數據中心的不間斷電源：可持續性和可靠性之間的取舍Uninterruptiblepowerinthedatacentre:ChoosingbetweensustainabilityanduptimeBYFleurDoidge|Aug23,20

數據中心的不間斷電源：可持續性和可靠性之間的取舍

Uninterruptible power in the datacentre: Choosing between sustainability and uptime

BY Fleur Doidge | Aug 23, 2021

譯 者 說

隨著數據中心面臨越來越大的脫碳壓力，運營方需要從UPS選型、發展UPS智能化技術、綜合比選各類蓄電池、提升技術人員電池維保技術等多方面進行基礎設施的整體評估和優化，嘗試在可持續性和應用服務可用率之間協調發展，以滿足數據中心可持續發展的目標。

新型不間斷電源（UPS）通常采用鋰離子（Li+）電池，鋰電在汽車和計算機領域都已得到了廣泛應用。鋰電技術帶來的更好的可持續性發展，可以減輕數據中心運營方來自環保方面的壓力。目前，圍繞鋰電池的可持續發展前景尚不明朗，全球的鋰礦開采和鋰電池制造仍然有非常大的挑戰。

New uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are often based on lithium-ion (Li+) battery technology that is becoming widespread in everything from cars to computers. This often comes with a claim of greater sustainability that could help relieve the pressure on operators for greener datacentres.Yet the sustainability picture around Li+ batteries is unclear, with global challenges around mining and manufacture still unresolved.

然而，伊頓EMEA（歐洲、中東和非洲）業務部門關鍵電力系統技術經理帕納寧表示，運營方需要從整體上看待影響電力管理的所有問題，“更明智地思考”UPS的作用，而不是購買最環保或最高效的UPS。

However, Janne Paananen, critical power systems technology manager at Eaton EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), says operators need to take a holistic view of all issues affecting power management, “thinking smarter” about the role of UPS rather than buying the greenest or most efficient.

相反，他建議運營方需要開始更明智地利用現有資產，減少總體消耗，同時節約成本和環境資源。

Instead, Paananen suggests operators need to start making smarter use of existing assets, reducing overall consumption to save costs and environmental resources at the same time.

Paananen說：“你不需要孤立和局限地思考這個問題，應該整體地考量電氣設備系統和所有相關聯的設備，以及它們如何更好地發揮作用。”

“When you are not thinking in silos anymore, that means you don’t need to make separate purpose-built systems for everything,” says Paananen. “Think about the whole electrical equipment system at once – everything that is connected, how it can contribute.”

伊頓EMEA的數據中心和IT部門經理Forde也同意這個觀點，并指出供應商通常會開發具有多種常見特點的可持續導向產品，并評估這些基礎設施怎樣真正去推動可持續發展，”他說。

Ciarán Forde, datacentre and IT segment manager at Eaton EMEA, agrees, noting that suppliers often develop sustainably orientated products with multiple commonplace elements. “Ask what that infrastructure can do to really move the needle on sustainability,” he says.

Forde補充道，核心問題是目前的大部分電力仍然是通過石油和燃煤發電廠產生的。一個依靠化石燃料發電的數據中心可以最大限度地提高效率，卻無法推進其運營方或用戶的可持續發展。

The core issue is that electricity is still primarily generated via oil and coal-fired plants, adds Forde. A datacentre reliant on fossil fuels for power can be maximally efficient while still not advancing the sustainability agenda of its operator or the users that depend on it.

當然，UPS在停電時，可確保應用程序和工作負載的恢復能力，減少出現問題時中斷的次數。Forde建議，將UPS當作是一個關鍵點，就可實現更多的可持續性。

Of course, the UPS reduces the chance of disruption when problems arise by delivering breathing space to ramp up on-site backup generation, securing resilience of applications and workloads. However, more sustainability can be achieved, Forde suggests, by understanding UPS as a focal point.

UPS的智能化應用和發展

Smart ways to use UPS

UPS是能源網絡中的重要組成部分，無論技術路線如何發展，UPS都需要更加智能化，才能更好地可持續發展。

UPS is part of the nerve centre of the energy network, which means that sustainable UPS, regardless of technology, must incorporate the right smarts.

例如，智能UPS可以實時監視并預測負荷用電需求，并將存儲的能量輸送回電網供他人使用，幫助抵消數據中心的能耗。

For instance, intelligent UPS that monitors requirements and predicts demand can help offset datacentre energy consumption by enabling stored energy to be delivered back to the grid for others to use.

