Executive Summary
- Jorge Olaya, Senior Sales Manager for Vertiv Iberia, sat down with Chief Editor Lauren Raybould to talk about Vertiv, Acciona, and the 70% reduction in cooling-related energy consumption.
- The retrofit was conducted during live operations, which was an amazing achievement. The existing infrastructure, with a high level of redundancy in each technical room, enabled the retrofit work to be carried out during normal business hours without disrupting critical operations.
- In practice, operators should equip their infrastructure with digital services to gain greater visibility into asset performance, identify components that can be adapted to support emerging workloads such as AI and high-density computing, and implement a phased modernisation strategy.
1. Vertiv and Acciona have a long-standing working relationship, can you tell us a little about that partnership and how it created the foundation for this?
We have maintained a long-standing relationship with Acciona through maintenance contracts in which Acciona acts as the Facility Management (FM) provider for its customers. We also have direct contracts with Acciona, such as at Acciona Campus, its corporate headquarters in Madrid.
This strategic site hosts a data centre that provides a range of critical services to both internal and external customers.
During the preventive maintenance inspections carried out under the maintenance contract for the facility’s critical cooling infrastructure and other mission-critical areas, an opportunity to increase efficiency was identified. Vertiv recommended a retrofit of the cooling units by upgrading the existing fan system to electronically commutated (EC) fans, enabling electronic speed control to optimise performance. This upgrade delivered direct energy savings, extended the life of the Vertiv equipment, and released additional IT capacity thanks to the reduction in energy consumption. This is also a good example of how long-term service relationships can create opportunities for continuous improvement.
2. The project was a result of proactive assessment by Vertiv’s service team, not a customer-reported problem; how does that engagement help to seek opportunities that may go unnoticed?
As soon as we shared the initial project proposal with Acciona, its team expressed a strong interest in the solution. This greatly facilitated the project’s progress, as Acciona provided us with all the support, resources, and access we needed to complete a thorough assessment of the proposal. Without a doubt, the close collaboration between both teams was one of the key factors behind the project’s success.
At Vertiv, we are constantly looking for opportunities to deliver added value to our customers. Whether through equipment retrofits or solutions designed to meet evolving regulatory requirements, our goal is to help customers deploy reliable, scalable infrastructure to support growing IT demands, while reducing energy consumption, extending equipment life, reducing their carbon footprint, and unlocking additional IT capacity. Our customers’ priorities and business objectives are also Vertiv’s priorities, and we are dedicated to developing solutions that support their long-term operational and efficiency goals.
3. What was the thinking behind the retrofit approach and how does it reflect Vertiv’s broader lifecycle philosophy?
Acciona was looking to evaluate potential improvement initiatives and identify new opportunities that would deliver energy savings while further strengthening the resilience of its critical infrastructure. With this objective in mind, we focused on assessing the existing Vertiv cooling units and the feasibility of implementing a retrofit that would enhance both system reliability and energy efficiency.
At Vertiv, we focus on optimising the entire lifecycle of our equipment. Through comprehensive maintenance programs and lifecycle management services, we help customers maximise the performance, reliability, and longevity of their infrastructure, enabling each system to operate efficiently throughout its optimal service life.
4. Delivering full modernisation with no downtime during live operations is a huge feat; how did the team accomplish this? What role did the pilot phase on the initial two units play in increasing confidence before full rollout?
The existing infrastructure, with a high level of redundancy in each technical room, enabled the retrofit work to be carried out during normal business hours without disrupting critical operations. To support this approach, a detailed capacity assessment was conducted for each room, confirming that the planned implementation could be completed safely while maintaining operational resilience.
In addition, a pilot project was carried out on two cooling units to validate both the projected energy savings and the proposed implementation plan. The pilot project confirmed that the expected efficiency improvements were achievable and demonstrated that the retrofit could be successfully performed during business hours without impacting the operation of the critical infrastructure.
5. A 70% reduction in cooling-related energy consumption is incredible. How is it being tracked, and how does this hold up as IT workloads change over time?
Depending on the scope of the project and the customer’s requirements, we can include ongoing performance monitoring to check that the projected energy savings are sustained over time. This approach helps to check that the initial savings calculations remain valid, even as IT loads evolve, and that any changes in operating conditions do not compromise the expected efficiency gains.
To support this, we establish an energy consumption baseline and provide remote monitoring throughout the duration of the service agreement, enabling continuous verification of system performance.
In Acciona ‘s case, the customer has its own on-site technical resources and a Building Management System (BMS) that allows the team to continuously monitor energy consumption and associated IT loads, providing ongoing visibility into system performance and energy efficiency.
6. Vertiv describes this as part of a lifecycle and growth-oriented design approach — for operators running legacy infrastructure, what does that mindset look like in practice, and how should they be thinking about their existing assets?
Vertiv’s lifecycle approach is built around a continuous four-phase model: consulting, implementation, lifecycle management, and optimisation, supported by digital services, predictive analytics and data-driven operational insights.
For operators managing legacy infrastructure, this means that a complete replacement is not always necessary. Existing assets can be managed throughout their lifecycle by assessing which systems can be optimised through retrofits and predictive maintenance, and which components would benefit modernisation. Critical support infrastructure – including power and thermal management systems – is designed to outlast multiple generations of computing technology, enabling phased upgrades rather than large-scale replacements.
In practice, operators should equip their infrastructure with digital services to gain greater visibility into asset performance, identify components that can be adapted to support emerging workloads such as AI and high-density computing, and implement a phased modernisation strategy. The key message is that legacy infrastructure can be viewed as a valuable asset to be managed and optimised, not as a liability that must be replaced.
7. The retrofit-over-replacement conversation is one of the biggest topics in the industry right now. In Vertiv’s view, what makes the Acciona project a useful model for other operators looking to modernise without major capital disruption?
Acciona’s project met several key criteria that made it an ideal candidate for a retrofit. The primary factors in determining the most appropriate solution are the equipment model, age, condition, operational requirements and efficiency objectives. Based on this assessment, we identify the optimal approach for each installation. In some cases, a retrofit provides the greatest value, while in others, replacing the equipment at the end of its service life is the most effective long-term solution.
Vertiv performs these assessments on a regular basis to help customers optimise the performance, efficiency, and lifecycle of their critical infrastructure. In Spain, we also help manage Energy Saving Certificates (CAEs) on behalf of our customers. These certificates, issued under the framework established by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), can significantly improve the financial return of energy efficiency investments, making modernisation projects even more attractive.
