How On-Site Power Redefines Energy Strategies for Hospitals, Airports and Data Centers

With energy demand skyrocketing due to a computing revolution and the rise in facility electrification, a massive shift is accelerating in how critical facilities approach backup power solutions.

This shift is key to energy resiliency at hospitals and pivotal transportation hubs such as airports, Dinesh Balaji Ramaraj, business development and marketing manager for on-site power generation firm Cummins, said during a QuickChat video interview with Microgrid Knowledge Managing Editor Rod Walton.

Ramaraj said that growing grid instability, rapid technological change and more frequent severe weather are pushing critical facilities to treat backup power as a core part of a holistic energy strategy—not merely a regulatory requirement.

“We need quality power during critical operations, both in hospitals and in air traffic control [centers] at airports,” he said. Considering both the financial cost of downtime and the lives at stake, “an outage isn't an inconvenience, it's catastrophic. In essence, the game has changed from what should we do if the power goes out, to…how do we operate through the outage seamlessly?”

When every second counts

Walton and Ramaraj explored the critical role that microgrids play in on-site power solutions.

Because they can transition seamlessly between power sources, microgrids with battery storage deliver continuous, stable power and avoid the 10 second to 30 second startup delay typical of traditional backup generators.

“This is possible because our best solutions can provide a near zero second transfer so that you don’t even notice the lights flickering,” Ramaraj said.

He pointed to two examples of microgrids providing reliable power to critical facilities.

First, he highlighted NYU Langone Health, one of the largest academic health systems in the Northeastern U.S. The organization implemented microgrids to keep operating rooms, intensive care units and life support systems running through multi-day outages.

He also cited the Pittsburgh and San Diego international airports, which have deployed microgrids to ensure systems stay online even when utility power falters.

“Microgrids give these facilities not just backup, but a stable, economical and emissions compliant power that the traditional grid can’t reliably guarantee anymore,” he said.

Data centers also benefit from onsite power and microgrids

Ramaraj and Walton also discussed the use of on-site power and microgrids at data centers, which need large amounts of high quality power. Ramaraj explained how Cummins builds dedicated private power plants for these facilities, leveraging a combination of gen-sets and battery storage to handle the sudden load changes typical of data centers. 

The gen-sets provide the high capacity, long duration power needed during a multi-day outage while the battery provides the instantaneous energy necessary to maintain the stability of the facility.

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Asset and system level controllers ensure a smooth transition between power sources.

The solution ensures data centers receive the high quality power they need without impacting local communities and straining the aging grid, he said.

You can watch the full video here.