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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
Hungerford, Berkshire, United Kingdom, 07/14/2008 - UPS Systems plc today announces that it will supply portable standby power units for the yachts taking part in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race.
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The company usually specifies and supplies its solutions for computer rooms and data centres, but since 2001 has also been a keen supporter of the race.
The crews’ sailing instrumentation, GPS position-fixing and radio transmission equipment all require reliable sources of power. The UPS Systems standby power units will ensure that their vital equipment continues to work during their nine months spent at sea – even if the yachts’ primary power fails or needs maintenance.
“Having crewed on the Norsk Data GB yacht during the 1985-86 race, I know just what conditions the crews and equipment must endure,” said Tom Sperrey, UPS Systems’ managing director. “Our units are designed to withstand the worst conditions imaginable – a combination of wet, salt and constant pounding.”
The custom-designed power supplies use a high-capacity nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery bank that is divided in two so that it can be charged automatically from the boat’s main supply when needed, while preventing back-feed.
The 2008-9 race starts in Alicante on October 4th, and is due to finish in St Petersburg almost nine months later. En route, the teams will also visit Cape Town, Singapore, Rio De Janeiro, Boston and Stockholm. The worst weather conditions are usually encountered in the Southern Ocean where waves sometimes top 30 metres and winds can reach 60 knots.
UPS Systems plc is the UK’s leading independent supplier of standby power solutions. Through its relationship with 30 different manufacturers, the company is able to offer impartial technical advice covering a range of more than 2,500 products. It is an authority on fuel cell technology and has implemented the UK’s first two commercial hydrogen fuel cell installations providing standby power.
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