Wärtsilä and Schneider Electric to co-operate on hyperscale data center projects

HELSINKI, 22-Jan-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Wärtsilä and Schneider Electric have signed a global co-operation agreement to bring together their individual products and services, along with those of third parties, for the purpose of co-operating on data center projects. The co-operation focuses on hyperscale data center projects with at least a 10 MW electrical load.

The technology group Wärtsilä and Schneider Electric have signed a co-operation agreement in Helsinki in December 2017. The objective of the cooperation is to work together to open markets for innovative data center energy optimization solutions. Wärtsilä’s responsibility in the co-operation is to provide a power generation plant, whereas Schneider Electric focuses on energy distribution optimization.

Both Wärtsilä and Schneider Electric are global leaders in their respective fields. Wärtsilä is a global leader in advanced technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the energy markets, while Schneider Electric leads the digital transformation of energy management by offering world-leading power management and automation systems, and providing integrated efficiency solutions by combining energy, automation, and software. Additionally, Schneider Electric’s best-in-class data center physical infrastructure solutions set them apart, continually pushing to develop and deploy technology and solutions like this one to advance the industry. Wärtsilä’s gas-fired engine power plants provide a new, alternative energy source for data centers. Schneider Electric provides a specific solution for distribution network management and power management in medium voltage, low voltage and secure power, and grid automation and via its IT infrastructure solutions.

By collaborating in the field of data centers, the two companies will be able to propose optimised, cost-effective end-to-end data center power plant architectures, providing a reliable and secure power generation and distribution system including full renewable back-up power. The gas generator based back-up power system has a fast start-up time of only 40 seconds.

Wärtsilä’s medium speed internal combustion engines offer highly efficient, sustainable and cost-effective power compared to traditional back up diesel generators.  Redundant engine capacity can be used to sell electricity to the grid, opening a new business model for data center operators. Thanks to the efficiency of the gas engines, they provide power to the data center at a lower price than grid electricity. Switching to natural gas can also significantly reduce the carbon footprint of a data center.

“Data center operators will benefit from this collaboration so that they will be able to achieve a major reduction of their carbon footprint, save data center energy costs, and obtain financial returns with smart power generation assets”, adds Javier Cavada, President, Wärtsilä Energy Solutions. 

“Innovating with a strong partner like Wärtsilä drives us at Schneider Electric to deliver the most advanced and sustainable end-to-end solutions for energy management at data centers and power plants. With the end-customer’s needs in mind, we are confident that mutual value is created every step of the way in a potential market that wants to optimize existing assets, remain operationally efficient and contribute to climate-friendly solutions”, says Frederic Godemel, Energy SVP, Schneider Electric.

For more information, please contact:

Mikko Keto
Sales Director, Energy
Schneider Electric
+358 50 572 5799
mikko.keto@schneider-electric.com

Javier Cavada
President
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions
+358 10 709 5297
javier.cavada@wartsila.com

About Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries. With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management – Medium Voltage, LowVoltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software. In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency. We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment.
www.schneider-electric.com

Wärtsilä Energy Solutions in brief
Wärtsilä Energy Solutions is a leading global energy system integrator offering a broad range of environmentally sound solutions. Our offering includes ultra-flexible internal combustion engine based power plants, utility-scale solar PV power plants, energy storage & integration solutions, as well as LNG terminals and distribution systems. The flexible and efficient Wärtsilä solutions provide customers with superior value and enable a transition to a more sustainable and modern energy system. As of 2017, Wärtsilä has 65 GW of installed power plant capacity in 177 countries around the world.
www.smartpowergeneration.com

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in advanced technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2016, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 4.8 billion with approximately 18,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com

SOURCE: Wärtsilä