaching the next level of high-density, high-efficiency modular data centers requires partnership and optimization. By collaborating across data center operators, manufacturers, integrators, and consultants to integrate expertise while optimizing components like nickel-zinc batteries for reliability and sustainability, modular innovation can achieve unprecedented new heights.
Sustainable Backup Power with Uncompromised Safety and Reliability
January 4, 2024
As AI becomes mainstream, rack server density demands are increasing more than ever before – just as growing climate awareness is putting pressure on data centers to become more sustainable. How can operators balance all these challenges without compromising uptime?
ZincFive’s Aaron Schott joined Carsten Baumann, the Director of Strategic Initiatives of Schneider Electric, and Alex Dickins of Datacenter Dynamics (DCD), to discuss this very question in the DCD event, “Choosing sustainable backup power without compromising on safety & reliability.” They dove into solutions that can help data centers both provide reliable increased server rack density and meet sustainability goals.
Listen to the entire session to explore how robust battery solutions can allow data centers to navigate market pressures to advance towards net-zero, and read on for our chief insights and takeaways:
Sustainability Is a Top Priority for Data Center Customers
The data center industry is confronting a sustainability imperative as capacity expands rapidly. Currently, data centers consume around 2% of global energy demand.
By 2040, just 16 years from now, global data center capacity will double. If we double capacity, this becomes a bigger portion, so creating a more sustainable data center is critical.”
Schneider Electric’s Carsten Baumann
In response, leading companies, including Schneider Electric, are evaluating their entire supply chain and product lifecycles. Baumann disclosed that in 2022, over 99% of Schneider Electric’s 61 million tonnes of emissions stemmed from scope three, or supply chain, emissions. In response, they initiated a Zero Carbon Project with their top thousand suppliers, encouraging them to review and reduce emissions by 50% by 2025 for Schneider Electric to continue sourcing from them. Such initiatives indicate that large clients are seeking ESG-conscious suppliers – including data centers – that can prove lower emissions.
Standard ISO sustainability metrics are also emerging to drive improvements. “Having an internationally standardized framework to measure against is very valuable, since we can evaluate suppliers based on the same consistent ISO standards,” said Baumann.
If we make sustainability metrics easy and standardized, data centers will optimize and compete to be the most sustainable, and quickly move the industry forward.”
ZincFive’s Aaron Schott
Nickel-Zinc Batteries Can Help Quantify Sustainability from Cradle to Grave
One area in which data centers can prove greater sustainability to clients lies in their UPS battery sourcing. For instance, Baumann noted that while lead-acid and lithium batteries rely on materials with limited supply chains and intensive, controversial mining practices (including cobalt and lithium), ZincFive batteries rely on abundant metals like nickel and zinc.
Schott added that ZincFive batteries score well – literally – across their full lifetime environmental impact, from sourcing to manufacturing to deployment. A third-party study analyzed ZincFive batteries’ climate impact metrics, including greenhouse gas production, water usage in manufacturing, volatile organic compounds, and other sustainability factors. He pointed out that, with 10 representing the highest positive environmental impact, ZincFive’s NiZn batteries scored a 9.4 – significantly higher than lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.
Closing the Emissions Gap: Data Center Sustainability
Read MoreMore Than Sustainable: Reliable and Space-Efficient
Of course, sustainability isn’t the only priority for data centers considering UPS solutions. To be competitive, batteries must also address other concerns as well: safety, reliability, and – as data centers try to pack more capacity to support growing client needs – efficient use of space.
Fortunately, nickel-zinc batteries specialize in those areas too. Nickel-zinc chemistry enables power-dense designs, which enables fewer, smaller cabinets and footprint – bolstering sustainability while maintaining backup time.
“As data centers scale up with 1.5-2MW+ UPS units, we increased battery power density in our recently expanded BC 2 battery cabinet line,” Schott shared. “This reduces their installation size while continuing to support growing UPS power. With increased cabinet power density, our footprint can now be 50% of lithium-ion batteries’, which is already 40-50% less than lead acid.”
“Safe Enough” is not Safe: Assessing Battery Tradeoffs in Data Centers
Read MoreThese higher-density designs reduce batteries’ data center footprint, materials, and costs all at once. As facilities grow larger, examining aspects to cut size helps greatly. “For a 100MW facility with 50 modular UPS buildings, even stacked for space efficiency – if we can shrink each one by a foot, we save substantial materials,” shared Schott.
