Critical Data Centre Powered by the Sun
OMNIconnect provides hosted data services for Australia-wide and international businesses. Rapidly growing, OMNIconnect is taking on more data, more equipment, more staff, and ultimately, is using more energy.
Accommodating High Energy Demands
OMNIconnect, a licensed telecommunications carrier and internet service provider based in Melbourne, Australia, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and consumes nearly 400MWh of energy each year. Reliant on this energy to deliver critical, high-value data around the clock, OMNIconnect was running the risk of its demand outstripping supply from the grid.
To provide additional support for its existing power supply, OMNIconnect turned to local installer More Renewable Energy to install a solar PV system that would help not only increase its power source, but also reduce operating expenses and carbon footprint.
The 50kW system is being built in two phases, the first being 30kW, and the second being 20kW.
“Enphase technology is essential in the site’s future expansion. OMNIconnect will be utilising more roof space and plans to expand its solar system at the same time,” said Leon Fong, Project Manager of MORE Solar Energy. “The inverter company we chose had to offer an easy and cost-effective way to expand; Enphase did.”
Doing Right by the Environment
Already environmentally conscious, the OMNIconnect Data Centre houses a range of innovative solutions for lowering its impact on the planet, including economised cooling, lighting sensors, energy saver lights and natural ventilation. The company even uses a water collection and filtration system to meet the facility’s needs as well as recovers heat from the data server rooms and recycles it to warm the office areas in winter months.
“The Enphase System works in tandem with our existing green initiatives,” said Adam Papworth, of OMNIconnect Data Centre. “Our goal is to become a net zero building with minimal export. Now, we’re well on our way.”
Endless Benefits
In addition to its green impact, the Enphase System offered further benefits that made it the perfect fit for OMNIconnect.
Hosting critical and high-value data that relies on a 100 percent stable power source, OMNIconnect needed durable inverter technology built to last. Prior to shipping, Enphase Microinverters are rigorously tested for extreme weather conditions. They were designed to IP 67 standards and only came to market after one million hours of power-on testing.
The Enphase Enlighten monitoring system also provides OMNIconnect with the ability to ensure the data centre’s system is working at an optimum level at all times.
“With engineers on their team, OMNIconnect was extremely interested in a monitoring solution that would allow them to dig deep into the data and understand their system’s production,” said Fong.
