Why is good power quality crucial in data centers?
The world around us is turning more and more digital every day. The massive amount of data society needs to function is overwhelming and achieving high reliability is an enormous challenge. The solution is not only to build more data centers but to sustain the ones that already exist by ensuring good power quality and improving energy efficiency. Data centers play a vital role in modern societies, so securing their trouble-free and smooth operation is crucial.
Issues with power quality in data centers
Data centers have a large number of IT equipment, like servers and computers, that have substantial power requirements. In addition, customers expect nothing less than 100% availability and reliability. This means that data centers have to be efficient and error-free every second of the day. Even a short power cut or failure of any kind can disrupt their processes and end up causing serious issues. To ensure the safety and satisfaction of customers and the reliability of machines, data centers have invested a lot in both cyber and physical security. However, data centers might easily overlook one section of security, which is poor power quality.
Poor power quality can appear in many shapes and forms, and it can cause a wide range of issues. Power quality problems can set out within a fraction of a second and can cost millions of euros in downtime and maintenance. By investing in better power quality, the energy efficiency of data centers can be increased, and electricity consumption can be significantly reduced. As the cost of electricity keeps on rising, efficient power usage becomes even more essential. But poor power quality does not only affect energy efficiency, it also comes with a lot of indirect costs in the form of prematurely failing equipment and unnecessary outages.
Data centers are highly susceptible to even the most common power quality problems. These are harmonics, voltage unbalances, interruptions, and transients.
Main consequences of poor power quality in data centers
- Revenue losses: Poor power quality and unreliable power supply can cause losses in terms of data, resources, and productivity. The entire infrastructure and the equipment critical to the functioning of these facilities are also at risk.
- Failing customer service: Customer service is bound to go down with poor power quality and reliability. This ultimately brings down the level of customer satisfaction which in turn affects the client base of a particular facility.
- Service interruptions and downtime: Poor power quality and unexpected problems in data centers cause disruptions in the smooth functioning of the facility and downtime as well.
Our solution for data centers – Modular Merus® Technology
Merus® A2 – Active Harmonic Filters are modular devices that are able to dynamically mitigate harmonics and even phase unbalance to ensure compliance with power quality standards and recommendations. Providing higher productivity, reduced maintenance costs, and longer equipment lifetime. Merus® A2 can be easily tailored to a variety of applications and can meet small and large-scale customer needs with their modular structures. Their compact size and scalable design allow simple and cost-effective integration into variable frequency drives, capacitor bank cubicles, and numerous other electrical systems.
Merus® A2 operate similarly to noise-canceling headphones. They measure the distorted current of the non-linear load and inject harmonic frequencies but with an opposite phase angle. Canceling out harmonic currents reduces voltage harmonics and eliminates distortion at the point of common coupling.
With the help of Merus® A2, it’s possible for data centers to achieve power quality standards such as IEEE 519, G5/4, EN 50160, and other recommendations. Merus® Solution family is cutting-edge technology designed to be easy to use for customers.
Merus® A2 – Active Harmonic Filters improving power quality in Asian-Pacific data center
One of the largest data centers in the Asia-Pacific area needed to secure its operations and eliminate harmonic distortions. The target of this project was to improve the operation of the data center by reducing the harmonic distortion to comply with THDi under 5%. Merus® A2 – Active Harmonic Filters were chosen as an efficient solution.
Below are the results after installing Merus® Active Harmonic Filters:
- Harmonics THDi reduced from 20% to below 5%
- Power factor improved from 0.82 to 0.99
- Reduction in kVA maximum demand and losses
- All loads are balanced in the building with less than 10% unbalance
- Load current reduced
These improvements have led to a smaller electricity bill and longer lifetime for electrical equipment. More balanced loads also helped to increase the capacities of power cables and power devices. Better power quality ensured more efficient and smoother operations.
Merus Power, a trusted partner with years of experience
Merus Power is a Finnish technology company with a profound local and global presence and a strong industrial order backlog in power quality solutions. Over the years, we have delivered our innovative solutions to over 70 countries around the world to various customers and successfully mitigated all sorts of power quality issues. With a customer-oriented approach, we design and tailor the best possible solution for our customers using our cost-effective and top-quality scalable Merus® technology. We have over 15 years of experience in power quality and engineering and a deep passion for technology.
Merus Power has recently signed two agreements to deliver Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filters to data centers. Several dozen active harmonic filters are going to North America. This delivery is part of a framework agreement, according to which we will supply the customer with a total of hundreds of active filters over the next two years. Also, with the help of one of our partners, we have signed our largest single transaction of Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filters in the history of Merus Power. These Active Filters will be delivered to a data center in Europe.
These and other smaller contracts made to the data center sector are very promising and show that our products are a good solution to the sector’s needs.
Join us in creating a more energy-efficient and sustainable future! Let’s make the world of data centers more reliable, consistent, and efficient!
Viktoria Mansikkala
Sales Manager,
Baltics & Eastern and Southern Europe