A solution to reduce data centers’ cooling needs and costs

Cooling energy represents one of the important cost items in data center operation. In case energy is not coming from renewable sources it increases the facility's overall carbon footprint. To address these challenges Fiamm Energy Technology developed the FHT² battery range, designed to operate at elevated temperatures thus reducing cooling needs.

It also allows the reduction of cooling system hardware capex and service costs due to lower capacity demanded during operations. In many geographical areas, mechanical cooling can even be replaced by free cooling during the design phase with further capex and opex advantages.

Optimal battery life and performance in severe temperature conditions

In legacy data centers where battery room temperature control is problematic, batteries are often operating at higher or unstable temperatures compared with optimal and design values. With a normal battery, this leads to premature battery end of life and, if not properly serviced, it represents a risk of system power outage. In these cases, the FHT² range offers a cost-effective solution as it grants requested system availability and reliability in harsh temperature conditions.

High cyclability to meet the most recent energy needs

Fast-frequency grid services are requested and paid for in several markets and their demand is growing with the introduction of renewable energy sources due to the inherent impossibility of predicting their power contribution. These services consist of short (typically a few to up to 30 seconds) smart load reduction or disconnection. In most data centers batteries are seldom discharged, remaining most of their life fully charged in float voltage.

FHT² range has been designed in order to provide this additional performance while granting the traditional backup thanks to its ability to withstand multiple discharge cycles. FHT² can perform this duty without operational life reductions and battery systems oversizing. Besides this new Fiamm battery range can be used in conjunction with UPS supporting these functions which are now commonly available in the market.

More upsides to FHT² battery range: green, safe, and easy to monitor

The FHT² range is the result of over 15 years of research and 10 years of field experience in high-temperature applications. First products were developed for telecom industry applications and then lately data center potential was untapped. FHT² range offers within a single product the previous FHT range benefits of 10 years of operations at 30°C with the cyclic capability of the FHC range, resulting in a unique solution for demanding applications.

Thanks to safe and proven lead technology with flame retardant ABS plastics the FHT² range can be transported and installed without limitations within data center premises and it does not need the addition of specific and expensive fire extinguishing or containment systems. Spent batteries offer a residual value and they can be easily and effectively recycled into materials that can be used to produce new batteries or other products.

The installation of a battery monitoring device is strongly recommended in order to keep the battery's state of health under control. Available BMS data collection and analysis is a must in order to avoid any potential failure risk and to predict battery life evolution. Fiamm Energy Technology has developed specific algorithms for this massive data elaboration, providing end users with effective easy-to-be-read reports.