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Tree-mendous renewable energy boost
13Liquid Assets
14Power distribution – a painful progression?
24
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
JANUARY 2018
www.energymanagermagazine.co.uk
20The role of energy storage in enabling demand response
JANUARY 2018
FRONT COVER STORY:
The role of energy storage in enabling demand response.
See Page 20origamienergy.com
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ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE
New network installed to provide cheap and green energy for Bristol
Advanced Energy Management System makes its debut
4
A look ahead at the energy agenda for 2018
Bringing the best from commercial boilers
Smart Off-Grid Shines a Way Forward for Low-Cost, Reliable, Clean Energy
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ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018 3
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Philips Lighting reaches 1,000th connected LED street lighting installation in Cardiff
28
Stokvis BIM objects to benefit customers and consultants30
4 ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018
NEWS
The network now takes in a large part of the Temple and Redcliffe area and consists of a large
underground network of pipes.Once completed, the network will
provide over 700 residents in social housing blocks around the city with low carbon and affordable heat for their homes.
Work to install these pipes has been planned to coincide with the work to redesign the Redcliffe roundabout in order to minimise disruption to traffic.
Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste and Regulatory Services said: “It’s great to see the first lengths
of pipe going into the ground. We know that energy networks make a big impact on our city’s use of carbon. By providing low carbon heat networks we are helping to make a big shift towards making sure the city is run on clean energy by 2050.
“We’re now engaging with businesses and housing developers to expand the network further across the city to
give as many people as possible an opportunity to connect to this sustainable low carbon resource.” Bristol’s Cabinet approved the expansion in June 2016.
Businesses and developers who are interested in connecting to the council’s Heat Network can find out more by contacting [email protected]
• Water Strategy
• Water Audit
• Water Procurement
www.h2obuildingservices.co.uk Tel: 01924 387 873
Reducing water and waste water costs “It’s simple when you have the knowledge”
h2o.indd 1 04/01/2018 17:05:05
NEW NETWORK INSTALLED TO PROVIDE CHEAP AND GREEN ENERGY FOR BRISTOLWork has begun to expand Bristol Heat Networks to help local businesses and houses access to low carbon and sustainable forms of heat and energy.
The North-South divide for business electricity bills will widen from 1 April 2018 with the introduction of
the P350 Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) modification, says business energy procurement specialist Inprova Energy.
P350, which changes the way businesses are charged for power transmission losses, could increase electricity bills for London business consumers by around 1.5%. That’s according to financial modelling by Elexon, which is responsible for administering the BSC in Great Britain. Business energy consumers in the North and Scotland, however, are likely to pay less.
Businesses in the South of England already pay higher Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges than those in the North and Scotland. This third-party charge covers the cost of running and maintaining the National Grid. Tariffs vary according to location, but are generally higher for consumers in the south, to reflect the fact that more electricity is generated in the north, and more used in the south.
This principal of setting tariffs according to proximity to the source of
generation and the respective cost of transmission is being applied to P350 and the same regional zoning structure will be used by both schemes.
Michael Dent, Managing Director for Inprova Energy explained: “Currently, there is a universal tariff for power transmission losses, but P350 is designed to create a fairer charging system by moving to a locational variability charge, based roughly on the distance energy travels to the end user.
“As such, customers in Scotland and parts of Northern England, who are located closer to wind farms and power stations, will pay less due to smaller transmission losses, while those in areas of the South of England, such as London, will see their electricity bills rise – reflecting the higher power losses when transporting electricity from remote power stations.”
The tariffs for P350 will be published annually by 31 December, but there could be significant changes year-on-year due to the dynamic nature of the power and renewables industry.
P350 is a response to an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA), which identified that
uniform pricing for transmission losses in the wholesale electricity market was likely to distort competition between generators and have short and long term effects on generation and demand – leading to inefficiency in power generation and higher customer bills.
The CMA estimates that P350 will reduce the total cost of meeting the power demand of British customers (though to 2026) by between £130 million and £160 million, and that it will deliver an environmental benefit valued at between £1 million and £15 million.
Michael Dent added: “This is just one of many third-party, non-energy charges, which currently make up as much as 55% of the cost of an average business electricity bill and are rising every year. There’s little room to avoid these charges, but businesses can find some relief from reducing their energy consumption, particularly during peak charging periods, known as Triads. It’s more important than ever for businesses to control their wholesale costs, which they can influence, via smart purchasing strategies. www.inprovaenergy.com 0330 166 4444
P350 widens North-South divide for business energy bills
6 ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018
NEWS
6
Monitor heating, lighting, water and wellbeingCentral management - with local control
adjust temperature
The new Prefectirus CU3 is packed with features that distinguish
it from a simple thermostat AND a complex building energy
management system (BEMS).
Its algorithms cleverly learn the environmental conditions for
individual rooms; how much heat is required; the time it takes to
reach temperature; dissipation rates; and, lighting, sound and
humidity levels – the software then balances comfort and energy
use for the benefit of both students and energy managers.
Accommodation managers can be alerted to issues that require
maintenance, provide compliance with regulations to support
the wellbeing of students and be confident of optimum energy
efficiency as heat is only used when needed - without ever setting
foot in a room.
Students are able to control the comfort of their environment,
safe in the knowledge that they cannot waste energy by leaving
the heat on high when they go out or if windows are opened.
Prefectirus – just what student accommodation needs from a BEMS.
TRADITIONAL ROOM CONTROL:
To find out more about Prefectirus visit
www.Prefectirus.com or call 01787 320 604
monitor hot water temperature
detect open windows
control temperature (for electrical OR wet systems)
sense humidity monitor lux levels
detect occupancy/
absence[integrated PIR]
Email alerts
monitor sound levels
detect faulty or failing fittings
applyproportional control
The government has recently announced significant support to help exploit the potential for the UK to be-come a world-leader
in developing the next generation of nuclear technologies.
A core objective of the government’s Industrial Strategy is to ensure the UK is developing the technologies of the future and preparing to seize the opportunities they bring and build on its strengths.
The government is announcing today that funding is being made available over the next three years to help support research and development into innovative advanced and small modular reactors as well as assess their feasibility and accelerate the development of promising designs.
The government will also be supporting early access to regulators to build the capability and capacity needed to assess and licence small reactor designs and will establish an expert finance group to advise how small reactor projects could raise private investment in the UK.
In addition, the government plans to shortly launch the second phase of its Nuclear Innovation Programme, including up to £8 million for work on modern safety and security methodologies and studies in advanced fuels.
These announcements demonstrate the government’s commitment to the nuclear innovations of the future, which build on the UK’s considerable strength in the sector and its continued partnership working with the sector, including ongoing advanced discussions toward a nuclear sector deal.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “New industry figures show that the UK’s civil nuclear sector contributed £6.4 billion to the UK
economy last year. This announcements recognise the importance of industry driving innovation, supported by government, so the sector continues to compete at the very highest level, not just in the UK but globally.
“Helping to put the UK at the forefront of future technologies which have the potential to create value and jobs across the whole UK are core objectives of our Industrial Strategy.”
A further £86 million was announced today for fusion research to set up a national fusion technology platform at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire.
The new investment will reinforce the UK’s world-leading fusion research and development capability, and allow UK firms to compete for up to a further £1 billion of international contracts for fusion technologies, including for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).
Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “Our new Industrial Strategy clearly detailed our ambition to build on the UK’s existing scientific strengths and ensure UK expertise remains at the forefront of pioneering research that has global impact.
“This new funding for nuclear fusion research will establish a unique set of research and innovation capabilities that will safeguard the exceptional work already taking place in Culham by scientists and engineers from across the world, and emphasises the UK’s commitment to international collaboration.”
ITER, the successor project to the EU’s Joint European Torus (JET) reactor in Culham, is currently under construction in France and will continue efforts to develop a clean, safe and virtually limitless energy source.
Speaking at the Nuclear Industry Association’s annual conference,
Energy Minister Richard Harrington also set out the next steps to allow large new nuclear projects to apply for planning consent after 2025.
He also signalled that the government would bring forward consultations in the New Year on the UK’s long-term nuclear waste management strategy, also known as a geological disposal facility. This will enable the development of a multi-billion pound infrastructure project, creating thousands of jobs and opportunities for UK companies in the supply chain.
Energy Minister Richard Harrington said: “As we set out in our Industrial Strategy, the nuclear sector has a key role to play in increasing productivity and driving clean growth across the country. Nuclear is a vital part of our energy mix, providing low carbon power now and into the future so today’s package of new measures will help to boost innovation and provide greater clarity on our future plans.
“This announcements follow the recent launch of the Industrial Strategy White Paper which set out the government’s vision for an economy that can drive growth across the country and provide UK business with certainty.”
The government support comes as the Nuclear Industry Council published proposals today as part of its ongoing work to drive down the cost of nuclear energy for consumers while maintaining the UK’s world-leading expertise in the field.
Industry, with government backing, will focus on bringing on line future technologies, target cost reductions in new build and decommissioning activities, and in creating a highly-skilled and diverse workforce.
GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF NEXT-GENERATION NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY• UK to become world-leader in developing next-generation
advanced reactor programme• Boost to nuclear fusion research at Culham in Oxfordshire• Launch of next phase of Nuclear Innovation Programme, to include
ambitious plans for safety, security and advanced fuels
8 ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018
NEWS
ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2017
NEWS
98
Join the conversation atwww.inenco.com/innovation
Inenco’s Future Utilities Manager report looked at how the role of the energy manager will evolve in the future. Download the report at www.inenco.com/future so that you and your business can prepare.
Helping today’s Energy Manager to become tomorrow’s Utilities Manager
To help today’s energy managers bridge the gaps and challenges identified in our recent Future Utilities Manager report, and inspire the next generation of energy professionals, Inenco has launched the Innovation Hub.
You can get involved by sending us the challenges you face, using #InencoHub on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
We’ll be inviting some of the best minds to come together to help debate and solve the biggest challenges through The Bright Spark Energy Hackathon.
Inenco EnergyManager Hub A4 Advert v1.indd 1 10/10/2017 10:32
SHARC Energy Systems, in partnership with Scottish Water Horizons, has won the innovation award at the
Scottish Green Energy Awards 2017.The awards, hosted by Scottish
Renewables, honour the determination and creative thinking which defines new approaches to sustainable energy.
SHARC Energy Systems and Scottish Water Horizons were nominated in the innovation category for their ground-breaking project at Borders College, in Galashiels, which was launched in 2015.
SHARC’s heat recovery system works by intercepting waste water from the adjacent town sewer line operated by Scottish Water. It supplies the college campus with the majority of its annual heating and hot water demand, enabling it to save 150 tonnes of carbon per annum.
The technology extracts the natural warmth contained within waste water and transfers the heat to the clean side of the heating system via a heat exchange mechanism. The recovered heat is then amplified via heat
pumps to generate the appropriate temperatures for use in buildings.
The heat produced is being sold to Borders College under a 20-year purchase agreement, producing savings in energy, costs and carbon emissions.
The innovative scheme is the first of its kind in the UK and the first time the technology has been integrated with the public sewerage system.
With significant potential for further roll out across Scotland, there are already several projects scheduled for completion next year.
