Enable sustainability at the edge with a UPS upgrade

Data centres take up a significant proportion of global electricity consumption. In Singapore alone, data centres consume a startling 7 per cent of the power produced. This number is expected to increase over the next few years as more businesses turn to cloud computing technologies and deploy edge systems to enable IoT sensors, smart manufacturing, and smart retail.

While businesses appear helpless to reduce this figure, the truth is that individual organisations can do their part by deploying new, energy-efficient UPS devices for their edge infrastructure. This not only serves to reduce their carbon footprint but also helps save on electricity bills.

More efficient UPS

While the amount of energy consumed by a single UPS device may seem insubstantial by itself, a retailer running a hundred sites can expect to experience substantial savings.

For a start, a new breed of UPS with innovative technologies powered by wide-bandgap semiconductors can operate at a higher voltage and higher frequency than possible with traditional semiconductors The result is a more energy-efficient device with fewer power losses for the same level of protection, culminating in lower operating costs.

And unlike standard valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries, the latest lithium-ion UPS do not require regular replacement. Indeed, they can last up to 10 years, compared to three to five years for UPSes that are based on VRLA batteries.

By switching to a lithium-ion UPS, businesses can save on maintenance and disposal costs. These savings have a positive effect on sustainability because they reduce the amount of waste produced by UPS systems and their associated infrastructure over time.

Real-time monitoring

In addition, new Internet-connected UPSes offer a range of smart capabilities such as remote monitoring and management. Real-time monitoring eliminates the need for site visits for routine maintenance or on-site troubleshooting. This contributes to a lower cost overhead and goes a long way to help businesses achieve their sustainability goals at the edge.

Moreover, businesses no longer need to dispatch someone to a site to check on the battery's health and performance, as they are available in real time. The collected data can give vital insights as to whether a UPS is failing, too, allowing businesses to make proactive replacements when a failure is imminent.

Finally, remote access through the UPS also offers the ability to reboot attached loads. Whether bare metal servers or network switches, this can prevent unplanned power interruptions, reducing operating costs and extending equipment life by limiting downtime.

A good UPS helps reduce power loss, which directly saves money on the electric bill and indirectly helps reduce carbon emissions. It means that fewer resources are required to manufacture batteries, as well as less maintenance work on them later down the line. These benefits aren't just theoretical; they can be realised in practice with modern UPSes.

We all have a responsibility to work toward sustainability goals. Reducing power consumption at data centres and the edge isn't always easy, but it's possible.