Loadshedding in South Africa has been devastating for both private citizens and businesses alike and the negative effects can’t be understated. This creates a logistics headache for distribution centres wishing to keep the lights on and operating as normal.
Distribution centres can range from average energy consumption rates for normal distribution centres to a high energy consumption rate for distribution centres that require refrigeration or other specialised storage requirements.
This creates such an issue because according to Meteor Space, the average non-refrigerated warehouse consumes 6.1 kilowatt-hours (kWh), and according to ASIdoors this figure jumps to 25 kWh per square foot of refrigeration per year in the case of refrigerated distribution centres. In this article, we will look at what measure’s distribution centres can take to keep the lights on and keep business flowing within their walls.
The energy solution will depend on a few important factors
Before choosing what type of solution fits your DCs best, it’s important to consider following four elements and take them into account when looking at power solutions.
- Your rate of power consumption.
- The size of your DCs.
- The location of DCs.
- The type of DCs.
This list will help us determine, what size and type of backup power solution your distribution centres will require and if your warehouse has the size to make certain systems viable such as solar which work well over a large surface area.
Finally, the specific type of DC will allow us to determine whether generators are a viable solution i.e., if your DC has special storage conditions such as refrigeration which will require a higher maximum power output.
Main backup power options for distribution centres
Generators
Generators – traditionally – have the advantage of a higher maximum power output over an option such as inverters. The downside of this however is that the cost viability of using generators as a backup system is largely linked to the price of the fuel they use to run.
While useful in the context of distribution centres which require larger quantities of electricity, generators can be extremely loud and in addition, they must be run in a well-ventilated area due to the fumes they emit.
Solar energy and batteries
Solar is one of the ideal energy alternatives for distribution centres, this is because of the open and unobstructed nature of most distribution warehouse rooftops providing a large surface area for solar panels to be placed.
Additionally, solar systems have another advantage which is their ability to generate their own electricity, which in times of stable power supply can be used in place of, or to supplement the draw of power from the national grid – effectively lowering operating costs.
While the upfront costs of installing solar systems and batteries are generally higher than a generator solution, the long-term benefits of lowering operating costs are a factor to consider with this backup solution.
Inverters
While inverters cannot output the large quantity of electricity that generators can and don’t have the self-generating advantages of solar energy, they can be used in areas generators cannot, such as indoor areas as inverters don’t generate fumes.
Additionally, inverters can be used in combination with solar panels, where the solar panels charge the inverter instead of the inverter being charged through the grid for later use.
These systems are normally referred to as hybrid systems functioning by charging off the mains as well as a solar source.
Inverters also have the benefit of having a quick switch over time meaning a short downtime between the time the electricity goes off and the time it takes the inverter to restore the flow of electricity.
In the context of distribution centres this not only prevents systems from needing to perform a full restart as power is restored in as quickly as 300 milliseconds.
Inverters also assist in preventing power surges from reaching and damaging the main systems within the distribution centres as power can be fed through the inverters batteries rather than directly from the grid to the various devices within the distribution warehouse effectively creating a barrier between surges and your devices.
Conclusion
Each of these solutions has different benefits and downsides however choosing the right one for your distribution warehouse is vital given the unreliable state of the electrical grid in South Africa. The long-term power savings for your distribution centre are also important to consider, as options such as solar can significantly lower operational costs.