Earlier this year Pure Data Centres and AVK completed Europe’s first, large scale, 110MW on-site microgrid in Dublin. I had the pleasure of attending the formal unveiling of this impressive feat of engineering and saw firsthand how it combines on-site generation, battery storage and smart controls to provide reliable, grid independent power.

The argument for microgrids is straightforward. As energy demand continues to climb with the growth of AI, conventional grid infrastructure is coming under increasing pressure, driving interest in alternative energy solutions. For data centres, microgrids present a compelling option by offering enhanced resilience, greater operational flexibility and a clear pathway toward decarbonisation.

While microgrids have been up and running in the US for some time, the question now is whether Europe’s first on-site microgrid in Dublin could reshape how the rest of the continent  thinks about powering AI infrastructure. This is the subject a specially selected panel of industry experts tackles in this month’s Question Time.

On a not altogether unrelated subject, we take a deep dive into the latest developments concerning data centre energy management. Matthew Baynes of Schneider Electric examines how data centres can strengthen the UK’s energy future and Louis Charlton of Global Commissioning tells us why the substation is no longer someone else’s problem. One area that’s often ignored is the roof and Errol Bull of Momentive Performance Materials explains why data centre energy management starts at the very top of the data centre.

This issue also has a special feature dedicated to copper cabling standards, comprising two excellent articles. In the first, Nikolay Efimov of Siemon looks at why cabling standards matter more than ever in a fast changing digital world. In the second, R&M’s Matthias Gerber argues against short-term thinking when it comes to extended distance cabling.

Rob Shepherd 
Editor