AVK at 35: Powering Tomorrow’s Data with Innovation & Legacy
Ben Pritchard, CEO of AVK, embodies the spirit of innovation and adaptability that defines the company’s evolution over its 35-year history.
AVK has shifted from selling diesel rotary uninterruptible power supply systems (DRUPS) to providing a much broader portfolio of power solutions, including full prime microgrids and standby solutions, reciprocating engines, gas turbines and battery storage, in line with changing client needs and demands.
Taking over as CEO from his father in 2023, Ben’s leadership has steered AVK from a traditional family business into a leading agnostic power solutions provider, focused on delivering tailored solutions for data centres.
“The business has changed a lot,” Ben says. “It’s been really cool to see the way the market's changed and how AVK’s managed to adapt with it. It’s been great to have the opportunity to be at the forefront of it.”
Now, AVK is the largest and fastest-growing supplier of innovative power solutions for data centres and leading organisations across the UK and Europe.
“I feel AVK is pretty unique,” he continues. “AVK is a power solutions business that is technology agnostic and that’s quite important.
“We work with really great partners such as Rolls-Royce Power Systems and Wärtsilä who are best of breed in their technology offering. We really focus on the power solution. If we look at our competitors, they’re trying to sell a product instead of selling a solution. We want to understand what the client needs before looking at which solution best fits.”
AVK has grown significantly over the last three years, with its recent rebrand and expansion centring on filling the void of the power in data centres. This, Ben says, is because AVK felt the industry was talking around the issue rather than taking ownership and tackling it head-on.
AVK: Powering tomorrow’s data
AVK’s core mission is encapsulated in its strapline, ‘powering tomorrow’s data’ alongside its value statement ‘together we can power positive change’.
This mission drives the company to look beyond immediate solutions and address long-term sustainability goals.
“It’s not about us just dealing with the market that presents itself now,” Ben continues. “How do we solve it for tomorrow? And how do we make sustainably-conscious choices that ensure our products fit with future roadmaps and goals of clients?”
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 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.
“So we talk about that sustainable journey — we’ve got a microgrid now that can run on future fuels, but we’re also thinking about how we best utilise that microgrid in the future to start really solving the energy issues that we see.”
AVK and the AI energy shortage
But Ben’s aspirations and innovative drive does not stop there. He is among the UK’s youngest CEOs addressing the AI energy shortage — bringing with him a unique perspective to the challenge.
His experience within AVK — as well as that of the company itself — combined with a fresh outlook allows for a fresh approach to this issue.
“What drives me personally in the data centre market — and in turn, AVK — is that this infrastructure is so meaningful to society but is also so unknown,” Ben says. “The path we are treading now is one that might have been trodden by another industry that we can learn from. We have an opportunity to really change not just the market but things further afield.”
AVK’s aforementioned microgrid pursuits aim to balance AI performance with eco-friendly power options, addressing immediate needs and future sustainability goals. By building large-scale microgrids and exploring flexible energy assets, AVK is working to provide reliable power infrastructure that can adapt to emerging technologies and energy sources, ensuring the continued growth of AI capabilities without compromising environmental responsibility.
Empowering prosumers and grid stability
One of the complex challenges in the energy sector is the “prosumer conundrum” — how to enable energy consumers to also become producers without destabilising the grid.
AVK is working to solve this challenge through its microgrid solutions. By designing flexible systems that can adapt to various energy sources, AVK empowers prosumers to contribute their surplus energy while maintaining grid stability. This approach not only helps to balance supply and demand but also encourages the adoption of renewable energy sources at a local level.
Ben breaks it down, explaining: “It’s very hard to build a 100MW grid connection and make sure that the national grid isn't just serving the data centres but serving the general population as well. If we can start to talk to local government and local councils, there’s power, heat and carbon that could be utilised — and we’ve seen it quite successfully, like the Paris Olympic swimming pool heated by a data centre.
By leveraging existing standby power infrastructure to support the grid and renewable energy sources, there is potential for large-scale microgrids and standby generation systems to play a crucial role in giving back to the grid and supporting renewable energy integration, Ben believes.
But solving this challenge requires collaboration across multiple stakeholders, including developers, hyperscalers, original equipment manufacturers and local planning authorities.
Ben adds: “The technology and the brains in the industry is out there. It’s just a case of giving it a platform and getting the right heads in the room to put together all the different pieces. We are comfortable that it will get there — it’s just a case of when people will start to want to take on that piece.”
Nurturing the skilled workforce of the future
Although AVK alone cannot solve the challenges facing power generation and data centre circles, one issue it is tackling head-on is the talent gap and growing a skilled, future-proof workforce.
Recognising the industry-wide problem, AVK has taken steps to nurture the next generation of engineers and technicians by establishing the AVK Academy.
The academy plays a crucial role in the company’s long-term vision of fostering an innovative engineering workforce that can address future industry demands and energy crises.
“It’s frustrating going to events, hearing about the skills gap and there being a little done about it,” Ben says, sharing his motivation for establishing the academy.
Motivated and committed to growing its own talent, Ben drew on his own journey and industry experience to curate a successful programme of tailored training pathways designed to equip young talent — not just engineers — with skills relevant to modern energy challenges.
“We’re really about legacy,” he adds.
When AVK was a smaller business, it was easier to manage individuals’ development, but now, as a growing industry player, AVK has set out a curriculum to encourage people into the business.
AVK’s centre of excellence is home to a Rolls-Royce Power Systems engine, where AVK works in partnership with-Rolls Royce to deliver training curriculums to people across varying ages and skill sets.
“It allows us to do things the AVK way. There’s lots of different types of fantastic people in the industry and it allows us to be able to harness all of the knowledge and really hone that into a curriculum that allows whoever joins the AVK Academy to really step through a detailed progression into the industry.
“The biggest thing for me is attracting new blood from different walks of life into an industry that is so fast paced. It allows for diverse thinking. If we continue to employ the same people we will still get better, but not as quickly as if we have AVK Academy.
“It attracts anyone who’s not in the industry to come in and create a space that they feel comfortable in. We’re not going for the hierarchical vibe. For me, the biggest thing is bringing diverse thinking into the industry. It’s got to be one of the biggest focuses, allowing people to have that voice.”
A future-looking focus
As AVK celebrates its 35th anniversary, Ben is focused on leveraging this experience to propel the company forward.
Ben’s commitment to legacy, combined with AVK’s innovative approach, positions the company well for future growth and challenges.
Looking ahead, Ben anticipates continued growth and innovation for AVK and the wider industry.
“The data centre market as a whole is ever evolving,” he says. “I think even from when I first started, what a data centre looks like has changed, and that’s only in a short 12-year span.”
Over the next 12 to 18 months, Ben expects AVK to continue to grow, with more talent joining its ranks. He also expects AVK to have delivered its first major 100MW microgrid as well as 300 engines delivered in standby — a significant jump from the 530 sold in the last five years.
Ben concludes: “That paints a picture of the growth trajectory that we’re on. There are some really big moments coming and a lot of work to do to get there.
“I don't necessarily believe anyone knows where the market will be in 12 months, but we have set ourselves up to be in the best position and we luckily have great minds in the business that means we normally get it right.
“I’m also looking forward to seeing the first year’s cohort of the academy go through and seeing its success.”
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