Why Data Centre Power Is Entering a New Phase - Reflections from DataCentres North 2018

Returning from DataCentres North in Manchester this week, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the conversation around data centre energy infrastructure is beginning to change.

Much of the discussion at the event still centred around traditional resilience strategies, particularly standby diesel generation, UPS systems, and conventional backup architectures designed to protect facilities during grid outages. For many operators, backup power continues to be viewed primarily as an insurance policy rather than an integrated part of the operational energy strategy.

That approach remains understandable. Reliability is critical within data centre environments and diesel generation has historically provided a proven solution for emergency standby applications.

However, there is also a growing sense that the industry is approaching a wider transition in how it thinks about power infrastructure.

One area that generated increasing interest during conversations at the event was the potential role of onsite gas-fired generation and combined heat and power (CHP) systems within enterprise data centre environments.

Traditionally, many data centres have focused almost exclusively on electrical efficiency metrics while large quantities of thermal energy are ultimately rejected from the site. Yet enterprise facilities located near office campuses, commercial buildings, hospitals or industrial facilities may present opportunities for much more integrated energy strategies.

Through CHP, gas engine systems can simultaneously provide resilient onsite electrical generation while also supplying usable thermal energy for surrounding buildings. In the right applications, this can significantly improve overall fuel efficiency compared to conventional separate heat and power generation.

Importantly, these systems also offer operational flexibility and resilience benefits. As digital infrastructure continues to expand, energy reliability is becoming an increasingly important consideration for operators seeking to protect uptime and operational continuity.

Another noticeable shift at this year’s event was the scale of future developments being discussed.

Only a few years ago, many enterprise facilities operated at comparatively modest capacities. Increasingly, however, conversations are now moving toward significantly larger installations, with 20MW+ facilities becoming more common topics within the industry.

That raises important long-term questions around grid infrastructure.

At present, the UK grid remains highly reliable by international standards. However, growing electrification, increasing digital infrastructure demand, electric vehicles, changing generation mixes, and the continued growth of energy-intensive industries are likely to place increasing pressure on electricity networks over time.

As data centre power requirements continue to rise, the industry may need to think more strategically about how resilient and scalable energy infrastructure is deployed.

In that context, onsite generation may increasingly evolve beyond purely emergency backup applications toward a more active role within broader site energy strategies.

The data centre sector has always been built around anticipating future operational risk before it fully arrives. From discussions across DataCentres North this week, it feels increasingly likely that power infrastructure will become one of the defining strategic challenges of the next phase of digital growth.