An uninterruptible power supply, also uninterruptible power source, UPS or battery/flywheel backup, is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically mains power
, fails. A UPS differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system
or standby generator
in
that it will provide near-instantaneous protection from input power
interruptions, by supplying energy stored in batteries or a flywheel.
The on-battery runtime of most uninterruptible power sources is
relatively short (only a few minutes) but sufficient to start a standby
power source or properly shut down the protected equipment.
A UPS is typically used to protect computers, data
centers, telecommunication equipment or other electrical equipment where
an unexpected power disruption could cause injuries, fatalities,
serious business disruption or data loss. UPS units range in size from
units designed to protect a single computer without a video monitor
(around 200 VA rating) to large units powering entire data centers or
buildings. The world's largest UPS, the 46-megawatt, Battery Electric
Storage System (BESS), in Fairbanks, AK, powers the entire city and
nearby rural communities during outages.
As much as it's very sensible to have a UPS,
ReplyDeleteuninterruptible power supplies in the Philippines, yes back home, is pretty uncommon due to the price. But it's real handy for server maintenance based on my job experience.