Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Portal Page

This portal page aggregates information relevant to UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Applications.

An uninterruptible power supply – i.e. a device that ensures constant delivery of electricity to an electrical load. A UPS can be standby (Backup Power) or full time (Primary Power). Standby UPS systems only kick in when the primary power supply is interrupted. Full time UPS systems run constantly, juggling their power supply to ensure that the supply of electrical power to the device it is protecting is constant and uninterrupted.

There are an increasing number of Commercially Available Fuel Cell UPS Systems for Communications & Telecoms Applications on the market.

If your business is active in the Communications & Telecoms market and is looking to establish business relationships with fuel cell suppliers, please either click here for opportunities with Fuel Cell Markets Partners or contact Fuel Cell Markets directly.

Benefits of Fuel Cells for the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Applications

• Autonomy – Fuel cells are able to operate as long as there is available fuel, so whether an 8 hour, 1 day or 3 day extended runtime is required, enough fuel can be stored onsite.
• Remote monitoring – Fuel cells can be fully monitored from one central location alerting the operator as to when the system is in use and how long before refuelling is required to ensure no downtime
• Footprint –The space required for the same period of runtime is considerably less for fuel cells than for battery banks. Fuel cells do not require cooling like batteries which eliminates the need for spacious cooling systems.
• Fuels - The majority of these systems operate on hydrogen (in this instance the only emission is water), which can be generated from renewable sources (electrolysis) or from reformed hydrocarbons (methanol, propane, ammonia and natural gas).
• Temperature tolerance – unlike batteries, fuel cells do not degrade a high temperatures and their range can be between - 40°C and +50°C
• Integration – fuel cell systems provided as either a standalone unit similar in size to a small refrigerator (for applications like base stations) or can be inserted in existing 19” racks
• Cost – over the lifetime of the unit can offer cost savings over existing technologies. This include: maintenance, repairs, transport and disposal
• Reliability - In many cases, fuel cells are able to offer higher reliability and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) and there is no degradation of voltage over time. Failures tend to be less critical and easily dealt with.
• Environmental – Unlike generators, fuel cells do not use combustion and therefore there are no NOx, SOx or particulate emissions from the unit. These characteristics can reduce complications with site placement and integration
• Maintenance – fuel cells have very few moving parts which reduces the need for regular maintenance.