AVK

This forward-thinking approach is particularly crucial in an industry that is evolving at breakneck speed . “ It ’ s really easy to just look at what ’ s directly in front of you because that ’ s the easiest thing to solve and that ’ s what the market is asking for . But for me , it ’ s about the legacy that carries through now .”

One of AVK ’ s key innovations in recent years has been its focus on microgrid solutions . This journey began about six years ago when a client approached the business with a challenging request : to power a site with no access to the grid . This challenge led AVK to explore various options , ultimately landing on gas reciprocating engines or gas turbines .

“ I know that probably sounds a little bit backwards when we talk about sustainability and fossil fuels , but by building more gas reciprocating engines that are flexible or dispatchable assets , these can essentially pick up the load when renewables aren ’ t there .

“ This way , we end up not only solving the data centre question of building a 100MW microgrid that allows them to go and build their data centre , it also allows us in future to be able to trade the asset when there is a grid connection . This not only allows the microgrid to give back and underpin renewables , but it allows carbon usage to be managed at source . In five , 10 years time , it may not be gas , it may be hydrogen , it may be biogas or ethanol – that ’ s where we keep our flexibility with the microgrid designs .”

Over the past two years , AVK has shifted from using diesel to HVO for standby power solutions . This transition

BEN PRITCHARD CEO , AVK

required extensive collaboration with clients and suppliers to ensure a reliable HVO supply , marking a significant step towards more sustainable practices .

But for Ben , microgrids represent the next step in building a sustainable future . Drawing a parallel with the UK ’ s successful phasing out of coal power plants by introducing gas peaking plants , this approach allows for the use of renewable energy sources when available , with gas as a backup when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow .

“ But Europe still burns coal and oil and no one necessarily talks about that ,” Ben says . “ So us introducing microgrids into data centres and delivering them successfully allows us to turbocharge an initiative that was a success in the UK – but where they were building 10MW microgrids , we ’ re building more than 100MW . avk-seg . com 7