What the development involves
Eaton and Microsoft have developed UPS systems that can participate in ancillary services markets without compromising the data center's backup function (Eaton, 2022). The technology is commercially available and is in use in Ireland, among other markets.
What benefits are documented
We have not found any published revenue figures or measurement series. The benefit depends on the ancillary services market, the size of the battery and how much capacity must be reserved for the data center.
What it could mean in Sweden
A battery energy storage system at the data center can do several things at once: secure operations, smooth the load, meet the conditions of a grid connection agreement and generate revenue from ancillary services. For a developer, the question becomes how the storage is sized and who owns it.
What we are investigating
How the battery system is sized for both backup and grid services. Which ownership model fits, together with our partners. How battery degradation and the risk to the backup function are governed in the agreement with the operator.
