Understanding Standby Power

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What is standby power?

When mains power goes off in a black-out scenario or a drop in power (brown-out) or other environmental factors that can cause a disturbance, the Standby Power system will operate either from stored power usually within lead-acid UPS batteries installed within an uninterruptible power supply or by generated power from a generator or a combination of both as an integrated hybrid system where the UPS operates until the generator is up to speed.

The Standby Power systems are used to support mainstream IT and communications infrastructures from the home office to the International Data Centre.

What are Power Quality Issues?

A loss of power, even momentarily, will cause IT systems and sensitive equipment to crash, turn off, lose data and can cause damage to components which will cost to be repaired. A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) maintains power by switching instantaneously to batteries in the event of a power failure, or even just a dip in power (a brown-out). They also condition the power supply to reduce unwanted spikes and harmonics. They are designed to correct a variety of power problems.

To learn more about the types of power problems please head over to this page: UPS Power Problems Defined

Selecting the right UPS

Referencing UPS Power Problems these systems resolve these issues:

For non-critical applications, an off-line UPS will normally resolve Power Quality Issues 1. to 3. above.
Higher-level power protection, resolving Issues 1. to 5. above, will require a line-interactive UPS.
Complete protection for mission-critical systems, resolving all the Issues in 1. to 9. above, will require on-line double conversion UPS technology.

If you're wondering what factors to consider when looking for a UPS, be sure to check out our page on "What to Consider When Looking for a UPS". It covers everything from power requirements to runtime expectations.

Another common question we hear is, "How Do I Know What Size UPS System to Get?" Our page on this topic provides a helpful overview of factors like load capacity and power factor to help you make an informed decision.

Finally, if you're curious about the different types of UPS systems available, we've got you covered there too. Head over to our page on "Types of UPS Systems" to learn about standby, line-interactive, and online UPS systems and which might be right for you.

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