It is the second time in a month that the project has been recognised for its positive impact on sustainability.
On November 15, it won the Best Newcomer Award at the Green Gown Awards which celebrate sustainability initiatives being undertaken in the university and college sector.
Donald MacBrayne, Scottish Water Horizons Business Development Manager, said: “These awards are a real showcase for sustainable energy and it’s
an honour to have been nominated in this category, let alone to have won it.
“Innovation is at the heart of what we do in terms of developing new ways to generate sustainable energy – in this case heat – which will have a wide range of positive benefits.
“We hope that this latest recognition, added to the project’s success in the Green Gown Awards, adds to the excitement across our communities and our industry about the potential for this kind of technology and systems like the Borders College heat from sewage network.” www.sharcenergy.com
SHARC ENERGY SYSTEMS AND SCOTTISH WATER HORIZONS WIN TOP AWARD
A new and advanced Energy Management System (EMS) has been unveiled by Vickers – the leading
industrial heating control brand that forms part of Pilot Group Infrastructure. Designed to deliver accurate heating control with maximum efficiency, the new system enables commercial and industrial premises to gain control of their heating and reduce energy bills and CO2 emissions.
Complete with an improved touch screen controller, the new EMS features highly accurate digital air sensors located
in each zone to optimise the
performance of a heating system. Calibrated to +/- 0.1°C, the digital air sensors enable the system to eliminate any wasted energy with precision accuracy, as integral algorithms process both internal and external temperatures to automatically adjust the heaters to achieve a pre-set temperature. The sensors also have the capability to man-age the recirculation of quality air instead of always pulling air in from the outside.
Thanks to an advanced self-learning programme, the system can also calculate the necessary burn time for each heater to achieve its target temperature, and can detect how long a heater will take to cool down and switch the heater off accordingly.
Commenting on this latest technology, Chris Pearson, Managing Director at Vickers said: “With the Energy Saving Trust claiming that every degree over the target temperature will add 10% to a company’s fuel spend, this system will ultimately save significant amounts of money, as well as energy and CO2 emissions. Indeed, with typical payback periods of just two to three years, it’s an investment that will yield substantial returns for most companies.”
Demonstrating Vickers’ flexible
approach to the end users heating, lighting and energy arrangements, the new system is not only compatible with lighting systems, it offers improved controls for multi-stage boilers; thereby sharing the load to increase efficiency. It can even be interfaced with utility meters
EMS can be monitored from any location thanks to cloud-based technology. In addition to viewing performance and energy usage, changes can be made from any internet enabled device thereby providing the ultimate in control. Proactive alerts and messaging are sent via the outstations, thereby managing local behaviour, and the portal – namely Vickers Vision - will display alerts, zone by zone usage, and alarms. Automated monthly reports can also be generated to show the bene-fits gained from installing this system.
The system comes with Vickers complimentary 12-month warranty and service agreement which includes an on-site annual health check, engineer call outs, and software updates. This can be extended at any time to ensure EMS continues to optimise efficiency. www.vickers-energy.co.uk
ADVANCED ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM MAKES ITS DEBUT
10 ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018 11ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018
NEWS NEWS
10
In 2017 Britain has broken 13 different renewable energy records, putting it on track to be the greenest year ever for clean, electricity production. This is predicted to get
even greener in 2018 ushering in a new era of low carbon electricity.
These records are across the clean electricity sector. Highlights of 2017 included the greenest summer ever, as well the first full day since the Industrial Revolution where there was no coal power, record breaking level of green power and the plummeting costs of off-shore wind. Meanwhile with the growth of electric vehicles more and more people are able to put clean energy into our cars when they are charged.
Gareth Redmond-King, WWF Head of Energy and Climate, said: “2017 has been an amazing year for renewable electricity in Britain; we have never been cleaner or greener - and we are on course for an even better year in 2018. Climate change is wreaking havoc on our nature and wildlife, but we are at last facing up to the challenge, turning our backs on polluting fossil fuels and embracing a new clean future. But we need to show more ambition by bringing for-ward the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars to 2030. ”
Britain has halved carbon emissions in the electricity sector since 2012, making the power system the 4th cleanest in Europe and the 7th cleanest in the world – a jump of 13 places up the league board on the previous year[1]. With 2017 smashing all records it is predicted to be the greenest year ever. Meanwhile public support for renewable electricity production has hit record highs, with 82%[2] of the UK public supporting green energy.
Duncan Burt, Director of the System Operator at National Grid, who have verified the records and are working with WWF on forecasting the carbon intensity of electricity said: “It’s been an exciting year managing the many ‘network firsts’ - from a day where we operated the system with zero coal power, to one where over half of Great Britain’s energy demand was met by renewable generation.
“2017 marked a new era of grid
operation. We now have significant volumes of renewable energy on the system which poses an exciting challenge for us in ensuring the supply and demand is matched second by second. As this trend continues, our ability to forecast these patterns is becoming more and more important. We have an expert team of forecasters who monitor a range of data, to forecast just how much electricity will be needed over a set period.
“We planned for these changes to the energy landscape, and continue to do so as the energy system evolves. We have worked with the industry to ensure we have the right tools and services in place to continue operating the grid safely and reliably.
“I’m sure there will be more records broken in 2018 and we’re ready and excited to play our part”.
The full list of broken records in Britain for 2017 include:
LOW CARBON GENERATION1. First 24 hour period without coal
generation since the Industrial Revolution – 21st April
2. Longest period without coal generation (40 hours 35 minutes) –28th-29th October
3. Greenest summer ever, with almost 52% of our electricity generation from low carbon sources – 21st June to 22nd September[3]
4. The lowest amount of carbon produced by electricity production at any one moment (73 gCO2/kWh)[4] – 2nd October[5]
5. The largest amount of electricity produced from renewable sources at any one moment (19.2 GW) –21st March[6]
6. First time ever wind, nuclear and solar were all generating more than both gas and coal combined – 7th June
SOLAR7. Most electricity production from
solar power at any one moment (8.9 GW), a quarter of Britain’s electricity supply – 26th May
8. Highest percentage of solar produced relative to national demand (26.8%) – 2nd July
WIND9. Most wind power produced in a day
(281.5GWh) – 7th December[7]10. Most offshore wind generation at any
one moment (4.3 GW) – 1st October[8]11. Most electricity production from
all wind generation at any one moment (12.4 GW) – 6th December
HYDRO12. Most electricity production from
hydropower at any one moment (1.4 GW) – 27th February
COST13. Record low strike price at the
second Contracts for Difference subsidy auction of £57.50/MWh, well below Government guarantee for Hinkley C – 11th September
However, more needs to be done to reduce our carbon emissions and tackle climate change. Whilst the Clean Growth Strategy in September outlined strong Government ambition, it has not been followed with a detailed plan. The Industrial Strategy and Budget failed to mention the importance of onshore wind and solar, and did not promise any new investment in UK renewables, despite being the cheapest form of power generation.
The UK Government admits that it is not yet on track to meet the 4th or 5th Carbon Budget and cannot yet demonstrate how new policy proposals listed in the Clean Growth Strategy get us to the required level of emissions savings in 2032.[9]
2018 is the year of opportunity for clean energy, and is set to be even greener, but it must be backed up with Government action. Greater support needs to be given to renewable energy, to decarbonise our heat and make our buildings use less energy. On top of this greater ambition is needed to support electric vehicles by ending the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. This will cut our carbon emissions, clean up our air and bolster the UK economy.
For further information, please contact: T: 07742093510 | E: [email protected]
BRITAIN SET FOR ‘GREENEST YEAR EVER’ AS CLEAN ENERGY BREAKS ALL RECORDS IN 2017
1. https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/sustainability-climate-change/insights/low-carbon-economy-index.html
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656549/Wave_23_Summary_Report.pdf
3. https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/national-grid-confirms-summer-2017-greenest-ever-
and-launches-worlds-first-green-energy4. The UK needs power generation to
be consistently 50-100 to meet our Climate Change Act targets
5. https://twitter.com/NGControlRoom/status/914771389864906752
6. http://electricinsights.co.uk/#/dashboard?start=2017-03-21&&_k=majj9g
7. 24 hour period from 22.00 on 07/12/2017 to 22.00 08/12/2017
8. https://twitter.com/WindEurope/status/914790515345895429
9. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/651916/BEIS_The_Clean_Growth_online_12.10.17.pdf
The University of Leeds is saving over 809 tonnes in carbon emissions and £194,000 a year in
energy costs following the installation of 94 ABB variable speed drives (VSDs) ranging from 5.5 to 55 kW.
Payback of 1.2 years has been achieved on a capital outlay of £228,859.
The project formed part of the university’s Carbon Management Plan. This included installing VSDs on motors powering fans in air handling units and fume extraction equipment and water pumps in more than 20 buildings used for teaching and research. Most of the assessed motors had no speed control, being connected direct-on-line.
ABB authorised value provider Halcyon Drives was chosen to supply the drives as it was able to meet all of the university’s technical specifications. Amongst its requests were harmonic mitigation, a five-year warranty and the ability to use one model of VSD across all installations. Halcyon Drives also had the ability to provide service for
drives and had the stock availability. The drives are controlled by a building
management system (BMS) using a 4-20 mA connection to provide speed references to the drive and monitor alarms. ABB drives can monitor their own energy use and run hours and this has been used to identify the kWh used at various times, thereby proving the savings.
The drives were bought by the university and Halcyon kept them in stock. The university’s in-house team installed all the drives over 18 months as funds were released.
Part of this work involved installing shielded cabling between the drives and motors to conform to the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive, to ensure that electromagnetic fields from the cables do not cause interference with other electronic equipment.
Harmonic mitigation was an important factor for the university. The ABB ACH550 drive has harmonic mitigation built-in as standard. Swinging choke technology ensures the drive delivers up to 25 percent
fewer harmonics at partial loads compared to a conventional choke of equal size.
Robert Douglass, energy project officer for the university, says: “Due to the nature of the research in some of the buildings the drives were being installed in, we wanted to ensure that harmonics were being controlled at source as much as possible. One reason is to minimise the impact of harmonics on other equipment fed from the same distribution board. Another is to minimise any increase to the building supply point and the associated high voltage transformer. To date we have not had any issues with harmonics.” www.abb.co.uk/energy
UNIVERSITY CUTS CARBON EMISSIONS BY OVER 809 TONNES A YEAR USING DRIVE TECHNOLOGY
Scientists at Heriot-Watt University have been awarded €1 million to address risks related to geologic leakage from a
subset of carbon capture and storage sites.Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
involves using established technologies to capture carbon dioxide produced or released at source sites such as power stations or other industrial sites, transport it and then store it safely deep underground, as an alternative to emitting it into the atmosphere.
The widespread use of CCS can significantly reduce emissions from those industrial sectors that will continue to rely on hydrocarbons for decades to come. The technology is critical to achieving the goals set within the Paris Agreement.
The research aims to improve understanding of potential geologic leakage where there are (or may be) fractures in the caprock that keeps the CO2 in place underground. CO2 is physically trapped underneath tight sealing formations at elevated pressures.
