Eaton UPS-as-a-Reserve Solution

The solution has been developed in close collaboration with Fortum, a leading energy provider in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Extensive testing between Eaton and Fortum has proven that the UPS can work as part of a virtual power plant to enable data centers to take part in the high-value Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) and demand-side market. The UPS can be used to regulate demand from the grid, as well as for up and down stream charging, to discharge the battery back to the grid. Eaton’s UPSaaR solution gives data center operators, such as colocation and cloud service providers, an opportunity to work with energy providers to momentarily reduce the power demands of the data center, return power to the grid and be compensated for adjustment to power consumption. This helps the grid avoid power outages, without compromising critical loads.

• Increased revenue with typical returns up to €50,000 per MW of power allocated to grid support per year
• Increased competitiveness from turning existing data center technology into a revenue generator
• Control of energy capacity, timing and pricing in response to energy provider needs
• Peace of mind as the UPS’s primary load protection functionality is unaffected by the service

The solution puts data centers in control of their energy, choosing how much capacity to offer, when, and at what price. Eaton will install and maintain the service, providing a communication interface with a commercial energy agregator. It enables a data center to offer its capacity to the ‘national grid’ or Transmission System Operator.

Renewable energy is harder to predict and production can be more volatile – making it harder for energy providers to balance electricity supply. As some of the world’s fastest growing energy consumers, data centers can play a significant role in the FCR market.