Data Centers & Telecom

Lead batteries provide a modern uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to enable our vast, digital society. They safeguard the data centers and telecommunication systems that keep us informed and our economy stable, with remarkable sustainability.

Resiliency and Reliability: When Every Moment Counts

For decades, lead batteries have been relied on for data center and telecom backup power. The proven and sustainable technology of lead batteries with a relatively low up-front cost, recyclability, safety and well-understood maintenance requirements makes them a trusted solution.

Batteries are becoming even more essential to these critical industries as the demands on our electrical grids increase and as more power comes from solar and wind energy.

Renewable energy sources require storage of the energy when its abundant and discharging it when it’s needed to meet demand. Lead batteries can also help balance other kinds of variability on power grids, allowing for more cost-effective and efficient operations and stable power for data centers and telecom systems.

Lead technology for a data center battery

Managing a Data Tsunami

Internet users generate about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data daily and 2.5 million emails every second. Enabling those clicks are energy hungry data centers. They’re racing to store, manage and protect data, from baby photos to major Wall Street deals, as well as AI, VR and 5G technology.

But utilities can go down and IT equipment can take hours to reset. To protect massive online data repositories, the New York Stock Exchange, Google and other major entities rely on lead battery back-up power.

Lead batteries are essential to bridge the gap in continuity in less than a second. They are a safe, sustainable and established technology that protects our sensitive military, healthcare, financial and personal data. Plus, lead batteries can be replicated at scale domestically to meet the rapidly growing need.

“A major driver in the data center industry is finding carbon neutral ‘greener’ power sources. … There is a major push toward products that fit a circular economy. Lead batteries meet this requirement.”

Nicola Corradin, Product and Strategic Marketing Manager at FIAMM Energy Technology (Reserve Power Solutions Division)
Lead batteries support telecom

Telecommunications: Keeping Us Connected

In times of crisis, lead batteries provide the critical backup power that helps us stay safe and connected. In fact, the telecom industry uses lead batteries for over 80% of the backup power required for our 24/7 mobile connections. Consider these additional facts:

  • Lead batteries are the dominant technology used to deliver UPS to telecommunications systems, such emergency call centers and cellphone towers.
  • Lead batteries are the battery of choice for telecommunications centers to meet the mandate set by the Federal Communications Commission to provide continuous backup power for 911 call centers.
  • When the power goes out, lead batteries also ensure our access to internet services, television and radio.
  • Lead battery energy storage systems moderate the variability of electric grids to keep online communication consistently accessible.

And, lead batteries will remain a leader. Research shows the battery market in the telecommunication industry is poised to grow by $5.95 billion during 2022-2026. In 2021, the lead battery segment had a significant market share and this is expected to continue, in part, due to lead batteries’ relatively low cost and impressive safety profile.

telecom
Lead is the dominant battery chemistry used to support a U.S. communications infrastructure worth more than $1 trillion.

There's a lot of room for growth in ... lead battery chemistry ... it's something that would really make it even more competitive for things like stationary storage.

Dr. Tim Fister, Materials Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory