Data Centre Management – Winter 2016
On its own, the National Grid is pretty impressive, serving us well and powering our everyday electrical devices. But at busy or peak times of the year it might need some help from STOR, Short Term Operating Reserves.
Situated all around the country, STOR projects bolster the National Grid in times of peak electricity usage and, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday right around the corner, this year is no exception.
This year, the American retail event (adopted by discount loving Brits) Black Friday, falls on 25th November and Cyber Monday on 28th November, leaving the days in between probably one of the busiest weekends for online retailers.
City AM reported that in 2015 we saw the last Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales figures reach £3 billion in the UK alone and they are increasing substantially every year. That number is bigger than the entire economy of many countries meaning the burden for a reliable data centre infrastructure is bigger than ever.
To anticipate for times when a power surge occurs, the Grid must have a comprehensive contingency plan and a network of energy provider partners so that a constant supply of electricity can be ensured regardless of what time of year it is.
One way to help is by creating bespoke cooling systems with powerful fast working fans, combined with attenuators to silence the operating sounds. All acoustic data is derived from the equipment tests in a professional anechoic chamber too, so that exact tweaks can be made to meet site requirements.
We’ve created solutions for STOR projects which have so far been installed in multiple areas around the country.
As we’ve seen over recent years, this is quickly becoming one of the busiest times of year, and we’re sure that by providing the National Grid with small power plant cooling all around the UK that, we’re helping them help Britons everywhere get their shop on during this weekend.
