Battery Technology for Data Centers and Network Rooms: Lifecycle Costs

by
Stephen McCluer

Executive Summary

The lifecycle cost of different UPS battery technologies is compared. The costs associated with the purchase of batteries, the infrastructure costs, and the costs associated with inflexibility to meet changing requirements are discussed and quantified

Conclusion

This analysis finds large differences in the life-cycle costs of the different UPS battery technologies. After reviewing all three steps it is clear that a MBC battery solution can offer over 50% savings over VRLA and flooded battery solutions. Often only the battery system costs are compared and then the differences might not be compelling enough to warrant a switch from a known technology. When the infrastructure costs are added the lifecycle savings between the technologies is dramatic. This is why of the UPS sold each year world wide, over 99% use VRLA batteries or MBC. The adaptability of MBC increases the speed of deployment and can allow recovery of the 75% of cost the average data center loses due to oversizing.

Factors relating to system availability have driven some installations to deploy flooded cells despite the lower life cycle cost of VRLA or MBC batteries. The technology of the MBC battery system specifically addresses many of these issues. When compared with flooded cell battery systems, the MBC can save over 90% in life cycle costs in a real-world situation. Most of this cost advantage results from the ability to size the battery system to the current requirement and add as needed to meet changing requirements. In cases where the ultimate load value is pre-determined and full utilization is achieved at the first commissioning of the system, much of the advantage of the MBC battery system is lost. However, the engineering, installation, and maintenance cost advantages still provide a savings of up to 60% when compared with flooded cells.

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