It may then chemically react with the formation it is stored in, thereby precipitating carbonate, or dissolve in the formation waters: these variables may
increase or decrease flow across fractures which can make predicting, quantifying and monitoring potential leakages challenging.
Dr Andreas Busch, Associate Professor of Geoenergy at Heriot-Watt University, and his team are working with Shell Global Solutions; Risktec Solutions, a risk management company in the UK and the Netherlands and RWTH Aachen University in Germany on the DETECT project. DETECT will develop tools to allow CCS operators and other stakeholders to determine the risk of CO2 leakage at any CCS site.
Dr Busch said: “A proposed CO2 reservoir usually has a solid cap rock, the rock layer on top of the reservoir, that keeps the CO2 safely underground.
“The DETECT project aims to deliver guidelines for a complete lifecycle risk assessment methodology for potential CO2 leakage where there may be faults in the caprock.”
“We will be examining how fluids migrate along faults and fractures of caprocks and seals, including the impact of reservoir stress changes, chemical reactions and swelling clays on fracture flow properties to deliver a well-informed risk assessment. The findings will be of great relevance to other
related fields such as geothermal energy.“We want to fully understand realistic
leakage rates and their implications, then develop monitoring plans and risk assessment schemes that operators could use in a variety of scenarios.”
Professor John Underhill, Chief Scientist of Heriot-Watt University and Director of the Shell Centre for Exploration Geoscience, said: “The research to be undertaken by Dr Busch and the team will provide a critical test and validation of the seals for carbon storage sites. The results will help evaluate the risk or any threat of carbon dioxide leakage into the overburden, something that is crucial to know before any gas injection takes place.”
Carbon capture and storage has been limited by its high commercial costs. However, the UK government recently committed to investing £100 million in CCUS and industrial innovation to drive down costs in its clean growth strategy.
The DETECT project is part of the European Accelerating CCS Technologies initiative, which is funded by the European Commission and other European partners, including in the UK, by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
HERIOT-WATT AWARDED €1 MILLION TO ASSESS RISKS OF GEOLOGIC LEAKAGE FROM CARBON STORAGE SITES
12 ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018 13ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018
NEWS NEWS
Scotland’s national forest estate now has installed capacity of over 1 GW of renewable energy,
generating enough electricity for around 500,000 homes each year.
This capacity is contributing to the Scottish Government’s target to supply 100% of Scotland’s electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2020.
The renewable energy boost has been achieved by Forest Enterprise Scotland and a number of key energy companies who have developed renewables on the national forest estate.
Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, announced the 1 GW milestone during a recent visit to Scottish Power’s Harestanes windfarm near Dumfries.
He said: “Our national forest estate is delivering on a number of fronts for the people of Scotland.
“This generation of clean renewable energy generation is playing an important contribution to our ambitious climate change programme. However, the benefits don’t stop there.
“Communities across the country, often in remoter rural areas, are currently benefiting from over £2.7 million each
year in community payments as a result of these renewable energy projects. This extra money is often welcome in helping communities with local initiatives.”
The majority of the 1 GW capacity is from wind farms with the remainder from small scale hydro schemes.
Forest Enterprise Scotland receives around £11 million each year from leasing the land for energy projects with the income being reinvested into various forestry programmes.
Harestanes windfarm was officially opened by Mr Ewing back in 2014. The 136 MW windfarm generates around 212,000 MWh of electricity each year. Approximately £300k of community benefit is paid each year into a fund for the people of Annandale and Nithsdale.
The windfarm has also created 11 km of new tracks and paths throughout the forest which the public can use for recreation. Mountain bikers have also benefited with a new 4 km trail being built on the 7stanes route.
More details of Forest Enterprise
Scotland’s renewables programme: http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/managing/work-on-scotlands-national-forest-estate/renewable-energy
TREE-MENDOUS RENEWABLE ENERGY BOOST
Lux Intelligent manufacturer Advanced has launched a new CPD training module focusing on
emergency lighting testing compliance.Created against a backdrop of
changing emergency lighting standards, including the new category of ‘stay put’ lighting, the new training module is designed to bring end us-ers, facilities managers and engineers fully up to date with current requirements and help them ensure compliance. On top of this, it will provide them with the tools they need to ensure their emergency lighting is more efficient, thus saving them money and time.
‘Stay put’ lighting is more formally known as Emergency Safety Lighting and was introduced into BS5266 last year, expanding the reach of the standard from purely escape and emergency lighting. The basis of the addition is that it is often unnecessary or inappropriate for everyone to evacuate during a power failure/non-emergency mains failure – for those that choose to remain/stay
put, adequate lighting is required.Typical examples are for the elderly
and very young in care situations, where it is easier to ensure safety and continue care and comfort within the premises; and in other public are-as, for example retail spaces, where it may be suitable to evacuate the public, but for staff to remain/stay put.
When lights are tested manually, an engineer must physically walk the building and cut power to the emergency lights, forcing them to operate on their secondary supply. He or she then needs to reinstate the mains power and confirm that the batteries are charging properly. This is a time-consuming and tedious task that is not always completed accurately or reliably.
Added to that, it is not practical to disable the power for whole areas of a building during normal operational hours, so the process must be staggered or done outside of office hours. Also, in case of a real emergency, no area of a building can be left without emergency
lighting for the period after a test while the batteries are recharging.
Advanced offers its own, automatic emergency lighting test system, Lux Intelligent, which simplifies the entire process and is incredibly cost-effective, especially when using cloud-based monitoring via mobile or web app, which completely does away with the need for compiling manual reports and simplifies maintenance management.
Anyone interested in booking the training should e-mail [email protected].
New CPD Training for Emergency Lighting and ‘Stay Put’ Lighting from Lux Intelligent
Windy conditions saw renewable power generation hit record levels in 2017, as the effects
of the Capacity Mechanism reduced price volatility in the second half of the year. These are the key findings from a new report by energy market monitoring firm EnAppSys.
Last year, renewables provided more than one quarter (27.3%) of overall power generation in Britain for the first time. The 83.2TWh generated was bolstered by a strong performance from wind energy, which contributed more than one half (44.6TWh) of this total due in part to the recent commissioning of several wind farms and stormy weather in the last quarter, with Q4 2017 seeing by some margin the highest levels of wind generation on record.
The net impact of this activity is that levels of generation from renewables in 2017 were more than six times higher than they were ten years ago, and this has resulted in a 60% reduction in estimated carbon emissions, an 84% decline in power from coal plants and a 15% cut in gas-fired generation.
Coal-fired generation continued to decline in 2017, producing 20.7TWh compared with 27.9TWh in 2016, although activity did pick up in Q4 when gas prices
rose due to several gas supply issues in Europe, highlighting the potential for levels of coal-fired generation to increase if further gas supply issues arise in the European network.”
Overall, however, gas was still the dominant force in Britain’s power mix last year, contributing 39.2% of the total. Renewables generated 27.3% and nuclear plants 21.6%, with 6.8% coming from coal plants and 5.2% from electricity imports.
Paul Verrill, director at EnAppSys, said: “The high levels of wind generation, and particularly those towards the end of the year, were caused by stormy weather and increased levels of wind capacity in 2017. Even if 2018 does not see the same frequency of storms, the contribution of wind to the overall power mix is likely to rise again now that the Western Link interconnector becomes fully operational.
“This interconnector, which came online in December, will make it possible for an additional 2.2GW of excess wind to be moved from Scotland into England and Wales. Last year there was an over-supply of wind due to lower demand for electricity and approximately 3% of wind generation was wasted as wind farms in Scotland were turned down or off because their output could not be used by the market.
“As this additional wind flows into
the system there will be new challenges the market must navigate with respect to handling an excess of wind throughout the wider system overnight, but this will in turn create opportunities for storage plants in the market.”
The EnAppSys report also highlighted the considerably lower peak market prices in the second half of 2017, due mainly to increased margin in the system caused by lower levels of demand.
EnAppSys said the lower peak prices were driven by the introduction of the Capacity Mechanism, which replaced the Supplementary Balancing Reserve (SBR).
Mr Verrill said: “Previously under the SBR, power plants were paid to be on standby in the event of an unexpected plant shutdown or power outage, but were not allowed to operate in the market commercially. While this enabled the National Grid to control overall minimum margin levels in the system, this left negative margins from a commercial perspective in 2015 and 2016, which drove up prices.
“However, the Capacity Mechanism has enabled the market to benefit from an extra 3.5GW of capacity provided by these plants now that they (or their replacements) can trade commercially. This, coupled with windy conditions and other new plants coming into the market, has significantly reduced both overall prices and the high peak prices that were common in 2016.” www.enappsys.com/summary-reports
Severn Vale Housing has teamed up with innovative energy storage company Puredrive Energy Ltd to
provide their tenants with a free solar panel system with battery storage, which will help them significantly reduce their electricity bills.
The system is currently being piloted at homes in Brockworth. In the first week tenants have seen a marked difference in their energy bills.
Severn Vale Housing Asset and Commercial Director Michael Craggs said: ”Working with Puredrive Energy makes perfect sense for us. The partnership has come at a time when Universal Credit is being introduced, and tenants, who are on benefits, are going to have to budget very carefully to make ends meet. This system allows customers to store power from the solar panels on the roof into a small lithium battery in the
house. It will also help them monitor their electricity usage and budget accordingly.
“We are the first housing association in the South West to be working with an innovative energy company to save our tenants money. The installations have gone very smoothly and our initial findings have been very encouraging. We hope to roll the energy storage system out to a large number of our properties in the future”.
Helen Godwin who has had a system fitted on her home in Avon Crescent, Brockworth said: “I’ve noticed a marked difference in the first week. I know I have saved £10 already, and have not had to top up my pre-pay meter.
Puredrive Energy Managing Director Mark Millar said: “We are delighted to be working with Severn Vale Housing. Working with leaders in Social Housing who share the same vision, and have the
capability to implement positive change is key. It’s one of our company goals to address and alleviate fuel poverty using our technology. Sustainable energy and cost savings are achieved through smart technology that maximises the use of green and renewable energy.
“More than 2.3 million families are living in fuel poverty in England – the equivalent of 10% of households, according to government statistics. Fuel poverty is calculated by gauging if a household’s income would fall below the poverty line after spending the actual amount needed to heat the home. With predictions of energy costs rising by 30% in the next three years the Puredrive energy storage system will allow Severn Vale tenants to mitigate against rising energy costs.
For further information, contact Liz Lewis on 07990 690089.
Severn Vale Housing – Leading the way on customer energy consumption
STORMY WEATHER BREWS UP RENEWABLES RECORD
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OPINIONFEATURE
The 2014 Water Act, which came into law from April 2017, allows more than 1.2 million “eligible businesses”, charities and public sector
bodies in England to choose their water supplier rather than having to rely on a supplier with a regional monopoly. The Government hopes that competition will lead to better customer service, lower costs and more innovation among suppliers as they vie for customers. The situation in Wales is slightly different in that customers who use the supply system of an appointed water company whose system is wholly or mainly in Wales, only those using more than 50 Ml of water each year will be able to choose their water supplier. In Scotland, the retail water market for businesses has been deregulated since 2008. Open Water, the public face of the Government’s water retail policy, states that, by having the freedom to choose, your business could save water, spend less and get other benefits. But, before you rush to change water supplier there are several things you should consider.
