Driven by the dual forces of the "dual carbon" goals and the rapid development of the digital economy, data centers have evolved from being mere "computing power hubs" to becoming the "core battleground for green and low-carbon transformation." As the "power safety barrier" ensuring the continuous operation of data centers, the technological iteration of UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) directly impacts the energy consumption levels, operational efficiency, and environmental value of data centers. Among them, lithium battery UPS, with its significant green advantages and performance breakthroughs, is gradually replacing traditional lead-acid battery UPS and becoming the key choice for data centers to achieve a transformation characterized by "safety + efficiency + low carbon." HIGHIDEA, a professional brand deeply rooted in the UPS field, has emerged as a preferred solution for numerous data centers with its range of lithium battery UPS products, which boast precise scenario adaptability and technological innovation.
Policy and Demand Driving the Inevitable Trend of Lithium Battery UPS
Currently, the green transformation of data centers has entered a stage of "hard constraints." Traditional lead-acid battery UPS, plagued by issues such as low energy density, short lifespan, complex operation and maintenance, and high pollution risks, has found it difficult to meet the low-carbon requirements of data centers.
At the same time, the rise of AI computing clusters and cloud computing centers has propelled the power of single cabinets from the 10kW level to the 100kW level, imposing higher demands on the floor space, response speed, and cycling capability of UPS systems. Lithium battery UPS, with its core characteristics of "small size, long lifespan, high energy efficiency, and low pollution," perfectly aligns with the development direction of data centers towards "high density, greenness, and intelligence." Its market penetration rate has soared from 15% in 2020 to 58% in 2025, becoming an industry-wide consensus for upgrading. HIGHIDEA has accurately captured this trend, with its rack-mounted lithium battery UPS products such as the ET1KR , all designed with 19-inch standard rack configurations to adapt to high-density data center environments, taking the lead in responding to the spatial optimization needs of data centers from a product form perspective.
Four Core Advantages Reshaping the Value of Data Center Power Supply
Compared to traditional lead-acid battery UPS, the advantages of lithium battery UPS are not merely a one-dimensional performance improvement but rather a comprehensive reshaping of the value of data center power supply systems, manifesting in four key dimensions: green environmental protection, efficiency enhancement, cost optimization, and safety upgrading.
1. Green and Low Carbon: Environmental Protection Throughout the Entire Lifecycle from Production to Retirement
Lead-acid batteries contain toxic and harmful substances such as lead and sulfuric acid, generating heavy metal pollution during production and causing permanent damage to soil and water sources if improperly disposed of after scrapping. In contrast, lithium batteries (with lithium iron phosphate as the mainstream) do not contain heavy metal elements, reducing carbon emissions by 32% during the production stage compared to lead-acid batteries. After retirement, they can achieve resource recycling of positive electrode materials, electrolytes, and other components through professional recycling, with a resource recovery rate exceeding 95%. HIGHIDEA's entire range of lithium battery UPS products adopts lithium iron phosphate cells, not only passing both the EU RoHS and China's national RoHS environmental certifications, strictly controlling 10 harmful substances such as lead and cadmium, but also relying on a comprehensive recycling system to achieve environmental protection throughout the entire lifecycle, providing solid support for data centers to achieve their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals and significantly enhancing the green image of enterprises.
2. High Efficiency and Compactness: A Spatial Revolution Adapting to High-Density Data Centers
The floor space in data center machine rooms is "extremely valuable." Traditional lead-acid battery UPS systems have an energy density of only 30-50Wh/kg, with a 100kVA UPS system requiring 8-10 square meters of battery room space. In contrast, lithium iron phosphate batteries have an energy density of 150-200Wh/kg, with the floor space occupied by lithium battery UPS systems of the same power being only 1/3 to 1/5 of that of lead-acid battery systems. HIGHIDEA excels in compact design, with its ET1KR model 1KVA lithium battery UPS weighing only 8.6KG and featuring a 19-inch standard rack design that can be directly embedded into cabinets, saving over 70% of installation space compared to traditional lead-acid battery solutions. Moreover, online products like the ET3KR achieve "integration of the host and battery," allowing machine room space to be prioritized for deploying computing power equipment and directly enhancing the operational efficiency of data centers.
In terms of energy efficiency, the charge-discharge conversion efficiency of lithium batteries exceeds 95%, an improvement of 10-15 percentage points over lead-acid batteries. Taking a data center with 1,000 cabinets as an example, adopting lithium battery UPS can reduce invalid energy consumption by approximately 150,000kWh annually, equivalent to saving 54 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 135 tons.
