Lars-Hendrik Thom has been working in technical consulting for the IT manufacturer Panduit for 18 years. In his role as Regional Technical Support Manager, he advises customers on the design of their data center infrastructure. The telecommunications technician and graduate electrical engineer has been active in data networking for 30 years, with positions at ABB, o.tel.o, Telindus, Star21, and NextiraOne.
He is among the first EPI Certified Data Center Experts in Germany, is an Accredited Tier Designer (ATD) of the Uptime Institute, and holds additional certifications from BICSI and EPI. Since 2022, he has also been a trainer for data center courses at EPI and is involved in the Association for Innovative Data Centers (VIRZ) as a delegate for technical innovations in data centers.
Fault Managed Power – The Future of Power Distribution
Around 1890, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, together with George Westinghouse, competed to determine the best technology for the large-scale power supply of the United States. Edison favored direct current, while Tesla and Westinghouse advocated alternating current — and won, because it could be transmitted over long distances with lower losses and reduced material requirements. The trade-off: high voltages, which to this day require special safety measures.
On the consumer side, much has changed in the last 30 years: IT equipment usually requires low direct voltages (5 V or 12 V), and UPS systems also operate on direct current, repeatedly converting it — with corresponding losses — between alternating and direct current.
But what if Edison could win this time? Fault Managed Power offers, for the first time, the possibility to transmit direct current over greater distances safely and with low losses — with integrated protective mechanisms that enable even non-specialists to lay cables and operate systems without the usual high-voltage safety precautions. The technology is already UL-certified and standardized in North America. For international and European standards, adjustments are still required.
Panduit’s presentation sheds light on the background, explains how the technology works, and shows how this pioneering form of power transmission will be available in Europe from 2026.