Mexico. Eaton will expand its collaboration with Microsoft to accelerate applications of its technology in Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), EnergyAware, in key segments around the world.
The expansion is part of a new strategic agreement between Eaton and Microsoft designed to drive major industry developments, including digital transformation, sustainability and the energy transition.
Through a close collaboration of several years, Eaton and Microsoft have added digital capabilities to UPSs, allowing them to be used as a distributed energy resource (DER) to support grids with high levels of variable renewable energy generation. The result of this partnership will be a new generation of interactive data centers with the network, including those operated by Microsoft, which will be able to support network operators with the provision of critical flexibility services.
Offering flexibility to the grid is an opportunity for data centers to monetize underutilized assets, for example by providing energy storage and providing the rapid frequency response services that grid operators will increasingly need as renewable energy increases and the grid loses the inertia associated with fossil fuel generation. What this means in practice is that the data center can use the resources of its energy storage system to supply some of it to the data center's IT infrastructure during periods of peak demand, limiting the total amount of power the data center draws from the local power grid.
Enabling the UPS to interact with the power grid is a new approach for the data center industry. However, it is important to emphasize reliability, and that the primary function of the UPS is to protect mission-critical equipment, with the necessary runtime in the event of a power failure. Therefore, the capacity and reliability must be maintained to meet the requirements of the Data Center if necessary; the smart grid-ready UPS concept is simple, but it should be noted that it is key, to meet strict technical requirements and a bidirectional power flow depending on the applications.
On the other hand, an interactive UPS with the network helps decarbonize energy at the grid level, meaning its sustainability benefit extends beyond the data center. This is a game changer in terms of energy management within the overall environmental impact profile.
