The lights are flickering, and the rain’s coming down hard—you’ve got to love rain-panicked Californians. We basked in the sun while the rest of the world froze, but we’re set to get our comeuppance over the next several days as a series of storms bear down on our shores. As if often the case for a state unaccustomed to severe weather, the pundits and the television meteorologists have been urging us to take precautions and prepare for power outages. And as my IT guy urges me to save often in case the power goes out, I’m taking a moment to look back at that often unheralded companion to distributed energy—the backup power unit.
In 2009, we covered backup power from a variety of perspectives and projects. The list includes:
Maximizing Reliability
Hoping for the Best, Planning for the Worst
Medical Power Practices
Securing Standby
UPS Systems Reliable Power Delivery
So what do you think? Does backup power get enough attention? And does the need for reliable backup power extend beyond critical systems?