Data centre server hall
DATA CENTRES

Data Centre
Grid & Microgrid SCADA

A data centre is a high-reliability energy system with a digital load attached. ACE engineers the network connection, substation automation, microgrid EMS, backup generation and power-system SCADA as one integrated system — so the facility can be approved, commissioned, operated and trusted.

2.0 GWhBESS SCADA Delivered
11+ YrsGrid & Control Engineering
100,000+Project Engineering Hours
24/7Operational Support
OUR APPROACH

Engineering the energy system behind the data centre

The most useful project reframe is to see the facility as a high-load energy system first. Servers create the demand profile, but the delivery programme depends on the assets that supply, convert, control and supervise power. The network connection, substation automation, microgrid EMS, backup generation and power-system SCADA are not late-stage utilities. They are project foundations.

Grid connection and microgrid integration are one operating boundary. The network interface determines how the facility is energised and approved; the microgrid determines how it manages demand, resilience and ride-through. ACE engineers both together, drawing on proven experience across grid-connected infrastructure, substation automation, SCADA, EMS and backup-generation supervision.

Electrical substation and network interface
THE ENERGY SYSTEM

Four asset groups. One control boundary.

A data centre's power domain spans the network interface, on-site generation and storage, backup power, and the control layer that must make them behave as one system.

Grid Connection & Substation

Network incomers, transformers, switchgear, protection interfaces and network-facing SCADA — aligned to NSP/TNSP and AEMO expectations

Microgrid, Solar & BESS

Embedded generation and storage that change how the site manages demand, cost and resilience — with operating modes designed alongside the grid interface

Backup Generation

Generators, fuel systems, load sequencing and synchronisation supervised as part of the integrated power system, not isolated plant

Power-System SCADA & EMS

Utility-grade SCADA, EMS, alarms, historian and operator displays that give operations a clear, trusted view during every event

WHAT WE DELIVER

End-to-end power-system engineering

Network Connection & Approval Support

Substation automation and network-facing SCADA designed to meet NSP/TNSP and AEMO connection requirements — so the approval pathway can be assessed against a mature design, not an immature one.

Microgrid EMS & Operating Modes

Import limiting, dispatch, ride-through, islanding and restoration logic — with BESS, solar and generator coordination defined and validated, not assumed.

Power-System SCADA, Telemetry & Historian

Utility-grade SCADA with reliable telemetry, trends, alarms and event records across the power domain — designed for operators, not only engineers.

Redundancy & Timestamped Events

Redundancy engineered across controllers, communications, I/O and operator workstations — with high-speed, timestamped events preserved under real operating load.

Cybersecurity & Operational Audit

Role-based access control, secure transport and a full event log with user attribution and command accountability across the control environment.

FAT/SAT & Operating-Mode Commissioning

Test programmes that prove operating modes — normal supply, transfer, generator start, BESS dispatch, restoration and handover — before site work is compressed.

ACE EMS PLATFORM

Power-system SCADA & EMS for grid-connected data centres

Web-based EMS + SCADA that sits above existing BMS, PCS, generator and OEM controls — unifying the power domain without replacing field systems

Core Platform

EMS + SCADA operator UX
Single-site & portfolio monitoring
Historian, trends, alarms, reports
Template-driven graphics & points

Operational

Operating-mode aware operations
Alarm / event / audit workflows
Generator & BESS state representation
API / OT integrations

Engineering

Design review & signal lists
Redundancy & event-timing design
FAT/SAT support
Commissioning & handover
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Grid, microgrid and BESS depth that data centres draw on

Grid-connected, microgrid and BESS projects that demonstrate the engineering depth a data-centre energy system requires.

Marble Bar Hybrid Power

Horizon Power

Solar + BESS microgrid — plant control network design and SCADA development for on/off-grid microgrid operation

Wagerup BESS

Alinta Energy

200 MWh BESS — control system, SCADA design, supply, programming and commissioning

Glenellen Solar Farm & Substation

GPG

200 MW solar + 33kV substation control system — design, supply and commissioning (SEL RTAC), built for future BESS

EARLY REVIEW

What a focused power-systems review covers

A practical review of the power-systems layer before decisions harden — while the project still has room to choose the right path.

Network connection and approval dependencies
Substation automation and network-facing SCADA architecture
Microgrid EMS operating modes and integration responsibilities
BESS, generation and backup-power coordination
Telemetry, timestamping, alarms, historian and event evidence
Redundancy across controllers, communications, I/O and workstations
FAT, SAT, commissioning and operational handover readiness
Procedures for maintenance modes, abnormal events and restoration

Southbound (Field & Plant)

DNP3 TCP (IEEE 1815), Modbus TCP/RTU, IEC 61850 (MMS/GOOSE), OPC UA, MQTT; PCS / BMS / inverters, gensets, switchgear IEDs, transformers & tap-changers, protection relays (SEL, Schneider, Siemens), revenue metering

Northbound (Network & Enterprise)

AEMO / market operator, NSP/TNSP telemetry interfaces, DCIM / building management, customer OT platforms, cloud analytics / dashboards, reporting portals, API / data export

FAQ

Data centre grid & microgrid questions

What does ACE do for data centre projects?
ACE engineers the energy system behind the data centre — the network connection, substation automation, microgrid EMS, backup generation and power-system SCADA. We treat grid connection and microgrid integration as one operating boundary, so a high-load site can be approved, energised, commissioned, operated and supported with confidence. Our focus is the power domain, where approval, operating limits, resilience logic and network obligations converge.
Why engineer grid connection and the microgrid together?
The grid interface decides what the network operator can see, control, approve and rely on. The microgrid decides how the facility shapes demand, manages transitions and maintains resilience during network events. Engineered as parallel workstreams, they meet for the first time during commissioning — the most expensive place to resolve integration issues. ACE designs the combined operating sequence early, so the boundary between packages is explicit, testable and supportable.
What requirements must a data centre's power systems meet?
Grid-connected data centres must satisfy AEMO connection requirements, NSP and TNSP telemetry and protection expectations, and standards such as IEC 61850 substation automation and DNP3 and Modbus communications. The power-system SCADA architecture, redundancy, high-speed timestamped events and commissioning evidence all influence the quality of the approval pathway — not only the application date.
How does ACE reduce approval and commissioning risk?
Through early specialist review. The same technical issue costs far less at concept stage than at procurement, FAT or commissioning. ACE validates SCADA architecture, microgrid operating modes, redundancy and protection interfaces while the design still has room to choose the right path — and builds commissioning programmes that prove operating modes such as normal supply, transfer, generator start, BESS dispatch and restoration, not just point-to-point signals.
Will ACE work with our existing OEM, BMS and PCS systems?
Yes. ACE's EMS and SCADA sit above existing field control — building management, power conversion systems, battery management systems, generators and OEM controls — unifying the power domain without replacing systems that already work. We take a vendor-neutral approach aligned to each project's specific technical and commercial requirements.
Does ACE provide ongoing operational support after commissioning?
Yes. A successful data centre project is not finished when the assets energise. It is handed to an operations team that must see what matters, respond to events, understand operating modes and maintain evidence. ACE provides clear SCADA displays, useful alarms, validated event records, documented procedures and a support model that reflects the real system. Get in touch to discuss your data centre energy system.

Want clarity on your data centre energy system early?

Talk to ACE about grid connection, microgrid integration, backup generation and power-system SCADA — before design decisions become commissioning constraints.