The first is water management. You know how much water your supplier bills you for and how much wastewater you discharge. But you might like to get an independent check using validated water meters just to make sure that there are no errors. A site survey of a park for a council in London, found that the water meter was not working and water bills had been estimated for over five years. Monitoring of water usage resulted in a substantial refund and an annual saving.
Then look at water use. This involves a “water audit”. How much water is used in each part of your organisation and where? There will always be water losses that you know about – for example evaporative losses from boilers and cooling towers – but
these are easily quantified. After making an allowance for these, the balance of the influent water should be equal to the effluent. If there is a significant difference then the chances are that there’s a leak. Temporary water meters can usually track down leaks quite quickly. You should compare your water consumption per unit of output against industry “benchmarks”. If you are using more water than other similar organisations then your costs will be higher. An audit of a Council’s Sports Stadium identified two water leaks, resulting in an actual saving of £10,000.
Once you are confident that you have accounted for all the water coming on to site it is time to make sure that your water bills are correct. H2O Building Services carried out a water audit for East Staffordshire Borough Council’s facilities including cemeteries, main offices and leisure facilities. Although they identified no leaks, by reviewing historical records, H2O Building Services have identified retrospective savings amounting to over £21,000.
A water strategy consultant will be able to help you to reduce water consumption and, possibly, to reuse and recycle water. Remember that recycling water reduces not only the volume of mains water that you take in but also the volume of wastewater that you discharge to sewer – a double cost saving.
When you have got on top of these issues, now is the time to consider a change of supplier but first you might want to talk to your current water and wastewater retailer(s) to see what they can offer. If you still want to change supplier you really should take some advice about the options
available. Since 1997 H2O Building Services has been helping clients to save money on water. The company provides a full range of services from bill validation to leak detection and water auditing to rainwater harvesting.
ABOUT H2O BUILDING SERVICES
Established in 1997, H2O Building Services provides a full range of services from bill validation to leak detection and water auditing to rainwater harvesting. Based in Yorkshire and with over 20 years’ of experience and knowledge of the water supply industry the company provides consultancy and management services throughout the UK across a range of industries from large multi-national companies through to the public sector. Tel 0845 658 0948 Email [email protected] www.h2obuildingservices.co.uk
LIQUID ASSETSGraham Mann of H2O Building Services looks at the implications of the opening up of the water retail market.
We hear so much in the media from journalists, experts and from politicians on the subject of
the environment and climate change. It’s definitely a “hot” topic but it’s also one that courts a high degree of publicity because it’s not without its detractors and non-believers.
Talk of environmental factors and the likes of the climate change Paris agreement of 2015 called COP21 might appear as disconnected to the ordinary person on the street but these are issues that impact us all in the long term so it’s important to be aware of what’s going on in this regard.
In relation to being more energy efficient as individuals and as homeowners, there are other benefits separate to environmentally related ones which will directly impact on your own household. For example, it’s possible to save 20-30% on energy bills when you implement even the likes of some basic changes to your household’s operations. While it might mean a degree of investment initially in implementation of certain items, the long term benefits monetarily will make these changes worth it. There are some small scale things you can do almost immediately which will also help reduce energy outputs in the long term. Changing the home’s light bulbs to more energy efficient versions is a quick win. These types of lightbulbs come in many formats, sizes and hues and are widely available in local hardware stores and even most supermarkets so it’s quite quick and easy to implement throughout the home.
A commitment by us all to change of our behaviours will not only reduce our collective energy bills in the long term but it will also deliver a better quality of life for all. We recently witnessed the ferocity of the emissions and fog which enveloped New Delhi in India which is only now starting to recede. Of course, New Delhi has a
distinctly dense population and a hugely active industrial element and the fog is a direct result of related emissions. The government in India is now taking steps to reduce activities in the area in order to ensure this situation does not reoccur. However these types of emissions have a direct negative impact on all residents and simply are not sustainable for the health of its people.
Reducing energy efficiencies in the long term also saves the government money which they can then reallocate to spending in other deserving areas like health, education and trade. At present, governments around the world have to invest vast amounts of capital annually to fight against climate change and also to deliver for people’s energy consumption requirements.
It is important that adults teach children the importance of respecting the environment as it can so easily pass them by and they end up taking it for granted. However, if we as adults take the time to explain to children how our actions and behaviours as individuals can directly affect the environment around us, we are then creating a scenario whereby those children will grow into adults understanding the importance of the environment.
This infographic from the guys at Senator Windows is a useful guide on how to improve your energy efficiency efforts. It indicates a number of ways in which it is possible to reduce home energy costs while simultaneously being more aware of the world’s environment and our contribution however indirect or direct to overall climate change. Taking on board these examples and implementing them throughout our lives, whether it is at home or at work will only have a positive impact on the world. This more aware and responsible behaviour in relation to the environment might also have a knock-on impact on the behaviour of others thus willing them to change too. Check out the full infographic for all the details. www.senatorwindows.ie
BEING MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT
NEWS
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If the new system of reporting is to enable a true comparison of buildings and establish any sort of benchmark, it needs to take into account an array of factors, which is something the consultation will hopefully address. If company size is used for determining who the framework applies to, then location needs to be considered alongside this. For example, in London, a building’s air filtration system may have to work several times harder than in rural Scotland, and opening a window might not be an option if the air is poor quality. Buildings aren’t built for energy - they’re built for people – and the new framework should take this into consideration.
The energy landscape for 2018 is set to be shaped by new legislation that aims to promote energy efficiency, and new opportunities to explore technology that could transform the way we analyse energy. Whilst MEES and the energy and carbon reporting framework will necessitate changes – one with a looming deadline that energy managers need to be prepared for – the potential to explore AI could improve how a building performs from the outset, and is intrinsically valuable for occupiers and owners alike. arbnco.com
companies made available by Companies House, meaning that companies’ total energy use will be publicly disclosed.
This is an extension of the current framework which requires UK quoted companies to report greenhouse gas emissions only, and will also apply to some UK unquoted companies. These changes could incentivise organisations to invest more in energy efficiency: public disclosure of total energy use could put pressure on organisations to act, and it will make business leaders more aware of how much they’re actually spending on energy bills in comparison to their peers.
Energy managers therefore, should be ensuring that the businesses within their portfolio are aware of the new framework, how building stock is currently performing, and what steps they could put in place to reduce their carbon output before the report is compiled. The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) required many organisations to provide energy saving reports, and these could be incorporated into the new reporting framework.
If the public nature of the new framework does act as an incentive to improve energy efficiency, it could go some way to counter the potentially negative effects of the abolishment of the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme and the subsequent increase in taxation through the Climate Change Levy. This move is unlikely to actually incentivise people to save energy; instead, they will blindly accept it as part of their tax bill.
ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018 ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018
FEATURE
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Legislation on the horizon for 2018 will have big implications for energy managers and for the sector as a whole, both from a compliance perspective and for
creating new opportunities to improve energy performance. Three of the most noteworthy Government initiatives either coming into force next year, or being determined, are the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation, the consideration of how artificial intelligence (AI) can be utilised more within industry, and the consultation on changing the carbon and energy reporting framework for companies.
All three of these initiatives provide the opportunity to improve energy efficiency. Whilst the former demands immediate action to ensure compliance, the outcomes of the latter two will be determined over the next year, and will encourage renewed consideration of building performance. AI in particular remains relatively unexplored within the energy sector, but its potential is huge in shaping the future. Government commitments to invest in AI exploration over the next year, as part of its Industrial Strategy, could advance many innovative projects already taking place within this space.
The MEES regulations are arguably the most important legislative milestone the commercial property sector has seen in recent years. Coming into force from April 1st 2018, the policy prohibits landlords from letting a sub-standard commercial property that fails to achieve an EPC rating of E or higher. From April 1st 2023, this legislation will be tightened, preventing landlords from continuing to let a sub-standard property.
Now that we are four months away from MEES being implemented, it is the last chance for energy professionals to act to ensure their buildings are compliant. In most cases, four months should grant enough time to implement any necessary retrofitting solutions, though inevitably this depends on the improvements required and the process
involved. Replacing lamps, for example, involves little effort and can be done very quickly. Replacing boilers or handling equipment, on the other hand, may necessitate writing a specification, taking it to tender, and obtaining pricing before installation can even begin.
This means that energy consultants need to know now whether they are compliant, so they have time to execute an improvement strategy. One major problem inhibiting that process is that many property managers think that their existing EPC rating passes the minimum standard. Energy managers, however, should always ensure that this rating is accurate.
Many EPCs are inaccurate due to a lack of accredited EPC assessors pre-2011, and because default data was often used. The sharp incline in standards and the associated updating of SBEM has also resulted in many EPCs worsening. Recent research carried out by arbnco showed that one quarter of the 3,500 commercial properties registered on its EPC platform achieved a lower rating than that originally given, with one third of these dropping into the MEES ‘at risk’ categories.
Given the potential time constraints, energy managers should look to utilise software that can quickly and intelligently assess the type of improvements required, and offer a fully costed retrofit package. Software that provides an array of options is more useful than simply offering a slightly more efficient version of the original. A like for like replacement is unlikely to enhance the overall EPC rating. Technology that can provide a combination of solutions which might not have been considered previously can help energy managers to make smarter, more impactful decisions.
Many property professionals who are confident that they have long-term tenants may think MEES is not relevant
for them until the second deadline in 2023. Regardless, energy managers should advise property managers or landlords not to wait for the building to go up for lease before they start looking at their EPC rating. Ideally an improvement strategy should be in place, but at the very least they should have an accurate EPC rating so they know what they’re dealing with, or, know where the gaps are within a portfolio of properties where EPCs may be inaccurate.
Whilst the Government is using MEES as a financial incentive to encourage energy efficiency, the commitment to exploring AI within industry could bring significant benefits to the energy sector by enabling buildings to operate more intelligently. In autumn, an independent review into AI was conducted, and recommendations were put to Government about how it can work with industry to grow the use of AI. In his autumn budget, the Chancellor committed to investing over £75 million to advance some of these recommendations as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.
The use of AI within the buildings sector somewhat lags behind other industries. Where it is developed and applied, the focus is often on facilities management, such as car park bookings, to make the user experience more efficient. Utilising AI to analyse building operation and energy performance remains relatively unexplored, but with increased funding being made available, over the next year we may witness some exciting developments in this field.
There are some advanced projects already underway exploring the use of AI in energy efficiency building simulation, though they are still in
A LOOK AHEAD AT THE ENERGY AGENDA FOR 2018
the early stages. Academics from the University of Strathclyde are currently working with arbnco to explore how AI can be used to create more accurate simulations. The project will look into how back-end machine learning AI can mine data from building simulation software to make quicker, more informed decisions, and can take into account from the outset factors such as finance constraints. The AI can produce an optimum recommendation, meaning that the risk of humans missing benefits through manually working out the best option will be eliminated.
