The company says its solutions are paving the way for data centers to have self-generating options and enable grid services while ensuring the critical tasks of power availability.
ABB said its microgrid solution takes a modular approach, allowing data centers to operate completely off-grid, powered by their own solar or wind power generation and battery energy storage systems (BESS), or partially off-grid by leveraging renewable energy and power grids operation, making them run cleaner and more cost-effectively.
ABB says this flexibility enables data centers to get the most out of the system based on the level of functionality, hardware, and software.
For example, data centers equipped with state-of-the-art ABB's HiPerGuard UPS products for medium voltage (MV) can provide different functions, such as demand response, without compromising uptime.
In most cases, UPS energy storage systems are idle or storing more energy than needed, ABB said. However, with the additional capabilities provided by ABB's microgrid solution, the data center can provide a source of income by providing additional capacity to the grid to make up for the lack of energy production.
The company says the UPS's minimum state of charge ensures that the capacity needed to restart in the event of a power outage is always protected.
Data centers account for about 2 percent of global electricity consumption, but power flow is not necessarily one way, according to Danel Turk, ABB's data center solutions portfolio manager.
"Data centers can support and adapt to this changing energy landscape through new technologies, making them both consumers and prosumers," he said.
"We are very excited to share details of our pilot program to help operators reduce emissions and support the transition to more renewable power generation."
ABB says the microgrid solution is also designed for scalability and can be combined with fuel cells and BESS to provide backup power that could one day replace diesel generators.
At the same time, it allows backup generators to run in parallel with energy storage and possibly on-site renewable energy.
ABB said it has completed a proof-of-concept for a new solution in partnership with AFC Energy, which uses ammonia fuel cells and the latest power conversion technology.
It says this solution is more energy-dense than typical hydrogen solutions, so just a 20-foot tank can provide eight days of operation for a 250kW load. A typical hydrogen pipe trailer solution requires a 1,240-foot tank to achieve this performance, so ammonia takes up much less space on site.