3. Cost Optimization: "Cost Reduction and Efficiency Enhancement" Throughout the Entire Lifecycle
Although the initial procurement cost of lithium battery UPS is 20%-30% higher than that of lead-acid battery UPS, its comprehensive cost is actually reduced by over 40% over the entire lifecycle (typically calculated over 10 years). On one hand, the cycle life of lithium batteries can exceed 2,000 times, 4-6 times that of lead-acid batteries (300-500 times), eliminating the need for frequent battery replacements and significantly reducing replacement costs and downtime for maintenance. On the other hand, the self-discharge rate of lithium batteries is only 1%-3% per month, far lower than the 5%-10% per month of lead-acid batteries, reducing the workload of operation and maintenance personnel and energy consumption costs.
The cost advantages of HIGHIDEA's lithium battery UPS have been validated in real-world scenarios: After replacing traditional lead-acid products with 15 sets of Hedy ET1KRS rack-mounted UPS in a medium-sized internet enterprise data center, the battery replacement cycle was extended from 3 years to 10 years due to the battery's cycle life exceeding 2,500 times, resulting in an annual reduction in operation and maintenance costs of approximately 120,000 yuan and a total cost reduction of over 900,000 yuan over 10 years. More notably, some of Hedy's products support flexible capacity expansion through external batteries, allowing for gradual upgrades in line with computing power growth and avoiding the financial pressure of large one-time investments.
4. Safety and Intelligence: Power Supply Protection Adapting to the Digital Age
With the development of AI, big data, and other businesses, the requirement for uninterrupted power supply in data centers has been elevated to "zero interruption." Lithium battery UPS systems have faster charge-discharge response speeds, and HIGHIDEA's online lithium battery UPS systems achieve 0-second seamless switching, several times faster than traditional lead-acid battery UPS systems, effectively avoiding the impact of voltage fluctuations on precision equipment such as servers. Its core advantage lies in the built-in intelligent BMS (Battery Management System)—drawing on the essence of wireless battery management technology, it can monitor the voltage, internal resistance, and temperature of individual battery cells in real-time. Some high-end models even support 0.1℃-level precise temperature measurement, predicting fault risks through AI algorithms with a fault warning accuracy rate exceeding 99%, reducing the MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) from the industry's conventional 4 hours to within 15 minutes, significantly improving operation and maintenance efficiency.
In extreme scenarios, the lithium iron phosphate cells used in Hedy's lithium battery UPS systems exhibit excellent thermal stability, coupled with fire- and explosion-proof enclosures and dual protection designs against overcharging and over-discharging, eliminating the risk of "thermal runaway" at the source. Meanwhile, the pure sine wave power output (THD < 3%) effectively filters out grid harmonic interference, not only ensuring power supply safety but also extending the service life of data center servers and storage equipment.
Selection Recommendations: Key Considerations from "Adaptation" to "Leading Edge"
When selecting lithium battery UPS systems for data centers, it is essential to consider three core elements in conjunction with the center's business scenarios, computing power scale, and future plans: First, the cell type, with priority given to lithium iron phosphate batteries. All of HIGHIDEA's products adopt this type of cell, with their safety and cycle life having been validated through long-term market testing. Second, the BMS system, ensuring it features full-parameter monitoring, intelligent warning, and remote management functions. HIGHIDEA's intelligent BMS can seamlessly integrate with mainstream data center operation and maintenance platforms, supporting remote start-stop, status monitoring, and fault troubleshooting. Third, compatibility, choosing products that support modular capacity expansion. Models like HIGHIDEA's ET1KRS support external battery packs, meeting the smooth upgrade needs of computing power from 1kW to 10kW and avoiding redundant investments.
Conclusion: Leveraging Lithium Battery UPS as a Fulcrum to Propel the Green Future of Data Centers
The green transformation of data centers is not a "multiple-choice question" but a "survival question." Lithium battery UPS, as the core link connecting "power safety" and "low-carbon development," not only addresses the energy consumption and operation and maintenance pain points of traditional power supply systems but also provides reliable support for the computing power upgrades of data centers with its efficient, intelligent, and environmentally friendly characteristics. HIGHIDEA's range of lithium battery UPS products, by integrating compact design, intelligent management, and ultimate safety into each product, have become pragmatic drivers of green transformation for data centers. Looking ahead, with the continuous iteration of lithium battery technology and further cost reductions, high-quality lithium battery UPS brands like HIGHIDEA will lead data center power supply systems into a new development stage, facilitating the higher-quality development of the digital economy on a green track.
If you would like to learn more about the specific adaptation solutions for HIGHIDEA's lithium battery UPS or require a customized assessment for your data center, please feel free to contact HIGHIDEA's professional team. We will provide a full range of services from product selection to installation and commissioning, tailored to your computing power requirements and machine room conditions, to jointly explore the optimal solution for green power supply.