Small percentage increases in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) efficiency have the potential to add up to millions of dollars in energy cost savings for data centers, according to Brad Thrash, product manager, global AC power systems, GE’s Critical Power business. That’s the case articulated in a newly released white paper from GE on the energy efficiency of multi-mode UPS systems used in data centers around the globe.

According to Frost & Sullivan1, raising energy efficiency levels of UPS systems in data centers from 90% to 98% can save the United States $3 billion annually in energy costs.

“Many UPS units still operate at alternating-current-to-direct-current conversion efficiency levels of around 93%,” said Thrash. “A small increase in efficiency from just 93 to 94% has the potential to yield up to $1.4 million in energy costs over 10 years.”

The white paper, UPS Efficiency—Why Energy Efficiency Numbers Add up, looks at these numbers and reviews the technology and market issues driving UPS multi-mode energy efficiency technologies, including GE’s eBoost* UPS efficiency technology, and examines:

  • The impact of UPS power conversion technologies on the power efficiency of UPSs and the overall energy consumption of data centers.
  •  Traditional double-conversion technology versus premium efficiency multi-mode, or eco-mode, power conversion technologies available for UPSs, which offer energy efficiencies of 98% to 99%.
  • The industry conversation about the reliability of conventional UPS double-conversion topologies vs. the cost savings of highly efficient multi-mode conversion technologies.
  • The design and engineering approaches for advanced power disturbance detection and control and fast transfer switching technologies that enable UPS multi-mode operation and energy efficiency.

How total cost of ownership models demonstrate operating expense savings with just a few percentage points of improvement in UPS power conversion efficiency.This white paper is available online at http://go.ge-energy.com/2014_eBoost_Whitepaper.html. An additional technical white paper, GE’s eBoost Technology—Reducing Data Center Power Consumption, Ensuring Power Quality, also is available for download at
http://go.ge-energy.com/2014_eBoost_Tech_Whitepaper.html.

1.      Frost & Sullivan, Analysis of the Global Data Center Uninterruptible Power Supplies Market, Dec. 19, 2013.

 

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