Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

No downtime, only upside for flexible data centers

Discover how data center owners gain revenue with no downside through flexibility.
Flextools enables data center owners to access a new revenue stream. Learn how more data centers are now contributing power flexibility through the growing Nordics frequency markets.

Background/ insight

Uptime and reliable operations are king for data center owners and operators. They will not risk installing solutions that risk uptime or disrupt service reliability.

Therefore, setting up data centers for participation in the flexibility markets requires careful planning.  

Challenges

High participation threshold

High participation threshold

Smaller data centers may not be eligible e.g., 1MW is min bid in Norwegian FFR market.
Uptime & reliability

Uptime & reliability

Zero tolerance for downtime or risk to operations.

The Solution

#1: Control UPS

#1: Control UPS

Flextools connects local controls to the uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), which are already used for backup power and must be tested periodically.
#2: Aggregation

#2: Aggregation

Flextools' experts pre-qualify and aggregate assets. Aggregation involves bundling smaller systems into a portfolio and single bid that exceeds market thresholds e.g., 1 MW for FFR in Norway.
#3: New revenue, no disruption

#3: New revenue, no disruption

Together with the data center owners, Flextools ensures that participation in the FFR market does not impact operations or uptime.

The results

New revenue stream

New revenue stream

Data center owners receive revenue with no risk to uptime.
Grid balancing

Grid balancing

New MW of flexible load are available to the grid during frequency dips.
Reliability

Reliability

Flextools platform provides real time updates to responsible managers.
“Working together with Flextools in the StrømFleks project has been a positive experience. With flextools we can aggregate, monitor and dispatch flexibility available in our grid. We can combine assets from households and commercial buildings in different portfolios. Data gathered from the system can then be used to analyze consumption patterns.”
Ivan Schytte
Head of Smart Grid, Lede AS
“Flextools was the first company to participate in the NODESconnect partner program. Through their technology Flextools has managed to enable numerous flexibility providers to optimise their assets by selling flexibility in the NODESmarket place. Flextools is a key partner in the energy transition as we seek to develop a more efficient and more sustainable energy system.”
Richard Sarti
CEO, NODESmarket
“Ishavskraft is very satisfied with the cooperation with Flextools. They provide automatic bidding, data gathering and monitoring of our customers’ flexible loads. flextools is a user-friendly tool and it provides us with a good overview of our trades on NODES.”
Finn Dag Hovem
Portfolio Manager, Ishavskraft AS
“At Glitre Energiløsninger, we provide innovative and profitable energy solutions to our business customers. By using the Flextools platform, we enable our customers to generate revenue from participation in energy markets using the inherent flexibility in their loads.”
Sivert Eliassen
Concept developer, Glitre Energiløsninger AS
“We are proud to be a partner of Flextools. Through our integration with fextools we can play a part in the flexibility market. It is exciting to see how smart use of data can unlock more capacity in the power grid and create new revenue streams.”
Erik Berg Solheim
CEO, OSS Norge
“Together with Flextools we take part in a sustainable and fully electric society of tomorrow. By identifying our costumers' flexible assets, we can exploit our power grid in a better way, while reducing our customers total energy cost, increase their competitiveness by gaining income from flex markets. With flextools, our customers can easily connect and contribute to the green transition. This benefit both the society as a whole and the customer!”
Mattias Harrysson
Head of Energy & Sustainability Services, Entelios Nordics

More insight you may like

50MW wind park

Swedish wind park profits while balancing the grid. Read more about their success in the FCR-D market.

Aggregate flexible industrial loads and grow revenue

Industrial companies have production and support systems, including boilers, industrial ovens, data centers, lighting, and food processing equipment, which can contribute flexibility to the grid.