A data center generator provides backup power to a facility in the event of utility power outages to maintain uptime.
Data centers require a stable, uninterrupted power supply to function. If there is any period of downtime in a data center, an organization can lose money and risks its brand reputation. As such, a data center generator serves as a defense against power outages.
What Are the Key Characteristics of a Data Center Generator?
The main characteristics of data center generators include:
- High power output. Data center generators are capable of producing a substantial amount of power to support the entire data center’s energy demands.
- Redundancy. To ensure maximum availability, data centers typically implement a redundant power configuration, often involved multiple generators. This ensures that if one generator fails, another can handle the load.
- Automatic transfer switch (ATS). Generators have an ATS that monitors the incoming utility power and automatically activates the generator when a power outage is detected. Once the utility power is restored, the ATS switches the data center back to the main power source.
- Fuel source. Data centers typically have on-site fuel storage facilities for their generators to ensure a continuous power supply for extended periods of time.
- Monitoring and control systems. Advanced generators may come with sophisticated capabilities that allow operators to remotely track performance, fuel levels, and overall health. They can also provide real-time alerts and notifications if there is an issue.
- Load testing. Regular load testing of data center generators is essential to ensure their reliability and efficiency during emergencies.
Track and Manage Your Data Center Generators and Fuel Tanks with DCIM Software
Knowing the details about the objects in your power chain, such as the generator, is key to knowing your power capacity and utilization, understanding the health of your system, maintaining uptime, ensuring redundancy, and simplifying troubleshooting, maintenance, and planning.
With modern Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software, you can track all the items in your power chain from the power source down to the compute devices and track their electrical characteristics and interconnections. This makes it easy to understand the power capacity and load at any node in the system.
DCIM software also automatically generates dynamic and interactive single-line diagrams that help you visualize your power chain in a single pane of glass. You can track the utility feed, generators and fuel tanks, transformers, load devices, UPS units, AC panels, floor PDUs, DC power plants, and DC bays, track all draw-out breaker and disconnect switches, track breaker status, and see a details panel for each node that includes budgeted and actual values for voltage, current, power rating, highest/lowest phase, and more.
Want to see how Sunbird’s second-generation DCIM software simplifies power chain management? Get your free test drive today.