The £75 million of Government investment could fund more projects like this, or help to usher in these benefits faster, particularly because one of its specific aims is to facilitate data access. Funding for research and development projects of this nature tends to come more from data trusts than from building groups, despite the latter benefiting from the outcomes. There is lots more potential for AI within the energy sector. In particular, it could be utilised to profile energy usage and address issues such as the energy performance gap. It could also bring significant benefits for fault finding, and in predicting failures before they occur.
In 2018, the Industrial Strategy could put some projects into motion that will transform the sector, and energy professionals should track these developments and be looking to implement AI that enables them to perform their job better. AI will not exist to make energy assessors redundant; the human work will simply be enhanced. It will allow energy assessors to conduct more work, more accurately and efficiently.
At the start of the new year, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy consultation on changing the energy and carbon reporting framework for companies will close. The Government is seeking recommendations on its proposed changes to create a more streamlined reporting mechanism, primarily on how it should be implemented, who it should apply to, and what it should encompass. If the Government proposals go ahead, energy and carbon reporting will be done within the annual reports of
FEATURE
Mitch Layng, Lead Energy Consultant for building energy simulation company arbnco.
NEWS
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BOILERS & BURNERS ENERGY STORAGE
A new offering from Siemens Financial Services (SFS) means customers have an affordable way to access SIESTORAGE, Siemens’
cutting-edge energy storage technology, without committing capital up front.
SIESTORAGE technology helps users defer electricity purchases from peak times to cheaper periods, making significant savings on electricity and network costs. The modular system, which is based on Lithium-ion battery technology, typically suits customers with on-site consumption of between 1MW and 100MW.
Electricity costs present a major challenge for businesses. Complex regulation-driven invoices can be difficult to understand and the rapid decline of electricity generation from fossil fuels in the UK has led to price fluctuation.1 Certain key periods attract higher tariffs
but, in many cases, for organisations to reduce usage at peak times would mean an interruption to core business activities. At the same time, companies can also experience service interruptions and voltage reductions which can impact industrial processes, particularly those that have high energy usage.
Whilst energy storage solutions present a valuable option for many businesses, few are willing or able to commit the necessary capital to access the technology. SFS, however, is able to help organisations overcome the challenges of energy storage solution acquisition by tailoring financing packages to suit the cash flows of each customer. The ‘outcome-based’ financial model means that customers’ payments are based of the battery’s output, rather than outright purchase for the battery itself.
Ian Tyrer, Head of Sales - Energy Finance, Siemens Financial Services
comments: “Throughout our business we are seeing a growing a trend of outcome-based financial models or ‘pay-for-outcomes’, where customers pay for what the technology delivers rather than the technology itself. This financial model which allows customers to access SIESTORAGE without committing capital up front is a perfect example.”
Bridgit Hartland-Johnson, Head of Energy Storage - Siemens Energy Management, adds: “SFS’ specialist pay-for-outcomes offering, combined with world class technology, provides an excellent opportunity for organisations to access new and cost effective business solutions. For the majority of companies, electricity is an unavoidable cost, however, these costs can be significantly managed and reduced through careful control and innovative business ideas.” www.siemens.com/uk/en/home/products/financing.html
SFS ENABLES CUSTOMERS TO BENEFIT FROM ENERGY STORAGE WITHOUT CAPITAL INVESTMENT
1 https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201617/ldselect/ldeconaf/113/113.pdf
Within the commercial market today, approximately 70% of boilers from 30KW and higher are wall hung.
To what extent these modern condensing boilers actually deliver higher efficiencies compared to their old counterparts is, however, dependent on a number of factors including whether they are correctly sized and specified, as well as the manner in which they are controlled.
So what are the main principles to be respected in the creation of an efficient heating and hot water system? Although there is a definite desire on the part of specifiers to provide for future flexibility in terms of additional demand, they should resist the temptation to oversize. Aside from the increased capital outlay, one could be reducing the boiler’s capacity to modulate at low loads. It is also important to design for achieving low return temperatures in order to maximise the time when a boiler condenses. A Larger delta T or a return temperature of 560C or below is generally considered desirable.
Wall-hung boilers are often installed as a cascade of three or more units which not only means maintenance can be carried out without interruption of service, it also allows the duty to be shared.
Interestingly most condensing boilers offer slightly better efficiency when running at a percentage of their potential output; which can be taken advantage of in a cascade arrangement.
BRINGING THE BEST FROM COMMERCIAL BOILERSPaul Sands, Sales and Marketing Director at Stokvis Energy Systems, considers the options for improving boiler efficiency in new and refurbishment situations.
While figures vary between different boiler ranges, a model which delivers 102% net efficiency at 100% capacity might see this rise to 106% net when running at 25% capacity; this increase resulting from the lower volume of flue gas passing over the heat exchanger.
With an appropriate sequencing controller, one boiler would modulate up until the demand requires output from a second unit; at which point the duty will be shared equally between the pair. The same applies when a third boiler has to contribute. Meanwhile, the main controller also ensures ‘first up’ duty is rotated between the individual boilers in order to even out wear.
To weather compensate condensing boiler plant directly utilising outside temperature sensors, will provide higher efficiencies and further savings, since a lower flow temperature will also give a lower return temperature and therefore aid condensing possibilities. In practice, for a part load situation, the boiler controller reduces the fan speed, in turn causing a pressure drop which is utilised to modulate down the pressure operated gas valve. By incorporating weather compensation control, the premix air and gas is modulated down further. So, introducing weather compensation directly to the boiler plant is one of the key measures which can be used to improve the performance of new and existing heating systems.
Another is to replace hot water storage vessels with modern plate heat exchanger (PHE) technology. When a boiler constantly cycles to try and maintain the temperature of large amounts of stored domestic hot water, it is generally firing inefficiently; normally well below its modulation range. The way to eliminate these cycling and standing losses is to replace the calorifier with a PHE such as one of the Econoplate Packaged Plate Heat Exchangers that heats domestic water on demand at much higher levels of efficiency and combats the possibility of Legionella contamination. Essentially, the PHE set up sees higher loads being met instantaneously, resulting in the boiler mainly working within its part load or modulation capabilities. The plate heat exchanger also provides primary return temperatures as low as 350C which is ideal for condensing boilers. Further savings would be achieved by making use of a preheat vessel where the hot water is heated from a solar thermal system.
Given the Government’s environmental agenda, the proportion of smaller, wall-hung boilers is likely to remain as the larger share of the market as the uptake of renewable energy increases and, therefore, the “top up load” provided by the boiler plant dictates smaller boilers that are able to provide good turn down/modulation with condensing capability that match the required load. www.stokvisboilers.com.
NEWS
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ENERGY STORAGE
In the past, shifting electricity demand to manage our peak energy requirements has helped to reduce the need to build expensive, new capital-intensive power plants
and the associated infrastructure necessary to cater for exceptional peaks in demand that historically occurred only a few times each year.
However, our energy mix has changed dramatically over recent years. For example, In the UK we now have only eight large-scale coal-fired power stations (down from 45 stations 20 years ago). In June 2017, National Grid reported that renewable sources of energy were generating more electricity than coal and gas for the first time ever. Overall, low carbon’s share of electricity generation reached record highs of over 50% in 2017.
While this is excellent news for the decarbonisation of the UK’s energy system, it presents new problems for those managing the grid. Wind and solar power plants are intermittent in nature and with low-carbon sources now making significant contributions to electricity in the UK, we need increased levels of grid ‘flexibility’.
Ofgem defines flexibility as ‘modifying generation and/or consumption patterns in reaction to an external signal (such as a change in price) to provide a service within the energy system’. Flexible systems enable grid operators to better balance generation and demand. They enable the use of renewable sources of intermittent supply, and allow operators to build more stable networks that are resilient to faults and outages.
Today, the demand side approach, or demand side response (DSR), has become a valuable strategy in enabling the integration of renewable generation on the grid as the focus on flexibility has shifted from the supply side to the demand side.
Through DSR, electricity consumers provide the flexibility needed by changing their level of demand. In the UK today, DSR is mostly implemented by energy-intensive industrial and commercial customers who are able to stop or turn
down processes or machinery that have a tangible effect on energy consumption.
BARRIERS TO DSR ADOPTION
Participating in DSR typically requires control of individual machinery or processes to adjust the load drawn by the site. Conceptually, temporarily reducing energy demand in response to a dispatch notice seems simple enough. Some electrical loads have built-in inertia, which enables businesses to briefly reduce demand with little or no effect on their business processes. For example, it may be possible to reduce the supply to a blast furnace without materially affecting the temperature of the manufacturing process. Likewise, reducing the power to a refrigeration unit is perfectly possible with no adverse effects; as long as power is restored before the temperature increases beyond acceptable limits.
Other electrical loads are deemed as non-critical and businesses may have more degrees of freedom to change these. For example, a hotel could choose to reduce power to its air conditioning units with no impact on the comfort of guests. A small adjustment to hundreds of HVAC units can add up to a large net change in power.
However, businesses can only keep assets like these idle for a certain duration before ambient conditions dictate that they must operate again to restore the temperature. Many businesses either don’t run loads with built-in inertia, or are uncomfortable with the concept of reducing power to business-critical assets; even momentarily.
Another barrier to participating in DSR programmes is that a third party (such as the National Grid) dictates the timing of the response.
These restrictions limit the extent to which businesses can achieve
power flexibility and participate in DSR programmes, even when running large sites. Many businesses choose not to participate in DSR because of the potential impact on their site operations.
OVERCOMING DSR BARRIERS WITH ENERGY STORAGE
Energy storage helps to overcome the barriers to adopting flexible energy systems and implementing demand side strategies. It overcomes current DSR limitations by providing a separate source of flexibility, independent of any associated processes or machinery.
Rather than trying to work around critical business processes to unlock whatever flexibility is available, a business can use battery storage to match the level and duration of new flexibility to the individual site requirements to maximise the benefits – financial and otherwise – to the business. Unlike typical DSR activities, day-to-day use of energy storage has a negligible impact on business operations and processes.
While it is possible to fully automate DSR, a business must be able to manually override any turn down. For example, if adjusting the demand breaches acceptable operating ranges, or if machinery is unexpectedly needed. Manual intervention is not necessary using energy storage. The capacity available may be drawn on at any time without any discernible impact on site operations. On dispatch of a response
THE ROLE OF ENERGY STORAGE IN ENABLING DEMAND RESPONSE
Nick Heyward – Head of Storage at Origami Energy
from the storage asset, the business simply changes how much power it draws from the grid rather than the storage.
Energy storage is inherently far more reliable as a source of DSR. UK Power Networks has studied the reliability of different approaches to DSR. While the ‘reliability factors’ for DSR provided from genuine demand turn down were in the range 54%-64%, it rates DSR provided from the use of physical generating assets, such as diesel and storage at 70-80%.
A similar trait is evident in the relative ‘de-rating’ factors applied to different technology classes within the Capacity Market rules. DSR-based response attracts one of the lowest de-rating factors, though due to recent BEIS changes short duration batteries have been given a lower rating. The current de-rating factors for longer duration battery storage are just over 96%.
As well as the reliability of flexibility sources, the speed of response is also becoming increasingly important for National Grid.