Nickel-zinc batteries are not only incapable of thermal runaway, but can also reliably operate at higher temperatures than lead-acid and lithium batteries – reducing cooling costs. “It’s advantageous to design data centers to safely run hotter without warranty concerns,” said Schott. “This efficiency gained from higher battery operating temperatures enables more free cooling.”
One consideration for data centers when choosing batteries is that UPS batteries generally only need to operate for a few minutes at a time. Aaron recommended matching higher power density batteries to this shorter runtime need. This helps them meet runtime needs with fewer cabinets, preventing oversized solutions and improving efficiency.
Holistic Metrics Show the Way to Net Zero
All three panelists agreed that achieving more sustainable data centers requires a holistic approach.
We need to address the sustainability challenge collectively across disciplines – batteries, UPS, cement, steel, IT equipment, etc. Looking at all these components can get us closer to net zero data centers,” said Baumann. “Collectively we’re setting data center baselines now. Once established, we can make incremental improvements towards a net zero future.”
Schneider Electric’s Carsten Baumann
2023 Highlights: Product Launches, Partnerships and Good Chemistry
December 21, 2023
Across the data center industry, 2023 brought sustainable backup power solutions into the spotlight. Industry-wide conversations and events placed renewed priority on technologies that balance safety, cost efficiencies, and environmental impact. As the effects of climate change become more severe, milestones from COP28 to rising private sector commitments gave momentum to accelerate the adoption of cleaner, safer backup capacity.
As 2023 comes to a close, we want to take this opportunity to highlight ZincFive’s major achievements, milestones, and collaborations that made the year such a success!
Breakthrough Products Offer Unmatched Power Density
This year, we proudly launched two new product offerings within the BC Series UPS Battery Cabinet lineup: the BC 2 – 500 and the BC 2 – 300X. We also announced a new ultra-high-rate battery, the Z5 13-90, which will power the new battery cabinet models.
The latest BC 2 – 500 and BC 2 – 300X products demonstrate our unwavering commitment to delivering the most compact footprint per kilowatt, showcasing consistent advancements with each new release, and surpassing the already industry-leading footprint of ZincFive’s original BC 2 battery cabinet.
We also expanded our presence in the electric vehicle (EV) charging and microgrid markets through our EV Charging solution collaborations with Kaizen Clean Energy (KCE) and Advanced Power & Energy (AP&E).
Joining Forces with Industry Leaders
This year cemented ZincFive’s status as the go-to provider for sustainable backup power solutions as we formed major partnerships with globally recognized leaders across critical industries. In October, electrification and automation technology leader ABB added ZincFive as an approved supplier, allowing ABB to deliver UPS systems that include safe, green ZincFive NiZn battery solutions.
ZincFive and ABB Work Together to Bring Safe, Sustainable Energy Storage to the Data Center UPS Market
Read MoreZincFive also signed an agreement to license our nickel-zinc-based UPS technology to Econolite, part of Umovity and the leader in One-Stop-Shop advanced traffic management solutions. Econolite will have worldwide rights to manufacture, sell, and service ZincFive’s industry-leading nickel-zinc based UPS technology to the intelligent transportation market. This global reach will use our safe, reliable, and sustainable technology to improve mobility worldwide
Industry Awards Honor Pioneering Innovation
This year, we were honored to have our technology, innovations and sustainability leadership recognized by awards from Mission Critical Magazine and S&P Global. We won the 2023 Mission Critical Magazine Top Tier Product Award in the UPS Systems category for our BC 2 UPS Battery Cabinet. The BC 2 Battery Cabinet was selected for the unparalleled power density, reliability, industry-leading footprint, and unmatched safety it offers in UPS applications for data centers and other mission-critical environments.
ZincFive Wins Mission Critical 2023 Top Tier Product Award in the UPS Category
Read MoreWe were also named a finalist for the S&P Global 2023 Platts Global Energy Awards, with our BC Series Battery Cabinets competing for the title of Commercial Technology of the Year. As we continue our work to pioneer safer, cleaner backup power solutions, accolades like these validate our progress and push us to keep raising the bar to realize our vision of a more sustainable future.
Growth
This year, we announced a strategic partnership with Orion Infrastructure Capital (OIC). The capital investment will provide ZincFive up to $80 million via a term loan to fuel the company’s global commercial adoption in existing and new markets, including mission-critical applications in data centers, industrial engine starting, and other high-power energy storage markets. This collaboration will accelerate global channel development, advance the company’s new product pipeline, and expedite the establishment of US-based high-volume production capacity to meet customer demand.