數據中心可以成為電能產銷方，提高其系統和運營的整體可持續性。或許數據中心可以安裝太陽能電池板，通過太陽能這一可再生能源向電網反向輸送電力。

The datacentre can become a prosumer, increasing overall sustainability of its systems and operations, especially if it begins delivering power to the grid via renewable sources, perhaps by installing solar panels.

Forde說：“通過向電網提供更多的可再生能源帶來的可持續性貢獻將比數據中心設施自身電能利用效率的改善高出一個數量級。”

“By enabling the grid operator to adopt more renewable energy, your contribution to sustainability is then an order of magnitude higher than tweaks here and there on efficiency inside the four walls of the datacentre,” says Forde.

Paananen指出，鉛酸電池等舊技術并不一定不環保，新的冶金和濕法冶金技術正在探索中，回收工廠正在建設中，像全球電池聯盟鋰電池證書這類電池跟蹤管理戰略也在發展中。

Paananen points out that old technologies such as lead-acid batteries are not necessarily less environmentally friendly, with new metallurgical and hydrometallurgical techniques being explored, recycling plants being built and component tracing strategies, such as the Global Battery Alliance Li+ battery passport, in development.

Paananen說：“你可以回收電池中99%的鉛，等等。到目前為止，鋰電池的使用壽命為10-15年，因此在2030年之前，預計不會產生大量的鋰電池回收量”。

“You can recycle 99% of the lead from the batteries and so on. With lithium batteries so far, they’ll last 10-15 years in operation, so you don’t expect any reasonable amount of recyclable materials from new lithium batteries until 2030,” says Paananen.

施耐德電氣（Schneider Electric）英國和愛爾蘭安全電源副總裁Marc Garner指出，鋰在生命周期中的某些階段對環境的不利影響可能高于某些“競爭性”替代品。然而，這些不利影響通常會被其生命周期其他階段的好處所抵消。

Marc Garner, UK and Ireland vice-president of secure power at Schneider Electric, notes that environmental impacts of lithium at certain points in the lifecycle can be higher than some “competitive” alternatives. However, this can often be offset by benefits at other stages of the lifecycle.

“研究發現，在過去10年里，鋰電池系統的總擁有成本比閥控鉛酸（VRLA）電池的同等系統低10-40%，”他說。

“Studies found that, over 10 years, Li+ delivered a total cost of ownership 10-40% lower than equivalent systems using valve-regulated lead-acid [VRLA] technology,” he says.

施耐德認為傳統運營方也將選擇鋰電池供電的UPS作為“現代化和能源管理戰略的一部分”，尤其是因為鋰電池目前的價格僅為VRLA的1.2到兩倍。

Schneider sees legacy operators also selecting Li+ battery-powered UPS as “part of modernisation and energy management strategies”, especially since Li+ batteries are now only 1.2 to two times as expensive as VRLAs.

Garner說：“它們的壽命是VRLA電池的兩到三倍，充電循環速度快兩到三倍，占地面積小，重量輕。一些三相鋰離子電池模塊還帶有可選的智能儲能功能”。

“They also offer two to three times the lifecycle of VRLA batteries, have two to three times faster charging recycles, a smaller footprint and are lighter weight. Some three-phase Li+ models offer intelligent energy storage options,” says Garner.

施耐德電氣與智能技術供應商W?rtsil?合作開發了一種可持續UPS，平均節省了27%的資本支出，減少了20%的排放。他補充說，今后，隨著監管合規越來越嚴，將不斷促進UPS技術升級、回收報廢電池或換電。

Schneider Electric has partnered with smart tech supplier W?rtsil? on creating a sustainable UPS, demonstrating average capital expenditure savings of 27% and a 20% reduction in emissions. Over time, regulatory compliance is coupling with evolving technology as well as take-back or trade-in options for UPS and end-of-life battery replacement, he adds.

科技人員的觀點

What the science says

負責研究與電池技術相關儲能材料的蘭開斯特大學高級講師Nuria Tapia Ruiz認為：可持續發展的前景是復雜的。

Nuria Tapia Ruiz, senior lecturer at Lancaster University, researches energy storage materials pertaining to battery technologies. She agrees the picture around sustainability is complex.

“鋰是不可持續的，但是鋰和鎳、鈷、錳比例的組合可以提供非常高的能量密度用以儲存更多的電能。”

“Li+ is not so sustainable,” Ruiz /confirm/is. “But lithium and a combination of nickel, cobalt and manganese ratios can provide the highest energy density to store quite a lot of charge.”

