The current energy crisis sweeping South Africa has increased the need for reserve power, whereby complete management systems can help manage different energy sources, says power management company Eaton Africa power quality product manager Jaco du Plooy.

He explains that, while solar power is being used by local businesses, solar energy is limited to certain times of day when sunlight is available, thereby increasing demand for energy storage among local businesses.

Hence, Eaton supplies energy efficient products, such as its uninterruptible power supply (UPS) as a reserve solution systems, or UPSaaR, to help drive down costs, improve data centre performance, support the grid and assist with energy storage.

“Our UPS systems enable customers to consume stored power or push power back to the grid if there is excess power available. You can also sell excess power back to the utility provider with the help of an energy hub or energy centre. Energy hubs can increase the efficiency of data centres and decrease operating costs,” says Du Plooy.

An energy hub is a combination of multiple, alternative energy sources coming together, enabling the end-user to consume energy as required. This includes energy supplied by a UPS system or alternative power sources.

Additionally, lithium-ion batteries can store power for use at a later stage, with the batteries being charged when not in use.

Consequently, end-users can harvest power as the technology used in lithium-ion batteries allows for their being charged and discharged more efficiently than lead-acid batteries.

Further, with a global emphasis on renewable energy, energy efficient data centres are becoming increasingly important for businesses in South Africa, considering the high operational costs owing to the high energy consumption and cooling of data centres, which, consequently, drives up costs.

With technology becoming more sustainable and efficient, Du Plooy expects technology to be deployed on a larger scale for local businesses within the next two to three years, with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) software technology.

AI software runs in the background of data centres and can automatically make all the necessary decisions on the most optimal and efficient way to consume energy.

“We are powering the largest data centres in Africa using Eaton products, and we continuously create awareness for our energy efficient technologies. We have various patented technologies in this regard, and our research and development is ongoing. We are developing new products to improve efficiencies, which will, in turn, help drive efficiencies for clients,” says Du Plooy.

However, the cost of new technology has increased, owing to supply chain issues brought about by events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and global inflation.

This has, consequently, also created a global shortage of the necessary technological components such as memory chips and semi-conductors.

Despite these challenges, Eaton aims to meet the growing demand for energy efficient data centres by supplying the latest technology.

“We have a range of products that take into consideration the total cost of ownership. We, as a power company, want to ensure that the entire value chain is as cost effective as possible in terms of not only installation but also the product life-cycle,” Du Plooy concludes.