As larger, traditional flexible carbon intensive generation assets are
ENERGY STORAGE
replaced by renewables, the electricity grid’s inertia is falling. Inertia dictates how sensitive the system equilibrium is to sudden outages or faults.
Storage provides exceptionally fast response times and can reduce the overall flexibility needed by the system operator to mitigate frequency falls or rises. Traditionally, grid balancing is a carbon-intensive process and so energy storage lowers both costs and emissions.
Many businesses also appreciate the added value derived from deploying energy storage. Energy storage offers the provision of clean back-up power supply, which DSR alone does not. Advances in storage technologies and lower manufacturing costs have made energy storage affordable for a range of applications, including peak-charge management, backup supply, grid-scale balancing and network reinforcement deferral. Energy storage provides constraint management services without impacting business operations and helps utilise any on-site renewables.
The only tangible drawback to adopting energy storage is that a business will incur additional costs.
Implementing DSR services without battery storage usually incurs some costs due to modifications to asset controllers, but it is significantly cheaper in comparison to a new storage system. However, the cost of using energy storage does not need to involve significant capital outlay, particularly when considering the availability of fully funded solutions. Models vary, but many solutions involve a benefit share with the site owner, using a proportion of the income generated to cover the cost of the storage asset over a minimum contract term.
Overall, using storage to participate in DSR is a more reliable and robust way of providing flexibility for critical applications, such as grid stability and network security. It eliminates concerns about the impact of DSR on business-critical operations, gives the business more control of its energy strategy and enables additional services, such as back-up power. The wider adoption of energy storage will enable more industrial and commercial customers to participate in demand-side programmes. origamienergy.com
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The change of de-rating factors came at the most unexpected time, as it was published only one day after the T1 2018/19 and T-4 2021/22 auctions
prequalification results came out.
The previous de-rating factor of 96% did not change for batteries with a 4+ hour duration, but was lowered to almost 18% for batteries with less than 30-minute duration. This will have a detrimental impact on the revenues of many companies bidding on less than 4-hour duration batteries.
The new de-rating factors will promote the development of better technology and higher quality batteries, when reliable discharging into the grid for longer durations is needed the most. It will however, reduce the return on investment for small-scale projects and especially batteries with
less than 30-minute durations.
Two things concern us, the constant changing of regulations, and the timings of these changes as that can deter potential investors in the capacity market, especially when the changes take place in the middle of an auction. On a more positive note, it helps to know what the regulations are as the market can be re-shaped around it.
Energy storage will play a major role in the capacity market, so that the new electricity market can provide flexible, affordable, and stable electricity for consumers. This becomes essential at the time of the renewable energy revolution as more intermittency from renewables is expected to happen with the UK moving away from coal to meet its carbon reduction targets.
There is currently 3 GW of utility-
scale operational storage capacity in the UK, and this is expected to reach 8.9 GW by 2030, as per the National Grid Future Energy Scenario.
Many predict that the UK will be one of eight nations to lead the storage market in the next 12-13 years, that the global energy storage market will attract $103bn of investment, and that the capacity is expected to reach 125GW by 2030.
New battery de-rating factors, however unpopular they may be, can help redirect some of the investments toward batteries with longer discharging durations. It may also encourage companies in the capacity market to switch to behind the meter market, while helping with price and time shift on the Demand Side Response (DSR). n-ergygroup.com
BATTERY DE-RATING CHANGES – WHAT THEY WILL MEAN FOR THE INDUSTRY AND BUSINESSES IN THE UK
ENERGY STORAGE
Recently, the National Gird Electricity Transmission (NGET) announced changes to the de-rating factors for batteries installed in capacity market projects in the UK. N-ERGY managing director David Bowman raises his concerns about the announcement, as well as discussing how it will positively shape the market.
ENERGY SUPPLY
Off grid electricity production was mainly “something better than nothing” in the developing world. Now we see it as a backup against hurricanes
taking down the grid, as with Tesla solar roof and Powerwall battery. Rarely viable as a cost reducer as yet, it is worth the money as a fall back. Indeed, some organisations in the USA are now setting up their own solar farms to save cost, relegating the grid to merely emergency backup because this reduces cost and outages – off grid and “fringe of grid” get more and more attractive. Wind power, with its falling costs, will also be involved more in off grid installations where the design errors of traditional off grid wind installations of being too low, too small and too shielded from wind are corrected in future off grid packages. The improving business cases for off grid are a contrast to much grid supply, where high voltage grid extension at a swingeing $1-6 million per mile is not involved, nor even low voltage extension at $15k-50k. It attracts where grids are being neglected or are based on bad choices increasing prices.
VULNERABLE AND DIRTY GRIDS
Grids are now vulnerable to the increase in terrorist threats and extreme weather. Probably through global warming, Australia is seeing increasingly violent weather that can take down transmission lines and it already has what users call an energy cost crisis. The average cost of electricity in parts of Victoria has quadrupled in the last five years with enduring reduction in sight. In the nearest major country, New Zealand, electricity prices are actually going down while zero emission renewables in grid generation have risen to 85%, mainly on the back of hydro and wind, the inverse of the situation in Japan. In Australia, help is at hand from photovoltaics PV even if the Australian utilities do not get a grip on their costs. Energy Storage Report argues that, “PV-plus-storage could allow homes in Australia to cover more than 99% of annual power consumption from solar, the experience of one household indicates”.
OFF GRID BEATING GRID EXTENSION
Adrian Shand’s home in Glenlyon, Victoria, needs only around 30 hours of petrol genset-based generation a year to supplement the power provided by a solar-plus-storage system, Shand told the magazine. That means around 99.7% of annual energy consumption is provided
by a combination of 21 260W Tindo solar panels, delivering up to 5.2kW, and two 3kW, 10kWh Redflow ZCell flow batteries installed in March 2017. The flow battery storage can keep Shand’s house running for up to two days with no recharge, and can go from zero to full charge in just four hours under sunny conditions. The IDTechEx report on redox flow batteries sees them beating lithium-ion for much stationary storage on cost, repairability, non-flammability and other attributes.
Shand’s cottage surrounded by forest in central Victoria, has no mains electricity supply, so he spent AUD$56,000 on a new PV and storage setup, including a Victron MultiPlus48/5000/70 inverter/charger, installed by Off-Grid Energy Australia. The ZCell zinc-bromine flow battery chemistry offered better “bang for buck” than competing lithium-ion products. “The most important thing was the claims of no degradation. They have warrantied 10 years at 10kWh, and the expected life is double. But the warranty says in 10 years minus one day you shall see 10kWh of capacity to both charge and discharge. That’s what attracted me.” ZCells are fire-retarding, good in this bush-fire area.
Getting a grid connection would have cost an unaffordable $200,000 and power bills of at least AUD $4,000 a year. Based on even the lower of these estimates, the PV-plus-ZCell setup vs a grid-connected property would have a payback time of just over 15 years, allowing for backup genset running costs of $300 a year, but that is falsely assuming electricity prices do not go higher in the future. Other parts of Australia can do better because he has only about 4.5 hours of “perfect sunlight” a day, making 28kWh a day in the summer, 20kWh in spring and autumn and 13kWh in winter, more like New Zealand.
OFF GRID BEATING GRID OUTAGE
In another example, Western Australian utility Western Power has revealed the results of its stand-alone power system pilot in 2017, confirming that the solar, diesel and battery storage systems deployed at six properties located around Ravensthorpe, Lake King and Ongerup, had delivered a 15-fold reliability improvement for customers.
In a report, Western Power said the $4 million 12-month pilot – launched last July – had reduced the average time of outages for the six properties involved to less than five hours, with two properties recording no outages at all. Only 8% of the demand called
for the diesel and availability was near the 99% in urban Australia. IDTechEx believes that zero emission will usually be feasible next by replacing the scrap of diesel with new forms of wind and water power coming along.
BEATING GRID PRICES WITH OFF GRID
Of grid and using the grid merely as backup is mirrored in New Zealand where California-based SimpliPhi Power says its scalable solar plus battery energy storage solutions have been deployed in New Zealand by electricity distributor Powerco as part of an off-grid renewable energy unit named Base Power. For now, a diesel generator is also integrated into the units in the event that prolonged inclement weather prevents solar generation. The units are designed to be transported by helicopter to locations that are difficult to gain access to, making them ideal for both remote and emergency situations in which access to power would be too costly or logistically unfeasible.US involvement is no surprise. Utilities in the U.S., such as Vermont-based Green Mountain Power have also embraced off-grid energy storage solutions for remote customers. Las Vegas casinos have paid off their utility deals and make their electricity themselves with solar farms in the nearby desert. The MW-hour cost of wind in the Great Plains comes in around $20. Coal comes in around $30. They are going green on cost alone.
SOME VISIONARY UTILITIESIn Europe, utility E.ON has a division
dedicated to renewable energy installations including off grid. It has invested in Airborne Wind Energy that will be useful in future off grid and on grid generation. An increasing number of electricity utilities across the world are seeing off grid as a business opportunity rather than a threat. E.ON even goes further saying, “The answer lies in the integration of ultra-low emission vehicles and smart charging (your car and charge points), with renewable energy sources and battery storage. But for this to work, we need to look at how the benefits of carbon emissions per mile via charging solutions align with things like localised solar or wind energy. We need policies that bring together transport, plus energy storage, plus distributed renewable generation. By incentivising all three, you effectively turn our transport system into our energy grid.” Thus on grid, fringe of grid, and transport become a flexible adaptive mega system and off grid employs similar technologies.. www.IDTechEx.com
Off Grid Zero Emission: Better Than Grid Extension and Gensets Now
NEWS
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ENERGY SUPPLYENERGY SUPPLY
We cannot ignore the significant factors that are redefining electricity consumption for today and beyond. Firstly, by
2020 there is predicted to be ten times more connected devices than people(I). This will act as one of the primary drivers for an explosion in electricity demand, which is expected to double by 2040 (II). About 70 per cent of that new power generation will be delivered via less predictable renewable sources rather than traditional generation systems(III). Add to this, the exponential increase in the current demand for energy in an urbanised, digital world and what emerges is a redefined approach to power distribution.
These developments are causing massive disruption in the energy management space. They are forcing facilities managers to reconsider distribution in a new, digitised environment in order to survive.
A BARRIER TO INNOVATIONThere have already been huge
changes in how power is generated and used in recent years. With the challenges of rapid population growth and spiralling energy demand in our current climate, innovations in power generation are providing new solutions. Compared to just a few years ago, there has been a huge increase in multi-source power generation, decentralised grids, decarbonisation, renewable resources, and electrical distribution management. Without a doubt, great work has been done to evolve and meet demand in a sustainable, efficient way.
However, while this innovation does combat many issues, it also presents businesses with substantial operational
challenges. Buildings and facilities consume a great deal of energy while power assets incur significant operational costs, and the traditional distribution and monitoring systems that run them cannot handle the more dynamic and multi-directional nature of power. Unless addressed, this setback may become a barrier to further progression, placing a cap on the potential of the evolution of power. In order to shape the greatest possible future for power, a complete transformation of these systems is needed. The way buildings work must be revolutionised from the inside out.