鋰不僅與空氣和水發生反應，而且其開采與多種環境問題有關。從硫酸鹽中提取的鎳會產生有毒的二氧化硫。

Lithium not only reacts with air and water, but its mining is associated with multiple environmental issues. Nickel extracted from sulphates generates toxic sulphur dioxide.

剛果鈷礦使用童工，造成與污染有關的健康問題，包括飲用水污染。與此同時，在電池制造和供應鏈上實現完全透明的閉環管理并消除不必要的浪費仍然顯得非常困難。

Congolese cobalt mines use child labour and cause pollution-related health problems, including through contamination of drinking water. Meanwhile, gaining full transparency on battery manufacturing and supply chains to close the loop and eliminate unnecessary waste remains difficult.

電池中約70%的鈷來自剛果民主共和國。“在陽極方面，我們有一些碳，這同樣帶來了可持續性問題，因為碳是由焦炭制成的，”Ruiz說。

about 70% of the cobalt in batteries comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. “On the anode side, we have some carbon, which, again, comes with sustainability problems because carbon is made from coke,” says Ruiz.

目前的電池技術似乎是朝著正確方向發展的墊腳石，而不是可持續發展的解決方案。

Current battery technology seems a stepping stone in the right direction rather than a sustainability solution.

如果我們著眼于可持續性，我們將鈷和鎳這類陰極材料替換為磷、氧、鐵和鋰”。我們正在研究包括鈉離子在內的其他可持續發展技術。

“If we’re looking at sustainability, we’ll move towards changing cathode materials [for] phosphorus, oxygen, iron and lithium – getting rid of the cobalt and nickel,” says Ruiz. “Other sustainable technologies we are looking at include sodium-ion [Na+].”

做為魯伊斯研究興領域的鈉離子技術，也是電池技術今后強有力的發展方向之一。特別是考慮到第二大電池制造商寧德時代在2021年7月推出了第一代鈉電池用以替代鋰電池，預計2023年，寧德時代就可以正式生產鈉電池并供貨。

Na+ technology is a research interest of Ruiz’s and a strong next step for battery technologies, especially considering that the second-largest battery maker, CATL, unveiled its first generation of Na+ batteries as a Li+ alternative in July 2021, forecasting supply chain readiness by 2023.

“在20年的時間里，鈣或鎂電池顯示出相當大的前景，”魯伊斯說。“他們在電池性能表格中，各項指標看起來更有潛力。”

“And in 20 years’ time, calcium or magnesium batteries show quite a lot of promise,” says Ruiz. “They have more potential in the performance matrix.”

與此同時，關于改進鋰電池技術和應用的研究仍在繼續。

Meanwhile, research continues on improving Li+ technologies and applications.

當前UPS可持續發展最佳實踐

Best practice UPS sustainability for today

Freeform Dynamics的杰出分析師Tony Lock表示，數據中心運營方應該通過首先關注基礎來實現可持續性目標：評估應用程序和服務的業務關鍵性、應該在哪些平臺上運行這些應用和服務、以及服務器和存儲的效率，等等。

Tony Lock, distinguished analyst at Freeform Dynamics, says datacentre operators should achieve sustainability goals through first focusing on the basics: assessing business criticality of applications and services, which platforms they should run on, the efficiency of the servers and storage, and so on.

Lock說：“在你的數據中心需要持續可靠運行的包含哪些應用程序和服務？盡管幾乎所有使用這些服務的人都說它是任務關鍵型的，但實際上，這類服務的優先級不完全相同，許多人都不需要非常高的可靠性。”

“What are you actually running inside your datacentre that you really need continuous availability for? Not all workloads are created equal. Even though nearly everybody who uses a workload will claim it is mission-critical, many of them aren’t,” says Lock.

有些數據中心可能只需更少的備用電池，當用戶訪問服務不足時，就可以平穩地停用一些服務，從而降低UPS和電池的容量需求。

Some may need less battery backup, shutting loads down smoothly when not required, limiting the size of UPS and alternative power systems needed in the event of an outage.

Lock說：“有一次，在我們測試備用柴油發電機的電池之前，數據中心意外停電15分鐘。我們都去責怪電工，但實際上是消防報警導致了那次停電事故。”

“I have been in the datacentre when all of the power disappeared, actually about 15 minutes before we tested the battery of the backup diesel generator,” says Lock. “We did blame the electricians for that, but it was actually a fire alarm.”

