INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Data Centers

Data centers are experiencing these challenges as advancements in Digital Transformation , including Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) and Generative AI ( GenAI ), are straining traditional electrical utilities . Vertiv partnered with American Electric Power ( AEP ) on the microgrid application .

The microgrid and experience center are now active at the Vertiv Delaware facility .

Microgrids for data centers have become increasingly popular as trends such as Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) require more power than is available from traditional electric grids .

Additionally , microgrids can be used to reduce reliance on the electrical grid for power capacity and availability and to reduce diesel generator backup starts . systems . Standing up a microgrid that serves as both a customer experience center and a test lab for performance will enable Vertiv to help our customers make critical decisions on whether a microgrid and BESS are right for their data center and how to deploy their own microgrid sites ,” said Kyle Keeper , Senior Vice President , Global AC Power Product Development and Engineering , Vertiv . “ This is an important step in helping our customers operate more efficiently and effectively with the electrical grid .”

The 1.0-megawatt ( MW ) microgrid includes a 1.0 MW AC Solar PV ( photovoltaic ) array , 400MW Hydrogen Fuel Cell , 1.0 MW Vertiv DynaFlex Battery Energy Storage System ( BESS ) and Vertiv ’ s Uninterruptible Power Supply ( UPS ) system , lithium-ion battery , system controls and other critical components .

Microgrids reduce vulnerability to utility outages by using a number of connected distributed energy resources , with a BESS storing the energy and providing it on demand as needed .

In the Vertiv application , energy sources are coming from the electrical utility , the solar array and the hydrogen fuel cell .

Ahead of opening the microgrid and experience center , Vertiv introduced the Vertiv Liebert APM2 energy-efficient and scalable power solution to its UPS systems portfolio – pitched as offering significant energy savings .

The Liebert APM2 is said to satisfy the increasing power needs of Edge Computing applications , as well as the constrained space typical of these sites , in delivering a greater power output in a smaller footprint than similar capacity solutions – with Liebert APM2 models requiring up to 45 % less space than the predecessor UPS , Vertiv Liebert APM . p

Vertiv will be leveraging the application as proof of concept to test operational functions of the microgrid and Vertiv data center infrastructure technologies , including reliability , backup duration and the responsiveness of the microgrid during a variety of normal and extreme operating conditions .

The Vertiv microgrid merges best-in-class , reliable and eco-friendly infrastructure technologies to support data center availability and sustainability objectives .

“ Our customers are evaluating the role of microgrids and battery energy storage systems ( BESS ) for their mission critical power

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