SATISFYING THE NEW POWER PARADIGM
The more digitised a building becomes, the better it will be able to adapt to the changing nature of power. Digitisation is having an enormous impact on the world in general, but it has a particular transformative effect on buildings and distribution.
There are numerous trends in
POWER DISTRIBUTION – A PAINFUL PROGRESSION?David Williams, Regional Director of Power Solutions at Schneider Electric
building operations that reveal the future shape power distribution may take. The ubiquity of the Internet of Things (IoT) has had a massive influence in the past five years. The more a building’s devices can connect to one another, the more optimised they can become. Beyond this, by adopting autonomous building and industrial systems, facilities can maximise efficiency without the need for human intervention. This of course limits the chance of human error slowing the system down.
The convergence of technical systems is also important to consider. As stand-alone building management systems (BMSs) begin to phase out, power and energy management will merge with other systems for simplified and streamlined reporting and maintenance; integration of systems becomes the focus. This is made possible by today’s IoT-enabled smart building platforms which integrate and monitor systems through connected sensors. All data is then stored to a central hub for use by the building’s managers. At the same time, the widespread decentralisation of energy sources reduces reliance on any one energy source. This way, facilities can increase flexibility and productivity, while reducing supply-chain risks.
This is further aided by the pervasive growth of mesh networking in buildings and infrastructure. Supported by high-efficiency and reliable wireless communications, with nodes that communicate dynamically with each other, buildings can host a fast and effective communications network. With mesh networking, this will remain true even as the number of data points grows.
Ultimately, the more digitised a building and its systems becomes, the better it can handle the demands brought by the evolution of power. As an added bonus, buildings will become more efficient and comfortable for occupants as well.
TRANSFORMING YOUR FACILITY
As digitisation represents the future of power distribution, it is essential that building and facility managers start to lay the groundwork. Yet what practical steps can they take to keep up with this evolving landscape?
First of all, installing connected products is a vital step. Only install devices that can be connected to the power management system for comprehensive, real-time updates. As an example, Schneider Electric’s Smart Panels provide electrical equipment the
ability to present data on your computer or smart device in real-time, allowing you to pinpoint overloads and inefficiencies proactively, stop chasing vague alarms, and reduce costs. This can be as simple as adding a IoT-connected sensor into a single circuit breaker that will constantly monitor energy consumption, device condition and circuit health.
The next move should be to run power management software. By connecting devices to edge control software, you can analyse data to gain a better understanding of your power network. For medium to large facilities these solutions are ideal, collecting and organising all the data gathered from your facility’s network and allowing managers to maximise uptime, reduce costs and increase profitability. In smaller buildings, user-friendly and cost-effective mobile apps can be equally effective.
Finally, it is imperative to have more accurate insights. By using analytics, apps, software, and services that are available today, you can find ways to increase efficiency, improve safety, and
cut costs. For example, with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Facility Advisor, businesses of all sizes can improve the performance of their buildings, ensuring business continuity while optimising operations and limiting downtime.
Clearly, the more digitised a building and its systems become, the better able it will be to adapt to the evolution of power, helping it become more efficient and comfortable. With IoT-connected equipment and the use of analytics and power management software to optimise distribution can cause a sea-change in a building’s makeup. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Power is one part of this solution. It is IoT enabled and provides safer, more reliable and more efficient power distribution. Ultimately smart buildings make more efficient and profitable buildings, today and in the future. www.schneider-electric.co.uk
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Energy disparities around the world are stark: while developed countries, such as the U.S. and the U.K., have reliable access to power, populations in
emerging and frontier markets are being left behind. Today, many communities in developing countries live without access to electricity or in places where it is unreliable and expensive. Where electricity is available, it is often fueled by diesel generators, which contribute towards air pollution. The lack of clean, affordable and reliable power has a profound effect on the health, economy and lives of those living in poorer countries around the world. “Smart Off-Grid” technology is helping to change that narrative by delivering clean, reliable, low-cost solar power to remote and undeveloped communities worldwide.
POWERING COMMUNITIES IN EMERGING AND FRONTIER MARKETS
Access to reliable, clean, low-cost power is a problem for many communities, particularly in emerging and frontier markets. Oxford Energy estimates that 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity and approximately 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires like stove burning biomass and coal. This contributes to over 4 million people who die prematurely each year from illnesses caused by air pollution in their own homes. It also stifles economic growth in the community, as the lack of outdoor lighting limits economic activity to daylight hours, lack of internet access limits business and educational opportunities, and lack of power impacts the availability of critical infrastructure.
There is a silver lining. Many of the regions with these greatest challenges, such as parts of Africa or the Middle East, have lots of sunshine
year-round that could be used to generate reliable energy. So why hasn’t solar energy compensated for the lack of electric power?
One of the answers to this question is cost. Building out infrastructure to generate solar power in remote communities requires capital. The good news is that there are a number of trends that are now making solar energy economically viable. This includes a dramatic drop in the cost of solar panels over the past decade, as well as funding from investors in Europe and the U.S, and a pay-as-you-go payment
model similar to how people often pay for mobile phones in these regions.
Beyond the issue of cost, reliability of solar technology and systems has also been a critical issue. Consider a solar-powered streetlight. Unlike an electric grid-connected streetlight that consists of a pole, some cabling, and a light, a solar-powered streetlight is a micro-energy grid. It requires a pole and light, but also a solar panel, wiring, battery, and charge controller to manage the power going into and out of the battery. It typically also requires a trained professional to install, as well as on-site maintenance.
SMART OFF-GRID SHINES A WAY FORWARD FOR LOW-COST, RELIABLE, CLEAN ENERGYMiriam Tuerk, Co-Founder and CEO of Clear Blue Technologies
All of these factors have contributed to making off-grid systems unreliable and expensive to install and maintain, as a trained person has to go out into the field any time there is an issue or system failure. With no data to provide a clue as to the cause of a failure, parts may be replaced unnecessarily or not at all.
ENTER SMART OFF-GRIDSmart grid is a powerful force in
the world of energy generation, driving greater efficiencies and a host of new applications. Smart Off-Grid technology is now doing the same for systems powered by solar and wind, while also enabling them to be deployed anywhere, regardless of the availability of grid power.
Smart Off-Grid provides a way for off-grid systems to be monitored, managed and controlled remotely via the cloud, overcoming the barriers of cost and reliability that have previously hindered successful widespread adoption. With Smart Off-Grid each pole has built-in, low-cost communications, over which it automatically sends critical data to a central management service where the systems can be managed, controlled, and even proactively serviced online. This is the key to validating that systems are properly installed and commissioned, that they are properly and cost-effectively maintained over time, and that they deliver the service expected despite adverse weather or environmental conditions.
BEYOND LIGHTINGJust a few decades ago, when all
telephones were hard-wired, it would
have been hard to imagine the impact and the opportunities arising from the Internet, wireless communications, and smartphones. Now, there is a new and equally important revolution coming, as wired, grid power gives way to clean, wireless energy in many parts of the world. Beyond lighting, off-grid power is now becoming a critical component of providing wireless telecom service to rural communities around the world. Driven by start-up companies and venture capital, numerous companies have emerged that are building and installing solar-powered wireless access devices. These systems are cost-effective enough to be installed in smaller communities, where local utilities wouldn’t otherwise have found it economically feasible to operate.
An example of this is the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), founded in 2016 by Facebook, Intel, Nokia, SK Telecom, and Deutsche Telekom to facilitate collaboration on new technologies, examine new business approaches and spur new investments into the telecom space. TIP’s OpenCellular project is focused on improving connectivity in remote areas and is helping to bring the Internet to a billion people worldwide. Using solar energy to power these devices is what enables them to be installed in these areas, while Smart Off-Grid will ensure high reliability and low-cost maintenance.
LEADING THE SMART OFF-GRID REVOLUTION
Clear Blue Technologies, founded on a vision of delivering clean, managed, “wireless power”, has pioneered the
development and deployment of Smart Off-Grid technology. Our technology combines solar, wind and solar-hybrid energy with advanced communications and cloud software to power highly reliable off-grid lighting, telecom, security, mobile, and Internet of Things systems. Today we have over 2,500 systems under management in 33 countries worldwide. We know firsthand the value it delivers to communities and companies – unmatched reliability and performance, while lowering the cost to install and maintain off-grid systems by up to 80 percent.
Smart Off-Grid is particularly important in emerging and frontier markets, such as countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where grid infrastructure is lacking or has struggled to keep pace with demand as economies have grown. As the cost of solar power continues to drop and system reliability increases through the growth of Smart Off-Grid technology, communities around the world will have greater access to reliable, low-cost, clean sources of power. This is critical to the health and economic growth of these communities, who are being left behind in the digital technology age.
We believe that the implementation of Smart Off-Grid technology is a sea change for off-grid renewable power; its high reliability, long-term performance, and low maintenance costs will be the future for managing power in across the world. www.clearbluetechnologies.com
ENERGY SUPPLYENERGY SUPPLY
NEWS NEWS
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LIGHTINGLIGHTING
Philips Lighting (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, today announced that it has delivered its 1,000th project using its Philips CityTouch
streetlight management system. The milestone project, involving installing more than 14,000 Philips connected LED streetlights in the City of Cardiff, supports safety and security in the Welsh capital and will help reduce the city’s carbon footprint through massive energy savings and increased operational efficiencies. The network of street lights, monitored and controlled remotely by Philips CityTouch, provides Cardiff with a scalable digital infrastructure that may be upgraded to provide additional smart city services.
The Cardiff project marks the 1,000th implementation of Philips CityTouch, just five years after its launch in 2012. The management system is now in use in 37 countries with Cardiff joining cities such as Amsterdam, Buenos Aires,
PHILIPS LIGHTING REACHES MILESTONE 1,000TH CONNECTED LED STREET LIGHTING INSTALLATION IN CARDIFF
• City of Cardiff takes major step to become a smart city and reduce its carbon footprint by installing more than 14,000 connected LED streetlights
• System to reduce electricity for lighting by 60%, saving more than GBP 750,000 per year while supporting safety and security of citizens
• Project follows public consultation and offers digital infrastructure for future smart city services
Jakarta, Los Angeles and Toronto.
CONNECTED LIGHTING INFRASTRUCTURE
The first stage of the Cardiff project, the installation of more than 14,000 energy-efficient Philips Luma LED street lights, is nearing completion.
1000,projects around the world
5 years after its launch in 2012, Philips CityTouch has been implemented in 1,000 projects in 37 countries
Philips CityTouch
70%
A scalable software system to remotely monitor, control and manage street lightingUsed in small villages to megacities
Combined use of LED luminaires and the Philips CityTouch system may deliver up to 70% energy savings*
*Source: Report, Gas Natural Fenosa (2012)
Optimize operationale�ciency, lower maintenance costs
Reduce carbonfootprint
Philips CityTouch is a street lighting management system
1,000 projects in
37 countries
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Brazil
Markham
CanadaToronto
SalaZweden
AmsterdamThe
Netherlands
Cardi�UK
CanaryIslandSpain
JakartaIndonesia
CittàSant’ Angelo
Italy
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SemarangIndonesia
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USA
Contractor Centregreat is undertaking the installation which will be completed in about half the time originally allotted by the Council. Each light point is being connected wirelessly to Philips CityTouch, which is used to monitor, control and manage the entire lighting network. This enables lighting managers to dim or
increase the brightness of street lights to meet the needs of the city at any given moment. For example, brightness levels can be increased near busy crossings or to help emergency services.
