As Summer Approaches – Ensure Your Business Resilience with Backup Power
Summertime draws near; we think of going to the beach, school breaks and relaxing in the sunshine. Businesses plan for Summer sales and employee vacations. But with climate change increasingly impacting our environment, we are acutely aware today that Summertime also brings extreme weather events that cause disruptions such as power outages. To prepare for the possibility of storms and extreme heat, businesses check and reinforce HVAC equipment, insulation, stock water and other emergency supplies and carry out other cautionary measures. The best time to respond to disaster is before it occurs; contingency planning and emergency preparedness are critical to long-term business resilience.
Increasingly business longevity depends not only on successfully navigating changing seasonal business conditions but also on optimally preparing for changes in the physical environment, including the potential impact of weather and climate on facilities and operations. Achieving business resilience means assessing and mitigating risks and putting in place redundancy programs and systems. Part of the preparations for Summer should include arranging for a backup power source to maintain your business operations whenever the grid goes down. Not only do extreme weather incidents directly bring about power outages, but in some weather conditions power suppliers initiate public safety power shutdowns to reduce the risk of power equipment causing fire disasters, indirectly adding to the disruption to business operations.
To protect your business from the damages that unplanned power outages can cause to your systems, operations and electrical equipment, you are wise to deploy a backup power source to ensure a continuous flow of power, independent of your electrical grid provider. Putting in place a reliable backup power system will not only give you a competitive edge and strengthen your reputation by enabling you to continue to service customers and maintain your regular operations when other businesses are closed, but can also save you from incurring unexpected costs due to equipment and/or materials that are liable to be damaged by power failures.
Keep in mind some key issues when choosing a backup solution. First and foremost, you need high reliability and good performance, so make sure that the solution you select kicks in quickly, especially if you run any sensitive electronic equipment that can be damaged by power surges. Secondly, ascertain that the solution will provide power for extended durations, sufficient to endure throughout the length of power outages that occur in your area. Some backup solutions require large space and perhaps adequate ventilation if there are any odorous emissions. Be aware if you have any restrictions against noise and vibrations. Take into consideration routine fueling and maintenance requirements which, if not carried out to spec, will impair the reliability of the solution.
If your key concern is reliability, we recommend you consider another alternative – the alkaline fuel cell. In contrast to the more popular solutions, hydrogen-based alkaline fuel cell solutions, used to power space vessels and submarines, offer a clean, quiet long-duration energy source that is ultra-reliable even in extreme weather conditions. Alkaline fuel cells are safe and environmentally-friendly, as well as in many places eligible for tax benefits. They take up little space and can be situated indoors or out, as well as requiring almost no maintenance. Running on clean, safe hydrogen, they will run for as long as hydrogen is available, and their only by-product is water. Used by power utilities and public safety providers, the alkaline fuel cell offers high reliability that makes a valuable contribution to your business resilience.
Getting an early start on contingency planning and emergency preparedness strengthens your business and gives you a competitive advantage when extreme weather hits and can even create new business opportunities for those available when others suffer disruption. This Spring ensure your business resilience with reliable backup power to keep running throughout the Summer, no matter what. Read more details about our ultra-reliable long-duration backup power solutions.
