{"id":10564,"date":"2017-11-21T13:00:13","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T21:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/11\/21\/news-4336\/"},"modified":"2017-11-21T13:00:13","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T21:00:13","slug":"news-4336","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/11\/21\/news-4336\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Your Father\u2019s UPS: Latest Models Offer Improved Efficiency, Management, Batteries and More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Credit to Author: Gael Souchet| Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2017 19:55:09 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) technology has changed quite a bit over the past several years, with newer devices offering far more intelligence and energy efficiency than previous generations. Electrical contractors charged with helping customers choose the right UPS for their various applications would do well to understand the various features and functions that UPSs now provide \u2013 so they can help customers choose wisely.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with energy efficiency. So-called \u201ceco-mode\u201d UPSs have been around for more than a decade, but only now are beginning to gain traction, thanks to some advancements in the technology.\u00a0 The idea is to reduce the power loss involved in the double power conversion process \u2013 from AC to DC and back again \u2013 that\u2019s involved in \u201ccleaning\u201d utility power. In eco-mode, UPSs bypass that process most of the time, until it detects a power quality issue.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-43319 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Electrical-contractor-UPS-Small-300x216.png\" alt=\"UPS\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Electrical-contractor-UPS-Small-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Electrical-contractor-UPS-Small.png 389w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <\/p>\n<p>That technology never caught on in a big way because it took a few milliseconds for the conversion process to kick in \u2013 an unacceptable risk in many instances. A new form of eco mode gets around the issue by constantly running the power inverter, but stopping short of performing the full power conditioning and double conversion when it\u2019s not warranted. However, because the converter is always running, it can kick in immediately when needed.<\/p>\n<p>Schneider Electric calls this technology ECOnversion and finds it delivers efficiency that may occasionally drop below the 99% efficiency that\u2019s possible with traditional eco modes, but sacrifices nothing in reliability. (To learn more, <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcGNtZWRpYS5jb20vc2FsZXN0b29scy9DT0NSLTlUWkpHUi9DT0NSLTlUWkpHUl9SMF9FTi5wZGY%2Fc2RpcmVjdD10cnVl&#038;feed-stats-url-post-id=43313\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">click here<\/a> to read Schneider Electric Application Note #187, \u201cGalaxy VM High Efficiency Modes.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the choice of operating mode, different UPS models come with various functions that may prove useful depending on the customer application in question. Following are some common features to look for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remote management: Many UPSs now have Web interfaces or can accept network management cards that enable remote UPS monitoring from any Internet-connected computer and, in some cases, two-way UPS management \u2013 allowing for a centralized IT or facilities group to manage all UPSs.<\/li>\n<li>Automatic shutdown: When the UPS detects a disruption in utility power, it can automatically perform a graceful shutdown of attached devices. This is important for devices such as IT servers and medical equipment that must be shut down in an orderly fashion to avoid lengthy restarts or damage. In some cases, the commands are customizable by UPS port. For example, customers may want a server to shut down only if the UPS is in danger of running out of battery power.<\/li>\n<li>Notification of power loss: Various UPS models will issue an alert when they detect a loss of utility power, or even when power conditions vary from predefined thresholds. The alerts may include audible alarms, alerts sent to a management console, and email or text messages.<\/li>\n<li>Battery replacement warning: Similarly, UPSs will issue a warning when their batteries are getting to the point that they can no longer accept a charge. This is an important feature for any UPS, as it\u2019s easy for customers to forget about a UPS once it\u2019s installed, and neglect routine maintenance \u00ad\u2013 like checking battery life.<\/li>\n<li>Status display: In instances where there is no centralized UPS management, customers will want to be able to check the status of the device at a glance. Some UPS models have LCD indicators for attributes including load status and runtime, and graphs that indicate battery life.<\/li>\n<li>Event log: The ability to maintain an event log is important for troubleshooting and for companies that want to track historical trends.<\/li>\n<li>Environmental: UPSs can also report on environmental conditions that may adversely affect their performance. An environment that\u2019s too hot or cold, for example, can shorten battery life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Which brings us to another consideration: battery options. Most traditional UPSs relied on lead-acid batteries to store power. They work well, but carry significant weight and take up quite a bit of space. Now Lithium-ion batteries are making their way to UPSs, offering far more energy storage in a much smaller space, at about 30% less weight. What\u2019s more, they require far less maintenance than lead-acid batteries. <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/?feed-stats-url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2NobmVpZGVyLWVsZWN0cmljLmNvbS9iMmIvZW4vc29sdXRpb25zL3N5c3RlbS9zNC9kYXRhLWNlbnRlci1hbmQtbmV0d29yay1zeXN0ZW1zLWxpdGhpdW0taW9uLWJhdHRlcnkv&#038;feed-stats-url-post-id=43313\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here<\/a> to learn more about what Li-ion batteries mean for UPSs and how they enable the latest generation of the technology to apply to even more use cases.<\/p>\n<p>  <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/?feed-stats-post-id=43313\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" style=\"display: none;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2017\/11\/21\/ups-efficiency-management-batteries\/\">Not Your Father\u2019s UPS: Latest Models Offer Improved Efficiency, Management, Batteries and More<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\">Schneider Electric Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2017\/11\/21\/ups-efficiency-management-batteries\/\" target=\"bwo\" >http:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/feed\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Credit to Author: Gael Souchet| Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2017 19:55:09 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) technology has changed quite a bit over the past several years, with newer devices offering far more intelligence and energy efficiency than previous generations. Electrical contractors&#8230;  <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2017\/11\/21\/ups-efficiency-management-batteries\/\" title=\"ReadNot Your Father\u2019s UPS: Latest Models Offer Improved Efficiency, Management, Batteries and More\">Read more &#187;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2017\/11\/21\/ups-efficiency-management-batteries\/\">Not Your Father\u2019s UPS: Latest Models Offer Improved Efficiency, Management, Batteries and More<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\">Schneider Electric Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[12389,12388],"tags":[16704,13176,16705,16706,12994,12430,16707,13548,12826,16685,12446,13550,12613],"class_list":["post-10564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scadaics","category-schneider","tag-battery-back-up","tag-critical-power","tag-eco-mode-ups","tag-econversion","tag-electrical-contractors","tag-energy-efficiency","tag-galaxy-vm","tag-industrial-power","tag-lifeison","tag-lithium-ion","tag-power-management","tag-secure-power","tag-ups"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10564\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}