WIREDGOV

Emma Fryer looks forward to discussing the latest trends in power supply, the role of renewables, power consumption and energy efficiency at DataCentreWorld.

Ahead of DCW on 15th March, Emma Fryer muses on the barriers that prevent data centre operators from using their standby generating capacity to relieve pressure on the electricity grid at times of peak demand.

Sitting between a government keen on regulating every aspect of energy use and an energy intensive sector that is growing rapidly, I sometimes think I am on an excursion into Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures through the Looking Glass. Paradoxes abound so I will pick one that is a point of conversation at the moment within the industry and also features in our current policy dialogue with government: DSR – Demand Side Response.

DSR (see box) takes advantage of embedded generating capacity to allow National Grid to manage power shortages or surpluses without having to reduce voltage or limit supply.  Power stations with additional standby can bring this online, and large electricity users with emergency standby generation can opt to come offline and onto backup to increase available supply (or supply power directly).  DSR makes an important contribution to the stability and security of our power supply. 

Read the full document here: POWER INSIGHT DATA CENTRES AJ EF CLEAN 003 (DOCX)