Data centre owners need to thoroughly test their backup power solutions to ensure that they will be unaffected by possible power shortages this winter, says Data Centre Alliance (DCA) board member Anne Stokes. The reliability on the National Grid being “always on and always there” has meant that many operators and users have not robustly checked their plan B scenarios and whether they could cope with sustained power interruption, resulting in an increased risk of power downtime.
The National Grid is set to publish an updated report within the next few days, which is expected to reveal that the spare electricity capacity this winter could fall to just 1.2 per cent if temperatures drop, which is potentially the biggest threat to Britain’s power supplies for a decade. The National Grid’s coverage is historically very consistent, meaning that backup power generators in data centres have not been needed and test regimes may not have been as robustly applied.
Anne Stokes, board member for the DCA and CEO of Streamwire stated: “British businesses have become rather spoilt by the reliability and stability of the National Grid’s services nationwide. The projections as to UK power capacity should we have a severe cold spell means that we have absolutely no guarantees of this going forward. Everyone must ensure that they have a plan B that they have robustly tested before it is too late.
“As is often the case, assumptions drive decisions as to risk - and the risk of the National Grid failing to be there when we need it, is factored within all tier two and above facilities in the UK. These facilities must have some form of back up power to ensure they can continue to support the companies that house their own business systems within these facilities. However, ensuring these power supplies actually work when you really need them to requires systematic and sustained field-testing under the equivalent of a live load scenario…. In other words, the data centre test drive”
Stokes concluded: “The process of checking “the lights will stay on” is simple but vital. As the threat of winter power shortages looms ever large, data centre owners and operators alike have a responsibility not just to their own business but those that rely on them doing this.”
