Vertiv's microgrid system combines innovative infrastructure technologies and alternative energy sources for robust and reliable power to data centers
Vertiv, (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, today unveiled the Vertiv Customer Experience Center, featuring technology microgrid power to help data centers resolve power grid capacity and availability issues. Data centers increasingly face these challenges as advances in digital transformation, including artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI), are challenging traditional electric utilities. It is also possible to use microgrids to limit dependence on the electricity grid in terms of capacity and availability of energy and to reduce backup interventions of diesel generators. Vertiv collaborated with American Electric Power (AEP) to create the new technology and the microgrid system and Customer Experience Center are now active at Vertiv's Delaware facility.
Vertiv will use the application as a proof of concept to test the operational functions of Vertiv™ microgrid technology and data center infrastructure, including the reliability, backup capabilities and responsiveness of the microgrid system under various ordinary and extreme operating conditions. Vertiv's microgrid solution offers best-in-class, reliable and eco-friendly infrastructure technologies to support data center capabilities and sustainability goals.
"Our customers are evaluating how new microgrid and battery energy storage systems (BESS) models will work for their mission-critical power plants. Building a microgrid infrastructure to serve as both a Customer Experience Center and a performance test lab will allow Vertiv to help customers evaluate whether a microgrid and BESS system are right for their data centers and how to go about implementing microgrid sites," said Kyle Keeper, senior vice president, Global AC Power product development and engineering of Vertiv. “It is an important milestone to allow our customers to use the electricity grid more efficiently and effectively.”
The 1.0 megawatt (MW) microgrid solution consists of a 1.0 MW AC Solar PV (photovoltaic) array, a 400 MW hydrogen cell, a 1.0 MW Vertiv™ DynaFlex battery energy storage system (BESS), and a Vertiv Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), lithium-ion battery, control devices and other key components.
Microgrids reduce vulnerability to outages by using a variety of connected and distributed energy resources, with the BESS system storing energy and providing it on demand as needed. In the Vertiv application, the energy sources come from the electricity grid, solar panel and hydrogen cell.
