New power-backup source for data centers: Supercapacitors

Price points for supercapacitor technology are declining and the standards for backup times in data centers are dropping, says power systems manufacturer Inventus Power in Woodridge, Ill. So it makes sense for supercapacitors to become an alternative technology to Lithium-ion and lead acid batteries, the company says. Consequently, Inventus Power is has developed supercapacitor products for the data storage market.

Supercapacitors store energy with a thin, double layer of charge between two plates made from porous carbon-based materials soaked in an electrolyte. The fast energy discharge capabilities of supercapacitors make them good candidates for short term backup times compared to batteries. Supercapacitors are effective in the 20-30 seconds needed to start up generators and synchronize power. They also sport long cycle lifetimes, life spans in the 10 to 20-year range, and have a low equivalent series resistance (ESR). And supercapacitors provide high power density and high load currents

Supercapacitors also feature maintenance-free operation, high operating temperatures and environmentally-friendly construction. Inventus says they provide an opportunity to get better economics in the operation of a data center by reducing cooling and replacement costs. Features of one of the supercapacitor backup products that Inventus Power recently designed and launched include:
• Five series, one parallel design with VINATech supercapacitors
• Discharge capability of 10 W from 9.5 to 4.5V
• Run-time of 22 seconds
• Charge current of 0.5 A
• I²C Bus communication and thermal alarm pin
• Meets UL 810 requirements

Inventus Power makes rechargeable backup power systems, including Lithium-ion batteries, battery charging, and/or power conversion functions. The company says the additional supercapacitor design and manufacturing capability will let it meet the evolving technology demands of the data storage market and reinforces the company’s position as the leading single-source provider of custom power solutions.