Toronto Electricians and Electrical Contractors

I recently co-hosted a Schneider Electric International Colocation Club webinar intended to help companies plan for the future and deal with the rapid growth in the colocation industry. I was glad we left about 20 minutes for questions at the end because it gave us a chance to hear what’s on the minds of those who are in the trenches, and discuss some of the trends, challenges and best practices we’re seeing in the colocation space globally. My co-host was Steve Wallage, Managing Director of BroadGroup Consulting , who has more than 25 years of experience in IT consulting, the last 12 focused on global data centers. Read more about his bio in a previous blog post. Colocation Industry Predictions and Trends Many of the questions focused on the trends we’re seeing and our thoughts on how things may play out. One colocation provider asked whether scalability is as important in second-tier markets as it is in the major colocation centers. The answer was a definitive “yes.” We’re se...

We’ve seen lithium-ion battery adoption grow at a rapid rate over the last couple of years. In fact, Bloomberg New Energy Finance report forecasts that 40% of data center battery backup will be lithium-ion by the year 2025. Among hyperscale data centers, this forecast is even greater at 55%. We know valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) is a less expensive battery solution on day one, so what’s driving this rapid growth for lithium-ion? Lithium-ion Capex Costs Continue to Decline There have been significant improvements with chemistries and technologies of lithium-ion batteries that have made them appealing for UPS applications. The Electrical Voltage (EV) industry is largely to thank for these advances. As adoption grows and the technology continues to mature, costs per kWh are declining. They still have a higher capex than VRLA batteries, but only by a factor of 1.5x to 2x today. So still, we asked what’s the main reason for lithium-ion adoption? TCO savings. The Data Center Science C...

Amid a generation of data center professionals on the brink of retirement, we’re facing a lack of resources and widening skills gap in the data center industry. At the same time, the shift to hybrid (including colocation) is a boon to the construction industry. We discussed the associated issues and opportunities during a recent Professional Women in Construction (PWC) panel, in which I participated, along with Lily Yusupova, strategic account executive, Data Center Solutions, Schneider Electric. The all-female panel focused on “Driving Data Center Development” and concluded that the construction industry needs women with data center experience. PWC is a national nonprofit organization whose aim is to support, advance and connect women and promote diversity within architecture, engineering, construction and related industries. Other panelists were experts from different offshoots of the process including: moderator Cate Agnew, executive director, head of real estate valuation, Nati...

Besides your data center’s IT equipment, the cooling system is the biggest energy consumer in the data center. Cooling systems that operate primarily in economizer mode (aka free cooling mode), allow you to significantly reduce that cooling energy, making it easier to hit your power usage effectiveness (PUE) or cost reduction targets. We’ve all heard this before, but our Cooling Economizer PUE Calculator Tradeoff Tool quantifies it for you. Your Home’s “Economizer Mode” Think about what you do when your home gets too hot in the summer. You may choose to turn on your air conditioner, or you may simply open a window and run some fans, depending on the outdoor conditions. In making that decision, you probably consider the temperature, humidity, air quality, and so on. Think of the window and fans as your home’s economizer mode. In the latest Meet the Expert video , I use this analogy to illustrate the importance of economizer modes and the tradeoffs in choosing one cooling architecture...

Artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing are the most anticipated potential disruptors to the data center business over the next 3-5 years. The majority of colocation providers are seeking sustainable power options for their data centers. These are just two insights shared by attendees during our recent Innovation Day: Cloud and Service Providers event in May. More than 20 colocation providers and key members of the value chain (electrical contractors and consulting engineers) representing 17 different companies gathered to talk about current market challenges and opportunities. Also discussed were the technologies poised to have the biggest impact in the future.  A Forum to Connect Industry Peers and Gather Shared Interests As rapidly growing markets and fluctuating enterprise needs change, colocation providers’ own business requirements are changing as well. This forum offered to connect industry peers and colleagues so they can examine common pain points, hash out reso...