While the latest smartphones, gaming systems, and social media apps tend to garner the most buzz and attention from consumers, the digital world we interact with every day would not exist without a quiet yet formidable hero: the data center.
These fortified structures can be found in communities from coast to coast and help us do everything from saving photos to streaming video calls to sharing medical records. They’re an essential and growing part of our world’s infrastructure.
According to CBRE, the amount of land in North America occupied by data centers grew by 26% in 2024, and AI is expected to drive a 160% increase in data center power needs by 2030.
As this industry expands, it’s critical for commercial builders, specifying engineers, and facilities managers to safeguard their massive investments with rugged surge protection solutions like PANELGUARD and PANELGUARD+ from Intermatic.
Starting with the Basics
Like any other commercial or industrial facility, data centers require a reliable power supply. However, their electricity demand is often greater than traditional manufacturing and processing facilities.
Goldman Sachs estimates that data centers will consume 8% of the total U.S. power demand by 2030, up from 3% in 2022. Even with electrical grid accommodations at a local utility level, these facilities are still at risk of unexpected power surge events.
To optimize surge protection across a data center’s electrical system, SPDs should be installed at every level – service entrance, distribution, and branch panels. In the electrical industry, this is known as layering or multi-tier protection.
A Multi-Layered Solution
To start, installers can place PANELGUARD or PANELGUARD+ units at the service entrance or on the load side to protect downstream equipment.
This helps account for various types of surge events (e.g., power quality from supply, transients from machinery, backup generator startup) and provides a backstop if one or more SPDs fail.
The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE1100) suggests taking a three-tiered approach to surge protection for data centers:
- Category C (Entrance): Main Electrical Service Entrance (Type 1 SPDs 320kA - 600kA)
- Category B (within the facility): Panel-mounted Type 2 SPDs for switch gear, panelboards, and branch circuit panels
- Category A (outlet/point-of-use): Critical equipment racks (Type 3 SPDs for point-of-use)
In large facilities like data centers, installers should opt for our most rigorous PANELGUARD+ surge protection solutions.
The Intermatic PANELGUARD+ M Series features up to 7 modes of protection and is primarily intended for major new construction and renovation projects (e.g., distribution centers, assembly plants, healthcare facilities, etc.).
Related: PANELGUARD+ Configurator Tool
Similarly, the PANELGUARD+ P Series provides an elite defense against power surge issues with up to 10 modes of protection. It’s designed to meet the needs of modern industrial facilities that are sprawling in scope and have a variety of specializations. It’s ideally placed at large main entrance service panels, with supporting SPDs placed at distribution and lower-rated branches or subpanels.
Accounting for Backup Generators
Nearly all data centers integrate backup generators to avoid service interruptions. However, commercial and industrial power generators can be vulnerable to transient activity.
Placing surge protection at multiple points across the automatic transfer switch (ATS)/generator chain can help protect sensitive electronics, machinery, and equipment within a data center.
Installing surge protection on the utility feed into the ATS helps prevent damage due to upstream sources like lightning or switching surges created by the utility system operation. Along with this, it’s advisable to install an SPD at the generator input to the ATS. This helps mitigate the risk of damage from switching transients between the generator and the ATS. It is especially important if the distance between the generator and the ATS is more than 30 feet or if it has exposed wiring. Lastly, an SPD should be placed at the ATS output to safeguard against harmful transients hitting connected loads.
By taking these steps, operators can ensure equipment is not unwittingly damaged by the initial surge, transients from switching, or overvoltage of a faulty ATS.
Interested in learning more about our full lineup of industrial-grade SPDs? Contact your local Intermatic representative today to get started.
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