至于替代方案，Lock建議：“使用一些飛輪技術，類似像一個大彈簧原理的大轉動慣量儲能系統。如果你不需要將后備支撐系統的運行時間設計成幾個小時，就非常適合選用這類“涓流充電”的儲能系統。

As for alternatives, Lock advises: “Use some of the flywheel technologies, like large springs, that have come along – really good if you don’t need to keep things running for hours. These can be taking a trickle charge.”

他強調，這一切都回歸到只有在你真的需要的時候才保持系統連續穩定運行。數據中心也應該通過不同的供電回路，接到不同的電力供應商。

It all comes back to only keeping things running if you really need to, he emphasises. Datacentres, too, should have alternative electricity providers on hand, via diverse routing. That way, there are other supplies via different wires that can be accessed.

“盡量減少非環保系統的數量，包括儲能UPS系統，”洛克說。“受教育程度更高的人群正在成長，他們將成為致力于讓組織盡可能環保的股東——這一社會因素在過去五年中發生了巨大變化。”

“Minimise the amount of less environmentally friendly systems, including UPS systems that store capacity,” says Lock. “A more educated population is growing up and will be shareholders intent on making organisations as green as possible – that social factor has changed dramatically in the past five years.”

Uptime機構首席技術官Chris Brown補充說，旋轉（動態）式UPS或大轉動慣量飛輪儲能系統在需要產生電能而不僅僅只消耗電能的應用場景下，技術優點非常明顯，但在其他應用場景下則沒有什么優勢。

Chris Brown, chief technical officer of Uptime Institute, adds that a rotor UPS or a big flywheel has mass on it and therefore inertia, which will be advantageous in some situations – for example, if producing the power rather than just consuming it – but not others.

Brown說：“在靜態UPS方面，你可以使用一個小飛輪來代替原有的蓄電池。問題是，靜態UPS上的典型電池支撐時間（大約在5分鐘到數小時之間），取決于你想選用的飛輪儲能時間（大約18秒），所以你需要一臺快速啟動的發電機或相關設備，但這種飛輪儲能確實不需要任何蓄電池。”

“On the static UPS side, you can use a small flywheel to replace the batteries. The issue with that is your typical battery runtime on a static UPS – somewhere between five minutes and hours, depending on how many batteries you want to put in a flywheel – will give you about 18 seconds,” says Brown. “So you do need a fast start engine generator or something of that nature associated with it, but it does eliminate the need for batteries.”

另一種選擇是雙轉換式UPS，使用整流器將AC轉換為DC，然后用于給電池充電，然后通過逆變器將DC轉換回AC。當交流電轉換為直流電時，UPS將過濾掉交流電中的干擾信號。布朗說，你也可以將UPS運行在靜態旁路“eco”模式，直至市電斷電之后，UPS才切換回雙轉換模式。

Another option is double-conversion stack UPS, using a rectifier to convert AC to DC that will then be used to charge batteries and then convert the DC via inverter back to AC to drive the UPS. When some features are converted from AC to DC, you take out all power anomalies. You can also use an “eco” mode which bypasses the UPS until the power disappears, says Brown.

他說，數據中心在可持續發展方面需要的是盡可能高的能源效率和盡可能大的電池存儲能量，同時在整個生命周期中對環境的整體影響最低，在整個發展過程中產生最小的不利影響。

What the datacentre needs for sustainability is the best possible energy efficiency and battery storage with the lowest overall environmental impact throughout the lifecycle – “burning the lowest number of dead dinosaurs” in the process, he says.

Brown說，Uptime機構聽說一些保險公司因為火災風險而拒絕使用鋰電池。但對于通過使用UPS優化電源管理的問題，目前還沒有得出完美的解決方案。

Brown says Uptime has heard that some insurance companies are pushing back on the use of Li+ because of the fire risk. But there’s no perfect answer to the question of optimal power management via UPS.

Brown說：“通過優化電池存儲空間，選擇適合的電池技術以達到延長電池壽命的目的。此外，也需要技術支持。技術人員需要了解和掌握延長電池壽命的技術。這既是一門藝術，也是一門科學。擁有這方面豐富的工作經驗是非常難得的，但不是每個數據中心技術人員都掌握這方面的專業知識。”

“You can control the space that the batteries exist in, for optimal conditions that will extend their life – selecting battery technology that’s right for what you’re going to use it for,” says Brown.“The other thing is support. When you’re talking about battery technicians who can extend the life of the battery just by knowing what to do with it – that’s as much as an art as a science. With a lot of experience they’re worth their weight in gold, but not every datacentre has that kind of expertise available.”

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