In today’s changing world, there is one thing that is certain: power capacity and efficiency requirements are continuing to grow and, in parallel, are becoming increasingly difficult to forecast.
Facilities and Operations Managers face real challenges in terms of optimising power availability and energy performance as it is so often impossible to predict exactly when – and where – additional power will be needed.
Flexibility in turbulent or unpredictable environments is vital – and for those managing critical power supplies in Electrical, Data Centre, ICT and Networking arenas, taking positive steps in order to mitigate against uncertainty is imperative for success.
Market leader, Socomec, has invested in product development to help manage the growing uncertainty that is inherent within the critical power industry.
Andrew Wilkinson, Regional Managing Director, Socomec, explains,
At Socomec we understand the difficulty that organisations face in planning their critical power needs. In commercial businesses and public sector organisations, the ability to turn on capacity at short notice is vital when supporting critical facilities and can make the difference between winning and losing a major contract. Socomec UPS has developed a pre-engineered and factory-tested containerised critical power system – SMART PowerPort – with these challenges in mind. SMART PowerPort provides users with a rapidly deployable and scalable critical power system which can be operational two to four times faster than a conventional bricks and mortar solution – enabling organisations to respond quickly to an increased demand for power that supports critical loads. The solution is incredibly easy to install – and relocate – and doesn’t require planning permission or costly infrastructure. With a flexible design for step-by-step expansion, we can develop a complete SMART PowerPort turnkey solution for most individual applications. The real beauty of the system is that it provides important future-proofing by ramping incremental power capacity – precisely when and where it is needed most.”
The SMART PowerPort containerised solution is designed around Socomec’s highly efficient UPS technology, offering the highest protection grade at the lowest industry power consumption.
The energy efficiency – verified by TÜV and SGS – and scalability of the SMART PowerPort help minimise PuE without high risk capital expenditure. Furthermore, the system is flexible in terms of both sizes and architecture. With convenient modular configurations, the system – available in 20’ or 40’ units – is space efficient and user-friendly in terms of installation and relocation.
Supplying from 100 kW to 1.44 MW, the units are completely portable enabling the creation of a dynamic power support system that can evolve to meet specific requirements.
The Socomec SMART PowerPort is designed to the highest specification and is manufactured in a controlled environment to high tolerances and exacting standards.
The units are EN-1047 compliant, dust, fire, water and flood-protected, and have thermal insulation of 0.42W/m2K. In addition, the solutions offer 33dB of acoustic insulation as standard. With 20 dB of electromagnetic protection to help overcome any unexpected electrical disturbances, continuous data access and uninterrupted system operation are certain.
The total portability of Socomec’s containerised power system makes it ideal for rapid response applications, immediate infrastructure expansion and responding to unforeseen demand. Launched last year as part of a Europe-wide roadshow, the SMART PowerPort has attracted much interest from some very high profile users of critical power.
RAF Molesworth – the base of The United States European Command Joint Intelligence Operations Centre – Europe Analytic Centre (JAC) – is the primary European theatre intelligence organisation responsible for maintaining situational awareness for 51 countries spanning three land masses. Primary support is provided to USAF Installations , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and coalition partners. Socomec UPS UK is currently working alongside the UK air force base to develop, install and commission an individually engineered solution to ensure that this vital operation has ultimate power flexibility.
SMART PowerPort is also ideal for other permanent applications such as site power extensions or relocations, building and industrial infrastructure – as well as for important temporary use in disaster recovery situations or site reconfiguration.
The Socomec UK team has just completed the final phase installation of a custom designed SMART PowerPort providing a flexible site power extension for British Airways at Boadicea House Computing Centre supporting the airline’s accounting, engineering, crew management and personnel functions.
Andrew Wilkinson comments;
We are delighted that the launch of SMART PowerPort has been met with such enthusiasm within the market and believe that this marks the beginning of a new era in the provision of flexible critical power to organisations that want to build certainty around their future .”
