It’s no secret that the transmission grid is the weak link in power delivery to industrial and large commercial customers. Dual transmission feeds, expensive primary-side UPS systems and backup generators are common solutions for data centers. But large customers wanting power diversity to their location discover that footing the bill for transmission improvements is no bargain.

To learn more, I interviewed Damian Berger, Senior Electrical Engineer at Peak Power Engineering, Inc. who has researched wind energy and transmission issues in the West.

What gives Wyoming an edge with power transmission capacity in the West?

Wyoming is moving forward with plans to reinforce the transmission grid. In 2004, the Wyoming legislature established the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority (WIA), and, with $1 billion in bonding authority, commissioned the WIA to “participate in planning, financing, constructing, developing, acquiring,maintaining and operating electric transmission facilities and their supporting infrastructure.” The creation of the WIA was not an empty gesture. To date, four transmission expansion projects are underway with the support of the WIA.

Four? Give us a sense of the timelines required to get a transmission project off the ground to understand the magnitude of having four projects underway.

Transmission line projects can take two or more years to complete. The process begins with feasibility studies. Because the transmission grid is an interconnected system, the studies can be complicated, with multiple transmission owners being involved. Public interest and environmental concerns can significantly impact route selection. If conflicts arise, a project’s timeline can easily double.

Other states seem to be going in a different direction?

While policy makers are busy trying to provide incentive for utilities to upgrade the transmission system, Wyoming is doing what existing transmission owners are reluctant to do: take the necessary risks to increase delivery capacity. The payoff will be big. With the #1 ranked wind energy resources in the nation, interest in purchasing future transmission capacity already outweighs concrete plans to build infrastructure. Transmission owners in Wyoming are also moving forward with upgrade plans, but their process is necessarily slower.

Wind energy generation clearly benefits from this transmission capacity, are there other effects?

Not only do new transmission lines increase capacity, but they make the local grid more reliable and less vulnerable to outages. Some organizations are already taking notice of Wyoming’s potential. With $20 million in direct funding from Wyoming, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) will build the world’s fastest supercomputer in Cheyenne, Wyoming. And the Wyoming legislature and governor are eager to attract more developers to the state with grant money earmarked specifically for data centers.

Any predictions on wind’s contribution to the greening of data centers?

Wind power is probably the first thing that comes to mind when talking about green power. Did you know, however, that the benefits of wind power are often offset by the long distance transmission from the wind farm to the consuming load center? Transmission and distribution system losses should not be overlooked in the green power equation. Having large loads in close proximity to abundant energy resources, including wind, is more cost effective and energy efficient than shipping power over large distances through the power grid.

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Data Center Site Selection

Writing a Statement of Work (SOW) for a Data Center Relocation can be a daunting task. Has your Google search for an example to jump start your efforts left you frustrated?

While there are entire books on the process of writing a good SOW, you likely don’t have the time to read them. Worse, they don’t include the kind of details you’d like for the data center move.

What are the Minimal SOW Elements?

You’ll need these minimum elements in every Statement of Work:

• Define the Scope
• Define the Deliverables
• Define the Timeline and Period of Performance
• Define the Evaluation Criteria
• Define the Reporting Requirements
• Add your Terms and Conditions

What Data Center Relocation Elements should you include?

You can appreciate that without knowing your specific details, it is impossible to capture the critical details that would make your move successful. Be sure and have your SOW peer reviewed before releasing it to your Vendors. Here are some questions to help you get specific for your project:

• What are the origin and destination locations?
• What total square footage is in each location?
• How much equipment needs to be moved?
• What downtime is acceptable?
• What work is being done by your staff and what work do you want the vendor to do?
• Do you have a master move timeline?
• Do you have special equipment that needs to be moved?
• Do you need specific technical expertise?
• Do you have enough time to run a competitive process, or do you need to fast track and get a Vendor on-board quickly?

Is the Perfect SOW the answer?

A Data Center Relocation can be a complex undertaking. A well written statement of work is but one step in this complex journey. Ultimately, the success of your move depends on a number of critical elements — not the least of which is allowing enough time to plan your move.

Learn more about Data Center Moves with our Free Data Center Relocation guide.

Corporate Relocations, Data Center Relocation, Data Center Site Selection

The Wyoming Business Council has earmarked $5 Million to provide reduction of the utility costs for electrical and/or broadband for the recruitment/growth of Tier II, Tier III and Tier IV Data Centers.
See Wyoming (Enrolled Act NO. 85), Appropriations for details.

Incentives have played major roles in recent data center location announcements. While Cheyenne has been garnering most of the data center attention, towns like Wheatland (70 miles north of Cheyenne) could also benefit.

Data Center Relocation, Data Center Site Selection