Aceleron : Modular , Sustainable Power Storage For a More Circular Economy
SUSTAINABILITY
Aceleron : Modular , Sustainable Power Storage For a More Circular Economy
“ Data centres require a resilient , constant and vast power supply which means that investing in several ‘ layers ’ of primary and backup power is a necessary evil . Not only is the equipment and energy itself far from cheap , but using diesel powered generators as a backup - although reliable - won ’ t help reduce a company ’ s carbon footprint ,” says Carlton Cummins , co-founder and chief technical officer at clean technology firm Aceleron . “ Many data centres already use batteries as a form of backup power , but often buy the cheapest lead-acid batteries available . There are several drawbacks to these types of battery : they don ’ t last particularly long , don ’ t store as much energy as other batteries , and can be temperamental due to their chemistry . For a facility that needs reliability and resilience , lead-acid batteries are clearly far
from an ideal solution . Add to this the serious issue of battery waste and the toxic process of recycling them and it becomes clear that now is the time for data centres to take another look at their power supply , sourcing more environmentally safe , longer term solutions .”
Aceleron has turned to Lithium-ion batteries as a solution . The company ’ s Omega system provides 50kWh of energy storage per stack - up to three times more in the same footprint as a lead-acid battery . With a highly modular design , solar arrays integrated into the backup system to ease strain on the batteries , and more efficient storage , Aceleron claims its UPS systems lengthen life cycles , reduce emissions during use ( as well as the embedded carbon in the manufacturing process ), and are designed to be maintained rather than discarded and replaced .
Carlton Cummins co-founder and chief technical officer at clean technology firm Aceleron
68 April 2022