Business
HURDLES BUT ALSO SOLUTIONS
By Jonathan Duncan , vice president : Secure Power for Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric .
The data centre marketplace is growing at pace and the African continent is certainly not lagging .
e ’ re seeing an increased demand for data centres
“ Wacross the continent . And while we ’ re still an emerging market , it does benefit us as we are today largely implementing tried and tested solutions , benefiting from the lessons learned and growing pains experienced by our peers across the pond ,” says Jonathan Duncan , vice president : Secure Power for Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric .
A recent study conducted by the strategic consulting and market research firm , BlueWeave Consulting valued the data centre market as worth USD206.2-billion 2021 , predicting it will reach ( an estimated ) USD404.9-billion by the end of 2022 .
The continent also holds its own unique challenges , with reliable power provisions influencing leading data centre players ’ investments into Africa . Reliable power provision is non-negotiable when establishing and running a data centre and unfortunately some countries in Africa , including South Africa , cannot always guarantee this crucial requirement , as such , capex requirement and operational costs may be seriously impacted .
“ We also suffer a shortage of human capital ; skilled data centre workers are scarce , which re-emphasises the need for creating awareness of this all-important technology space . Data centres are warehouses of information if you will and we must encourage individuals to pursue careers tailored to the various elements and disciplines within data centre operations ,” he says .
Another pressing issue that has the potential to hamper data centre growth in Africa — is renewable energy . Many of the bigger players pursue ‘ sustainability ambitions ’ and require greener data centres that often feature microgrids comprised of renewable DER ( distributed energy resources ) that drive down overall GHG ( greenhouse gas ) emissions , taking the globe one step closer to carbon neutrality .
“ A feasible solution could be to develop data centres in tandem with renewable energy resources . For example , why not establish solar farms primarily responsible for providing energy to a new data centre ,” notes Duncan .
The newest microgrid concepts and design can optimise data centre costs while also enhancing power stability , mitigating exposure to unplanned outages or other disturbances such as load shedding .
When we reach maturity , energy costs should become variable aligned to grid demand and the adoption of microgrids can manage consumption of onsite renewable or stored
Schneider Electric energy during peak grid demands . Stored energy could also in
theory be sold back to the grid when most economical . Thus , consumption of renewable energy can be maximised to meet GHG emissions targets .
Adds Duncan : “ While backup power systems — typically comprising diesel-generators and a UPS — are deemed ubiquitous and essential to ensure continuity of service , it is not optimal to be designed to run continuously in consideration of CHG emissions . Moving towards a true microgrid requires alternative energy resources with intelligent control .”
Which brings us to another important element of data centres , the efficient management thereof . Data centre Infrastructure Management ( DCIM ) has now entered its third iteration , aptly called DCIM 3.0 .
“ We are once again facing new challenges and appear to be at the start of what could be another 20-year cycle , fast-tracked by the pandemic . Our focus is no longer on the traditional Data centre but also on all the connection points between the user and applications . Mission-critical infrastructure is everywhere and needs to be running 24 / 7 ,” explains Duncan .
“ To meet the needs of DCIM 3.0 , Schneider Electric ’ s EcoStruxure IT architecture offers the monitoring , management , planning , and modelling of IT physical infrastructure . It also provides flexible deployment options that include on-premises and cloud-based solutions to support distributed IT environments from a few core sites to thousands of dispersed sites at a global level and scale .”
Ultimately , Africa has the potential to meet data centre growth head-on , however , investors will have to contemplate these abovementioned hurdles and solutions among others to establish a sustainable , future-proofed deployment . RACA
Jonathan Duncan , vice president : Secure Power for Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric .
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