Report highlights increased focus on safety, sustainability, and cost efficiency in data centre energy storage

ZincFive has published the inaugural Data Center Energy Storage Industry Insights Report in collaboration with Data Center Frontier. This report, featuring contributions from diverse industry professionals worldwide, offers valuable insights into the current landscape and future trends for data center energy storage, including usage, perceptions, priorities, challenges, predictions, and the impact of AI.

Key findings from the 2024 report include:

Only a third of respondents (34%) said they completely trust their existing backup system.

When evaluating energy storage solutions, industry professionals prioritize safety (69%) and total cost of ownership (64%). Nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries, along with valve-regulated lead acid (VRLA) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, ranked highly for both safety and cost considerations.

Traditional energy storage technology limitations (50%) and sustainability targets/mandates (44%) were driving the changes respondents considered for their energy storage technology.

Four in five respondents (81%) said that sustainability criteria were important in their power system buying decisions.

Two-thirds (63%) said that their organization’s sustainability programs have resulted in some cost reductions, with one in five (19%) seeing significant cost reductions.

26% of respondents expect their runtime to decrease, 38% foresee no change, while the remaining respondents believe it could increase.

When asked what they were not getting out of their current battery backup/energy storage technology, respondents listed the following four top priorities in order of mention frequency: long life, reliability, sustainability, and cost reduction.

“Data centers are the backbone of our digital world, and as the industry evolves at an unprecedented pace, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve,” said Tim Hysell, CEO and Co-Founder of ZincFive. “With this report, we aimed to keep our finger on the pulse of the industry and deliver actionable insights that truly matter to data center professionals. The data shows that the industry is not just adopting new technologies but is demanding more from them—longer life, enhanced reliability, and a strong alignment with sustainability goals. This shift is driving meaningful change across the sector, pushing for innovations that will define the future of energy storage.”