Energy solutions provider Generac revealed a new lineup of emergency stand-by generators designed for use in data center applications.
A recent study conducted by PA Consulting for National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), “A Reliable Grid for an Electric Future,” forecasted a 300% rise in energy consumption by U.S. data centers. Debra Phillips, NEMA president and CEO said that as a result, the U.S. needs an all-of-the-above approach to creating the energy system of the future.
The five new generator models, which range from 2.25 MW to 3.25 MW, will help the company round out its existing energy portfolio and enter the hyperscale, colocation, enterprise and edge data center markets.
“We’ve been playing in the data center market for a long time, but we were limited by the size of the generators that we were producing,” Ricardo Navarro, Generac’s senior vice president and general manager of global telecom solutions and data centers, told pv magazine USA. He said that previously, the company’s largest systems topped out around 2 MWs.
“Ultimately, it was the right combination of having the right products and having the right market,” he added.
Although the generators are diesel-powered, they were created to smoothly integrate with cleaner energy sources. Generac’s modular power systems allow multiple generators to be deployed in tandem, which provides enhanced reliability, scalability and serviceability. Those systems can then be integrated with energy storage systems or renewable energy assets including solar-powered microgrids.
Navarro said that most orders of the new generators are for projects that will include energy storage.
The company’s also betting on its fast deployment speeds to help it stand out in the rapidly growing data center landscape. According to a report from Stream Data Centers, the average lead time for generators hovers between 72 and 104 weeks. Generac says its generators will be available within 50 to 60 weeks of ordering. Their claim is even more notable as supply chain squeezes don’t appear to be easing anytime soon.
“We can deliver these units in 50 to 60 weeks because we have strong partnerships with vendors for engines, alternators and some of the other components,” Navarro said, also citing the OshKosh, Wisc. manufacturing facility as a key component. “These units will be manufactured in the U.S. and that helps drive a lot of those efficiencies in the supply chain that let us deliver in significantly less time than other competitors.”
Navarro did not disclose specific customers, though he noted that interested companies ranged in size from large tech conglomerates to smaller colocation companies.
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