The Swisscolocation data center, in Morbio-Chiasso in the Swiss canton of Ticino, is the only Ticino data center housed in a building designed solely for colocation services. Developed for companies that want to outsource hardware, software and management of their data center needs, Swisscolocation offers its customers flexibility, security, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and cost reductions from fewer expenditures on equipment and staffing.
This Tier III data center guarantees 99.98 percent uptime, a vitally important factor to customers for whom just a few seconds of power interruption can result in the loss of millions of dollars’ worth of data. It therefore relies on uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems positioned on each branch of electrical service.
Finding energy savings
Swisscolocation was equipped with standard transformer-based UPS systems that were low in efficiency compared to the latest technology offered by ABB. These inefficient devices caused the data center to lose a significant amount of energy in its operations, thereby raising its energy costs.
ABB calculated the return on investment from new technology and brought forward a variety of possible solutions to meet Swisscolocation’s needs. The best solution was a new, modular UPS concept from ABB that would heighten capability and substantially reduce energy costs.
The recommended technology was ABB’s UPS DPA 250 S4, a high-efficiency, modular system that furnishes the best reliability available for environmentally conscious organizations that require zero downtime. With decentralized parallel architecture (DPA), each module in the system is capable of serving as its own complete UPS, containing all the essential function units needed for independent operation. It increases system reliability and availability because of the inherent redundancy among the UPS modules on all functional levels. Moreover, the DPA 250 S4 requires no transformers and provides 97.6 percent efficiency for each UPS module.
Swisscolocation called on ABB to replace its three old monolithic UPS devices with two DPA 250 S4 frames, each one equipped with three 50kW UPS module systems at the facility.
Significant improvements in energy efficiency
“This DPA system is set to provide Swiss colocation with enhanced efficiency, compactness and lower operating costs,” said Renzo Salmina, Regional Sales Manager, ABB Power Protection. “It ensures the flexibility to grow based on real power needs.”
ABB‘s advanced UPS is expected to reduce energy costs for Swisscolocation by 9% annually. At the same time, ABB will be offering local service assistance, reducing maintenance time and costs and helping to assure uptime.
“The capability, reliability and cost savings that we’re experiencing with ABB’s DPA 250 systems have brought exceptional new efficiencies to our operations,” said Swisscolocation CEO, Marco Cavadini. “ABB provided the ideal solution for our current needs and the flexibility the we will need for the future.”
