FAQs
UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supplies
A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) is primarily used to provide a source of back up power to a load when the input power source or main power fails. A UPS is typically used to protect critical hardware such as computers, data centres, telecommunication equipment or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power disruption could cause injuries, fatalities, serious business disruption or data loss.
Yes, UPS systems can be used for energy storage. For this to happen, the batteries would need to be changed to lithium-ion batteries and the technology is different to a regular UPS. There are only a limited number of manufacturers that offer this solution.
The batteries in a UPS are normally replaced every 3-4 years, this is dependent upon the battery type and the operating environment. We do offer options to include 5- or 10-year design life batteries and battery monitoring solutions to increase battery lifespan.
Yes, we highly recommend having your UPS system maintained a minimum of every 12 months, to maintain the integrity and lifetime of UPS. Please contact us for pricing on our maintenance contracts and what a service contract includes.
Each solution is unique, many clients in the IT sector tend to ask for approximately 30-45 minutes runtime for IT equipment. Different markets and clients have varied requirements and regulations for runtime requirements. A UPS can support runtimes for several hours, but the solution is likely to become very expensive, as a large amount of batteries would be required.
With the correct servicing and maintenance, the lifespan of a UPS normally lasts between 8- 10 years. This also depends on the operating environment, type of UPS and the UPS application. Various UPS manufacturers may advise differently.
An SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) card is used to monitor the UPS over a network. The card is used for remote management, this adopts Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) which is an Internet Standard protocol for collecting and organising information about managed devices over IP networks. The majority of UPS products do not come with an SNMP card, meaning they are purchased separately.
The benefit of having an external bypass is that you can carry out maintenance on the UPS without having to disconnect the power to the equipment. This can be switched over easily so that there is no disruption to the equipment as the mains supply can be used.
Salicru standard warranty is 2 years on products and 1 year on batteries, this can vary from range to range. This is a common warranty period throughout the industry from various manufacturers. However, there is an option to extend the warranty period at additional cost.
Solar PV
Solar panels absorb the sun’s energy throughout the day and convert it into direct current (DC) electricity. Most homes and businesses run on alternating current (AC) electricity, so the DC electricity is then passed through an inverter to convert it to usable AC electricity. At this point, you either use the electricity in your house or send it back to the electrical grid.
The industry average for solar panels is 25 to 30 years. This depends on how quickly the materials degrade over time.
Southernly facing roofs with little to no shade and enough space to fit a solar panel system are ideal for installing solar. However, in many cases there are workarounds if your home doesn’t have the ideal solar roof.
Yes, Solar PV can work hand in hand with energy storage. Energy storage working with solar PV is an excellent way to minimise energy wastage.
We offer maintenance contracts to make sure that the solar panels are well maintained, however, most solar panels are now self-cleaning.
Studies have shown that homes with solar energy systems sell for more than homes without them. However, your property value will only increase if you own the panels rather than leasing them.
Energy Storage
The main benefits of energy storage include: financial benefits, reducing environmental impacts, integrating renewables , decreasing carbon emissions and providing additional grid benefits.
We offer a wide range of products, varying from small domestic units starting at 3.8KW and all the way up to large industrial power farms with multiple MW requirements.
For domestic solutions the lead time will be 2-3 weeks and with larger commercial sites, the lead time is 12-18 weeks.
Yes, as with solar PV, having and energy storage solution can reduce your energy bills.
Energy trading is when you receive payments by energy suppliers if a property or organisation generates their own electricity using technology such as solar panels or wind turbines and feeds any surplus back to the grid.
Wind Power
No, the wind turbine is completely silent.
It is recommended to use 4 lots of 500 x 500 x 40 ballasts for each wind turbine weighing approx.25kg each. This will keep the wind turbine grounded and stable.
No, the Airturb does not need to be bolted down if you use the recommended ballast. Some clients prefer bolting down the frame but this is optional.
The average lifespan of an Airturb is 15 years. The inverter recommended lifespan is 10years and the internal batteries will need to be changed every 5 years.
Energy Management
Energy management is the proactive and systematic monitoring, control and optimization of an organization’s energy consumption to conserve use and decrease energy costs.
With energy management, it will monitor your energy systems to give you the real time data to reduce your energy usage when it is not needed, therefore reducing your carbon footprint.
The benefits of installing an energy management solution are:
Lowering your electricity cost through monitoring your system and actioning any energy waste opportunities.
Maximising operational efficiencies.
Monitoring your system for any potential failures.
PDU's
A power distribution unit (PDU) is a device for controlling electrical power in a data centre. The most basic PDUs are large power strips without surge protection. They are designed to provide standard electrical outlets for data centre equipment and have no monitoring or remote access capabilities. More advanced PDUs provide real-time monitoring and remote access capabilities.
Basic PDUs: a basic PDU provides outlets to which loads can be connected. Protection will generally be in the form of a fuse (or circuit breaker) and the basic PDU may also be available with surge/spike and EMC/EMI protection.
Local Metered PDUs: provide measurement of the connected loads. This will be the overall total PDU, Metering information can include load voltage (V), amps drawn (A), energy usage (kWh) and power factor (pF). Metering information may be available from an LED/LCD built-into the PDU
Input Metered Intelligent PDUs: are the most sophisticated type of smart PDU used within a data centre environment. This type of PDU offers all the above functions and includes SNMP network access for connection to a data centre management tool. Additional options can include environment monitoring sensors for temperature and humidity, and access control to the server cabinet they are installed within.
Intelligent or ‘Smart’ PDUs provide a way to remotely manage an estate of server racks and identify load issues such as under-utilised servers, thermal ‘hot-spots’ within cabinets and assist load capacity planning and equipment layouts.
Switched Outlet Intelligent PDUs: this type of switched power distribution unit allows connected loads to be rebooted for power cycling or isolated for maintenance or upgrades. The PDU can be electronically turn individual outlets on and off. But will only measure the overall current draw on the PDU
Outlet Metered Intelligent PDUs: this type measures the individual outlets current & power draw so IT managers can see how equipment is working, it will not allow outlets to be switched off as before.
Metered and Switched per Outlet PDUs: combines the above features into a more sophisticated type of power distribution unit. Meteredby-outlet and switched-by-outlet providing more functionality than PDU level metering and switching and is the top of the range unit.
The RNX UPDU is fully modular and consists of a PIM (Power Inlet Module), CBM (Circuit Breaker Module), POM (Power Outlet Module) and ICM (Interface and Controller Module). Modules can be replaced without having to remove the PDU (Power Distribution Unit) from the rack. This unique feature significantly reduces maintenance time compared with replacing an entire PDU and opens up various possibilities.