Key Considerations to Implement Resilient Energy Solutions for Future-Ready Data Centers

During your site due diligence process, identify available power sources and evaluate the cost of building new transmission facilities. Determine if the utility can meet your data center’s needs — and if not, consider alternative solutions that offer independence from the central grid.

Based on your data center’s unique needs, digital models can be built to predict performance and grid impacts that will inform your site selection, strategize scalability planning and identify necessary transmission line or substation upgrades.

Data centers need power, but the interconnection queue is long; faster interconnection time means faster time to market. A comprehensive injection and extraction study can identify appropriate points of interconnection that won’t disrupt schedules or budgets.

With challenges to accessibility and affordability of energy, building onsite power generation infrastructure gives you more control and flexibility. Whether your facility needs an air- or gas-insulated switchgear or modular substation, proven methodologies can be leveraged to meet current and future needs.

Microgrids serve as control centers to seamlessly transition to different types of power generation (such as renewables, combined heat and power, fuel cells and other onsite generators), allowing you to diversify your options for greater resiliency. Microgrids can operate independently from the central grid, allowing mission critical data center operations to continue even during an outage. Off-grid, onsite power generation is even required for grid interconnection in some regions.

The reality of alternative sources of energy is on the near horizon. Planning now for future adaptability will put you in the front of the line when new sources are available and ready to implement.