ZincFive Closes an $80 Million Capital Partnership with Orion Infrastructure Capital
Read MoreZincFive also expanded in two ways: geographically into Europe, and as a team ending the year with many more faces than it began! We’re thrilled to have added so many talented, enthusiastic professionals to our mission this year. We’re growing fast – if you’re interested in an exciting career that helps make the world more sustainable, check out our open positions. Watch what our team has to say about life at ZincFive!
In conclusion, 2023 was an incredible year for ZincFive, and we couldn’t have done it without support from our partners, customers, and of course, our growing team. This is a testament to the Power of Good Chemistry, and we can’t wait to see what 2024 holds!
How ABB and Their Customers Future-Proof Construction Supply Chain with NiZn Technology
November 27, 2023
A key challenge in the data center environment is the need to future-proof and scale operations. As organizations strive to remain at the cutting edge of technology, having a comprehensive plan for procurement helps ensure that their supply chains can meet current and future demand.
Strengthening this process was crucial for Corscale Data Centers and KW Mission Critical Engineering, who partnered with ZincFive and ABB to bring a data center in Northern Virginia to completion. This project was discussed in detail during a panel at the 7×24 Spring 2023 Conference, moderated by Harry Handlin, ABB U.S. Data Center Manager. The discussion featured Aaron Schott, Director of Product Management of Data Center Solutions at ZincFive, Nic Bustamante, Chief Technology Officer at Corescale, and Gary Russinko, Managing Pricipal at KW Mission Critical Engineering.
Corscale’s main project goal was to focus on improving sustainability, which becomes even more of a challenge when supply chains are constrained.
The project is a five-building campus providing 300-400 megawatts on a 130-acre property. The data center was designed to use modular equipment for generators and UPS rooms in order to have flexibility in their function, which would allow the data center to rapidly scale its capacity and services in order to meet any changes in customer demands. Corscale chose ZincFive’s nickel-zinc batteries for their impressive sustainability benefits in addition to reliability and unparalleled safety.
Why Data Center Operators Prefer Nickel-Zinc Batteries
Procurement is an important step in navigating supply chain challenges, as organizations must source components that are aligned with their project goals and are reliable and compatible with their existing infrastructure, without compromising project timelines. Circularity was a common theme of this project, in terms of the design, equipment, and use of materials. ZincFive’s nickel-zinc batteries use materials that are more commonly sourced from the Earth and do not use conflict minerals.
At the scale that Corescale plays at, circularity becomes a central theme for us. Looking at ZincFive, we’re using materials that are far more common in the Earth, designing a battery that in itself is easy to recycle. The fact that the product also lasts longer for us means that the life cycle model gets much better for us.
Nic Bustamante, Chief Technology Officer at Corescale
The teams looked into ways to reduce waste and optimize processes throughout the supply chain. ZincFive’s batteries have higher recyclability, and longer life cycles, which are favorable features for operators to minimize maintenance times. They also weigh less, which makes it easier to transport via roadways, and they are safe for air freight. In this case, Nic Bustamante explains one of the most important characteristics of nickel-zinc batteries:
“A big thing for customers is that [NiZn batteries] fail closed. Which I think is something people don’t talk about enough; almost all batteries fail open, so we love that.”
Failing closed allows other batteries in the cell to continue to discharge. This poses the question: what do data centers really need? To make sure their batteries can sustain high currents, safely, reliably, and consistently for long periods of time.
The inherent safety of ZincFive’s battery technology provides an additional layer of flexibility during the construction phase.
That’s the neat thing about having a chemistry that is inherently safe. You can take the chemistry and design it for maximum output power and push the limits of what batteries can do.
Aaron Schott, Director of Product Management at ZincFive
UPS battery cabinets can be populated before they even leave the factory, and can be shipped to a container manufacturer. This saves time on assembly and allows the containers to be shipped to the project site fully assembled.
“One of the drawbacks that is perceived of factory witness testing is that we have to ship all this equipment to one place, then when we’re done take it all apart, ship it to the site, and reinstall it,” Gary Russinko explains.
The ability to install all components in the container, test it, and then ship it tested to the project site avoids the traditional factory witness testing process, significantly reducing delivery timelines.
