Langley Holdings
Here’s the truth.
When running independently of the grid, data centres face a unique challenge: AI transients. Unlike drawing power from the hard grid, which can absorb sudden shifts in power demand, islanded power plants must handle them alone.
Power demand can swing from 80% → 30% → 90% in less than a second. The reality? Reciprocating engines and turbines simply can’t tolerate these violent ramps.
The result: inefficiencies, equipment stress, instability, and potential trips.
Traditionally, the “solutions” have been limited:
Oversize the power plant – adding more generators or turbines to cover the risk (driving up CapEx, installed emissions, and wasting headroom).
Deploy BESS – at plant level, batteries are often used to smooth short-term spikes and dips, acting as a buffer between fluctuating IT demand and generator response times. But AI-driven transients demand ultra-fast discharges far beyond battery design limits (leading to huge space requirements, accelerated degradation, and the inability to clear faults quickly).
Rely on UPS – at the data centre level, the focus often shifts to larger, more resilient (and more expensive) centralised battery UPS. These systems also attempt to smooth spikes and ride through dips, much like plant-level BESS. But they are designed primarily to protect IT load — not to stabilise the entire plant. As a result, they cannot stop all violent transients from feeding back upstream to the power plant, and their batteries can only take this hammering for so long.
There’s a smarter way.
SHIELDX™ by Piller — Dynamic Power Stabilisation (DPS).
Paired with Bergen Engines and Marelli Motori generator sets in island mode (base load), SHIELDX instantly absorbs transients and clears faults in real time.
The result: continuous, stable, transient-free power with zero loss of storage capacity over its lifecycle — protecting the plant from violent ramps while feeding clean, stable power to the racks.
Configuration:
- Entry-level module: 3 × 12 MW gensets : 1 × SHIELDX™
- 3:1 ratio: protects the plant if an engine drops offline (a 10–15% load swing), giving remaining units time to ramp up or down.
- Scalable: expand SHIELDX further to cover 100% load swings and unlock Tier IV resilience with five-nines availability from the power plant itself.
The result: fewer redundant generators, reduced installed emissions, and lower CapEx & OpEx — indirectly helping meet strict attainment zone regulations.
What this means for data centres?
- Cleaner, more stable power extends battery UPS lifecycles — reducing resilience requirements
- Fewer redundant generators → lower installed emissions
- No added cost for space-consuming BESS
- Potential to eliminate diesel backup gensets altogether
The holistic result: leaner PPAs, lower emissions, extended UPS lifecycles, and significant CapEx & OpEx savings — all while achieving Tier IV resilience with five-nines availability.
It’s time to think smarter.
It’s time to think Piller.
Nothing protects quite like Piller.
Email: PowerOn@langleyholdings.com
About Power Solutions
The Langley Holdings Power Solutions Division comprises Bergen Engines, the Norwegian medium-speed engine builder acquired from Rolls-Royce in December 2021; Marelli Motori, the Italian producer of electric motors and generators, part of the Group since May 2019; and Piller Group, Europe’s leading producer of critical power conditioning, stabilization and backup systems, based in Germany and celebrating 20 years of Langley stewardship this year. In 2024, the Division accounted for approximately half of the Group’s $1.5bn revenues and 5000+ employees.
About Langley Holdings
Langley Holdings plc is a privately owned UK-based engineering and industrial manufacturing group, principally producing capital equipment for diverse markets worldwide. Langley businesses are either outright market leaders, or occupy strong niche positions in their respective fields, providing advanced technologies in a solutions-based approach. The group operates in three principal areas: Power Solutions, Print Technologies and Other Industrials. The group’s operations are based in Germany, Italy, France the UK and Norway, with 18 production facilities in Europe, the UK and the USA. The group has more than 90 sales and service subsidiaries worldwide and employs around 5,000 people. Langley Holdings was established in 1975 by the current Chairman & CEO, Anthony Langley and remains entirely in family ownership.
