Electricity and Control August 2022

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

Inspired to seek hope and plan action Godfrey Marema, Managing Director and Plant Manager, Eaton, Southern Africa Times of turmoil inspire us to seek hope and plan action.The rollercoaster of current global and local events – from military action in Eastern Europe to political turmoil inWestern Europe, natural disasters and persistent slow economic growth here in South Africa – surges on as the world slowly recovers from the devastating Covid-19 pandemic of the past two years.

Godfrey Marema, Eaton, Southern Africa.

W hile the news is daunting, we need to look beyond the immediate turmoil and seek hope, identify opportunities, and plan action. The last two pandemic years have shown us what is possible if we put our minds to it: commerce and trade carried on in a work-from-home environment and innovations such as telemedicine were adopted without hesitation. With lockdowns largely over, the world rebounded, having learned lessons in efficiency, on-demand retail, and how to Grid-interactive UPS technology Eaton, as a power management company, and Microsoft are working together on grid-interactive UPS technology to help electricity grids in the transition to renewable energy. The collaboration aims to accelerate applications of Eaton’s EnergyAware uninterruptible power system (UPS) technology in key sectors worldwide. It is part of a new strategic frame work agreement between Eaton and Microsoft designed to address major industry developments, including digital trans formation, sustainability and the energy transition.

work together to survive a global nightmare. As the pandemic subsides, new challenges have emerged. The conflict in Eastern Europe has sent energy prices soaring – which has in turn compelled countries that are the world’s highest energy users to re-evaluate their source markets, and indeed their whole approach to energy. In time, this is likely to accelerate innovation in renewable energy installations in each country, as they seek to limit

A key element of the strategic framework agreement is the inclusion of Eaton’s proprietary EnergyAware UPS technolo gy in Microsoft projects. The primary function of a UPS is to provide backup power protection for mission-critical applica tions and facilities and to protect them from grid outages or power quality issues. Through close collaboration over several years, Eaton and Microsoft have added digital capabilities to the UPS, which enables it to be used as a distributed energy resource (DER) to support grids with high levels of variable renewable energy generation. This will allow for a new generation of ‘grid-interactive’ data centres, including those operated by Microsoft, to support grid operators with the provision of critical flexibility services. Sell ing flexibility into the grid is an opportunity for data centres to monetise underused assets, by providing energy storage, for example, and supplying the fast frequency response services which grid operators will increasingly need as renewable ener gy capacity increases and the grid loses the inertia associated with fossil-fuel power generation. Craig McDonnell, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Energy Transition and Digital Division at Eaton, highlights that: “A grid-interactive UPS can help decarbonise energy at grid level, which means its sustainability benefit extends beyond the data centre. This changes the game in terms of energy management within the data centre’s overall environmental impact profile.” Sean James, Director of Data Centre Research at Microsoft said: “A grid-interactive data centre is one where its extensive electrical system functions not only to protect customer IT data and applications but also to provide valuable electrical ser vices back to the transmission system operator and the grid. These auxiliary services will be increasingly critical to help grids cope with high levels of variable renewable energy.” □

EnergyAware UPS technology can be used as a distributed energy resource to support grids with high levels of variable renewable energy generation.

10 Electricity + Control AUGUST 2022