Transparency Between Suppliers and Customers
Data centers must have optimized and transparent inventory planning, as well as enhanced workflow processes. This ensures that all equipment is up to date and functioning properly, ensuring maximum efficiency and uptime. To ensure compatibility, teams should research and invest in components from reputable vendors and should factor future expansions into their purchasing plans to minimize disruption during upgrades and expansions.
Organizations should also ensure that their suppliers are adhering to industry standards and proactively managing risks in the supply chain. This includes evaluating components for quality and compatibility, verifying compliance with safety regulations, developing relationships with trusted vendors, and performing regular audits of suppliers.
The completed property features an expanded electric infrastructure to minimize downtime, optimize uptime, and maximize sustainability goals. The end result is a highly efficient, flexible data center that can support numerous applications with reliability and scalability. By taking these procurement steps, the teams at Corscale and KW Mission Critical ensured they were making smart investments in their supply chain management and created a more reliable system for their customer.
A reliable data center is essential to any organization’s success. ZincFive ensures all necessary steps are taken to create a secure and dependable UPS battery system. Future-proofing the supply chain is critical in an environment where the demand for data centers is growing exponentially.
The BC 2 – 500: Ultra-High-Rate UPS Battery Cabinet for AI and High Performance Computing
November 16, 2023
The new BC 2 – 500 is the ultimate blend of power, compactness, reliability, and sustainability
Data center operators are tasked with the ever-growing challenge of power density. Made even more prevalent by the rise in high performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI), data centers are looking for opportunities to increase their power density while offering sustainable solutions to ESG-focused clients. To address the market need, we took the already compact, safe and sustainable BC 2 UPS battery cabinet design and filled it with more power.
The BC 2 – 500 now offers all these great benefits in an even smaller package. Customers focused on getting the most out of their power system now have a new option that can significantly reduce their footprint while increasing their power density by over 25%.
What’s new? The BC 2 – 500 is packed with ZincFive’s new Z5 13-90 USF battery and an optimized power path design that now offers a 25% smaller footprint than ZincFive’s standard BC 2 battery cabinet, which already led the industry with the smallest footprint per kilowatt and fewest cabinets per megawatt. This not only saves valuable space in the data center for revenue-generating equipment, but also provides even easier shipping, installation, and maintenance. With a 50% higher current carrying capacity, the BC 2 – 500 is not only capable of ultra-high-rate discharges but the inherent reliability of the NiZn chemistry powers it safely through even the toughest scenarios.
What’s the same? Within that meticulously optimized package and consistent form factor, you will find the same nickel-zinc batteries which have consistently provided top-tier reliability, power density, safety, and sustainability over the past decade. It also continues to be paired with an intelligent BMS system which allows for passive operation and no runtime interruptions. While retaining all the proven features that have made the standard BC 2 a customer favorite, our upgraded battery now enables us to provide a wider range of solutions for powering mission-critical environments.
The best is now even better: let’s look at what the latest BC 2 Cabinet options have to offer.
Packing Power into the Smallest Footprint in the Industry
In data centers, space is money. The smaller a UPS battery’s footprint, the more white space it frees up for the data center’s profit-making IT equipment, such as servers. With high performance computing and the continued race to develop and leverage machine learning the power required has significantly increased and will continue to do so. And since UPS batteries are arranged in rows, the battery cabinet’s width measurement matters most: narrow battery systems can pack more power capacity into the same row.
The BC 2 battery cabinet held the industry record for delivering the same amount of power as much larger lithium and lead-acid batteries, in the smallest package available. The BC 2 – 500 takes that to a new level. Leveraging ZincFive’s ultra-high-rate battery and a more robust power path, it will narrow an operator’s lineup by up to 25% vs. the standard BC 2 and up to 50% over typical lithium-ion battery options.
This battery cabinet delivers more power than a lead-acid battery cabinet twice its size. Lead acid batteries need 240” width, and lithium batteries need 153.5” width, to deliver 1250 kW of power. In contrast, BC 2 cabinets can deliver the same amount with only 84” of linear width.
Compared to the space lead-acid and lithium batteries take up in a data center, the BC 2’s tiny footprint gives operators multiple options. They can use the extra space to generate more profit by installing more servers and other IT equipment. They can select a higher capacity UPS system to fill the space a smaller unit would have. Or, especially in urban areas with expensive real estate, they can save money by developing a smaller data center footprint in the first place. These cabinets are also well-suited to modular data centers since operators can use shorter containers for them.
ZincFive batteries are not just smaller than their counterparts; they are also much lighter and more easily shipped. All the BC 2 cabinet options, which include both the battery and the BMS system, weigh just one third of a lead-acid system with the same power capacity. It’s much easier to transport, especially since the package ships fully complete and assembled. This reduces onsite installation time and the potential for human error.
More Reliable, Durable Backup Battery for Data Centers
Like the standard BC 2 Cabinet, the BC 2 – 500 offers high reliability backup batteries for the data center industry. This reliability stems from several characteristics of nickel-zinc batteries not shared by their lead-acid or lithium counterparts: the ability to pass current through depleted cells, higher current tolerance, and greater operating temperature range.
Each battery string supporting UPS applications contains hundreds of individual cells arranged in series. For example, typical lithium batteries each contain 136 cells per string, and valve-regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries, 240 cells per string. If just one cell in either chemistry’s battery string fails, it can become a high impedance or an open circuit, which prevents the lithium or VRLA battery string from discharging power. One failed cell can result in the data center losing a critical load. Such an event can mean expensive emergency maintenance visits, or more frequent preventative maintenance visits to ensure all failed cells or batteries are replaced immediately.
In contrast, even a weak or depleted ZincFive NiZn cell can still pass current through its string safely. This keeps the battery string functional and avoids the need for an emergency maintenance call. Instead, one can simply replace the battery at the next routine maintenance check.
In addition, nickel-zinc batteries can operate at higher temperatures than most lithium or lead-acid batteries. While most lead-acid batteries require temperatures under 77°F (25°C) and lithium batteries under 86°F (30°C), nickel-zinc batteries can operate at ambient temperatures up to 95°F (35°C) and remain under warranty. Importantly, ZincFive nickel-zinc batteries have warranty terms that allow for temperature excursions of up to 122°F (50°C) for up to 5% of their operating life without violating the warranty. As data centers consider raising operating temperatures to ease cooling costs and increase sustainability, UPS systems with ZincFive NiZn batteries will provide higher reliability at lower costs.
A bonus for those in earthquake-prone areas: the BC 2 cabinet options are all seismic-rated with a robust seismic-tested design that makes it resistant to even severe earthquakes, boosting its reliability even further. A wide operating temperature range, coupled with inherent reliability at the cell level, makes nickel-zinc batteries like those in the BC 2 – 500 Cabinet some of the most reliable in the industry.
Attract Climate-Conscious Customers with Reduced Emissions
The growing urgency around climate change and pressure from stakeholders, policymakers, and the public has made sustainability a factor for data center customers as they choose their providers. Data center operators who can prove sustainability within their operations have an edge in attracting customers – and nickel-zinc batteries’ low climate impact helps provide that edge.
ZincFive’s nickel-zinc batteries have gone through a third-party climate impact analysis and show a significantly lower lifetime climate impact than that of lead-acid and lithium batteries. Their lifetime emissions are only a sixth of lithium batteries’ lifetime emissions, and only a quarter of lead acid batteries’. Sustainable production processes give them a carbon payback time – the time required for emissions savings from the product’s use to offset the GHG of its production – four times faster than that of lithium and lead-acid batteries.
Closing the Emissions Gap: Data Center Sustainability
Read PaperThe findings of this research allow data center customers to include often-elusive Scope 3 emissions reduction in their ESG reporting. By choosing the BC 2 battery cabinets, data center operators can gain a competitive advantage by showcasing their and their customers’ commitment to sustainability.
BC 2 – 500: The Complete Package
Our engineers designed the BC 2 cabinet to suit the needs of data center operators without compromising on any features. They’ve also designed an ultra-high-rate battery to address the surging demand for power density that accompanies the rapid growth of AI and HPC.
The BC 2 cabinet, in conjunction with the ultra-high-rate battery, results in the BC 2 – 500. With the smallest footprint in the industry, the BC 2 – 500 offers data centers the ability to maximize their white space and allocate it to more revenue-generating activities. It contains reliable UPS backup chemistry to ensure that critical loads are protected at all times, in any situation.
The cabinet’s sustainability advantages and minimal maintenance requirements make it an attractive choice for data center operators who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint and simplify their operations.
Building on the success of the standard BC 2, the BC 2 – 500 sets a new bar for the industry for years to come: delivering power whenever you need it, without compromise.