Philips CityTouch also offers a powerful lighting asset management capability. Through a web browser, the lighting manager has multiple screens and a map-based view of the city’s lighting assets and workflows. He or she can monitor network performance in near real time, pin-point faults and dispatch crews to precise locations, eliminating the need for night crews to drive around looking for faulty lights.
Switching to connected LED lighting is expected to reduce electricity used for lighting by 60% with estimated savings for the Council of more than GBP 750,000 per year. This efficiency will contribute to the UK’s goal to lower CO2 emissions by 34% by 2021 and Cardiff’s aspiration to be a one planet city by 2050.
ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE
Cardiff has approximately 360,000 residents and 20 million visitors a year[1]. To determine the impact of lighting on the lives of its citizens, Philips Lighting and Cardiff City Council, along with consultancy firm Jacobs Ltd, researched public views on the city’s current street lighting to assess potential options. The findings were instrumental to Cardiff selecting luminaires giving 3,000 Kelvin warm white light. The research also involved consultation with people with visual and hearing impairment. Philips CityTouch gives the Council the ability to remotely adjust the level of light for partially-sighted citizens who may want brighter lighting outside their home.
“We looked at a broad range of factors when selecting our new connected lighting system. Our top priorities were to ensure maximum benefit for our citizens and capitalize on potential cost and energy savings. Philips Lighting has given us an infrastructure that will grow with our needs and provide quality light to make our citizens feel safer. With continual monitoring, we can now respond instantly – such as increasing light levels at peak times outside schools and hospitals,” said Chris Jones, Lead Electrical Officer at Cardiff City Council.
“Our connected street lighting will contribute to a safer environment for the citizens of Cardiff and will enable the city to achieve savings in energy and enjoy operational efficiencies. It provides a scalable and flexible digital infrastructure which gives the city options for the
future, such as inputting data into smart city dashboards or adding sensors that could, for example, monitor noise or traffic,” said Jacques Letzelter, Head of Public Lighting for Philips Lighting. “It’s fitting that Cardiff represents the 1,000th project to use our Philips CityTouch street lighting management system: a city and a technology shaping the future.”
FLEXIBLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Philips CityTouch is a highly scalable and flexible management system, used to manage lighting in small towns
to megacities around the globe. The software system is used to manage Philips luminaires as well as those from other vendors. Cardiff joins successful installations in the UK including in Warrington, Trafford, Isle of Wight, Hounslow, Croydon and Lewisham.
For further information, please contact: Philips Lighting: Anne-Marie Sleurink. E-mail: [email protected] City Council Street Lighting Departmen. Chris Jones. Email: [email protected]
NEWS
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NEWSPRODUCT SHOWCASEPRODUCT SHOWCASE
TROX has announced the launch of a major new fancoil range – the TROX PWX Series – which brings to the market a 25% to 35% energy efficiency
improvement over alternative models, with outstanding acoustic performance, and BACnet-enabled integrated controls packages as standard.
The launch of the new TROX PWX fancoil range follows an extensive research and development programme in which the company rejected incremental product enhancements in favour of a comprehensive rethink of fancoil technology. The new products have undergone thorough in-house testing, using TROX’s test chamber (constructed to comply with ASHRAE 79, BS1397 and EUROVENT 6/3), in addition to extensive corroboration of results at an independent test facility. As a result, specifiers are able to input exact performance criteria for an extremely wide range of thermal and acoustic scenarios when planning their air conditioning schemes, instead of having to rely on less reliable ‘anticipated’ or ‘expected’ data. The TROX PWX range is therefore able to speed up the specification of projects significantly, reduce levels of risk, streamline installation and commissioning, and provide valuable environmental and cost benefits.
Whilst the basic physical dimensions of the TROX PWX units have been kept the same (270mm deep) to meet market requirements, every aspect of the thermal, electrical and acoustic performance of these models has been redesigned. With new inlet attenuators, inlet plenums and discharge attenuators, the units feature completely redesigned key components capable of achieving outstanding performance across a wide range of applications.
The SFPs across the range comply with and exceed Part L requirements, with typical values between 0.15 to 0.25 W/(l/s) at 30 Pa ESP, with a Guide NR of 35.
The environmental performance of the fancoils has been developed in conjunction with the full range of TROX air terminal device options. TROX’s unique ‘One Stop Shop’ solution enables correct selection of air terminal devices to be tailored to each fancoil. This optimises potential energy savings without compromising air distribution
(a factor very often overlooked when specifying the systems independently). The ability to source the entire system from a single supplier also enables specifiers to optimise the performance of the fancoils in VAV (variable air volume) systems. The specification process has been speeded-up by the introduction of sophisticated new in-house product selection technology. This makes it possible to identify the most effective combinations of fancoils, grilles and diffusers more quickly, making it possible to specify fancoils for entire projects in just minutes, rather than hours.
The TROX PWX fancoils are supplied with specially-designed on-board controls packages, as standard. Two different STD controls packages are offered:
• BACnet control, offering the full flexibility of uniquely addressed terminal units, which interface with Building Management Systems (BMS) and provide feedback on each unit’s performance.
• TROX can also offer standalone controls that allow user control of individual units where no BMS is present.
• To complement these control packages, TROX is also able to offer a full water-side control package which has been designed to work seamlessly with either control option.
These control solutions provide a number of valuable benefits. Project lead-times can be reduced significantly, as all wiring diagrams are pre-designed and readily available. This reduces the time and costs associated with additional electrical scheme design or expensive customisation of BMS programming. Specifiers also have the peace of mind that the controls technology has perfect compatibility with the fancoil units, and has been developed specifically to optimise performance in a way that is hard to replicate with ‘bolt-on’ controls.
A key factor in the development of the TROX PWX Series has been the thoroughness of testing, which removes the project risks associated with incomplete or uncorroborated performance data. By thorough testing in-house using its own BSRIA type test rig, and by sourcing detailed external
data for the fancoils from extensive independent testing, TROX is bringing to the market a range of products with unrivalled, verifiable, specification data. Care has been taken to test the units at specified 30 Pascal external static pressures (ESPs) and to provide exact performance figures. This improves on industry practice where lower external static pressures might be employed during testing, culminating in misleading results.
This rigorous testing of electrical and thermal performance has been matched by extensive independent acoustic testing. The acoustic testing, carried out in accordance with BS EN 16583:2015, covers the entire PWX range, including all available fan configurations across the full operating range.
Such detailed acoustic analysis allows precise selection of units to suit the customer’s requirements and is complemented by TROX’s new selection process, enabling user adaptation of project-specific finishes that may affect the resultant room NR level. As the suspended ceiling finish has such a big impact on the room NR, TROX has worked closely with Armstrong Ceilings to pre-programme tested ceiling tile SRI values into its new calculation programme to ensure the correct acoustic assumptions are used.
The new TROX PWX Series is designed to replace the company’s earlier fancoil models. The range includes 6 different physical sizes of unit, with 9 possible airflow configurations and 16 different fan options. The units are designed for 4-pipe heating and cooling, 2-pipe cooling, or electric heating as standard. As TROX is able to supply almost every element of an air handling system, from AHUs to air terminal devices, key advantages for system designers and specifiers include the possibility of ordering the fancoils alongside VAV components and ATDs, from a single supplier, for a perfectly-integrated solution. www.troxuk.co.uk
NEW TROX PWX FANCOIL RANGE REDEFINES ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCEStokvis Energy Systems’ own technical
experts, working together with an external consultancy, have spent
over a year generating hundreds of 3D models and Product Data Sheets (PDS) for its most popular product lines, making the manufacturer’s BIM offering Level 2 compliant and compatible with the most popular platforms.
The substantial investment of time and money is set to benefit both specifiers and end users of Stokvis Energy Systems’ high efficiency heating & hot water equipment, including the Econoplate plate heat exchangers and new generation EVOLUTION gas boilers.
In practice, the detailed Product Data Sheets will serve to provide amongst other things, supplier details, general product information both physical and operational, maintenance requirements and links to documentation. In other words invaluable information needed from project inception to its decommissioning and anytime in between. The information at this stage is not project specific which is where the important processes of design, specification, product selection and quotation still come into play.
Commercial & Technical Director for Stokvis Energy Systems, Andrew Dimbleby, comments, “This has been a very considerable commitment of resources for us because of the huge range of heat exchangers,boilers and other equipment we produce – all of which had to be drawn and their unique technical details incorporated.
“There are multiple benefits for our customers while the 3D models and Product Data Sheets themselves are available on request from the Stokvis website – www.stokvisboilers.com – for insertion into project documents. The PDS information along with the 3D model will aid designers to check system compatibility, prevent physical clashes, for the installer they will simplify the installation as well as serving as a valuable reference documents within the 3D built environment for facilities management throughout the life of a building.”
Stokvis Energy Systems is set to continue making available BIM compliant Product Data Sheets on the remainder
of its extensive product range, working in cooperation with industry body, CIBSE and other third parties.
For further information on Stokvis Energy Systems, please call 020 8783 3050 or visit www.stokvisboilers.com.
STOKVIS BIM OBJECTS TO BENEFIT CUSTOMERS AND CONSULTANTS
This new system comprises easy-to-fit aluminium profiles which can be mounted in a continuous rail of
any length, which the border of the fabric screen simply slides into. The system is designed for use with the RABScreen 2 tonne 50mm webbing straps and ratchets to produce a tensioned filter screen, or just using the CAS to keep the screens in place. Using the RABScreen CAS will make it possible to install a 12m long filter system in just over 15 minutes.
The new RABScreen CAS, designed by RAB Specialist Engineers in association with DHD Cooling, is a very fast and effective way of fitting the RABScreen air intake screens to virtually any piece of cooling equipment.
Richard Betts, Managing Director of RABScreen commented, ‘As with all engineering products we have responded to customers’
demands to make RABScreen’s filter system even easier to fit”.
Other fitting methods are also available for RABScreen air intake screens to suit different situations and applications. RABScreen mounting methods range from stainless steel grommets and magnetic mounting clips, to Velcro fastenings and bungee cords for wrapping the external screens around external condensers. There are also a variety of rigid frames that can be used in conjunction with a galvanised slide bed for easy removal and maintenance, and the rigid frames can also be fitted with magnetic strip for fast fitting and removal.
RABScreen air intake screens are used successfully on many HVAC applications around the country including those in hospitals, industry and data centres. The benefits are enormous
as a 1mm layer of dirt insulating coil fins can reduce efficiency by 21% and increase energy use by as much as 30%.RABScreen external filter screens protect all air movement equipment saving energy, time and money through a very simple installation.
Further information on RABScreen air intake screens is available from RABScreen on 01635 248633 by emailing [email protected] or by visiting the company’s website at www.rabscreen.com
RABScreen showcases new fitting system at HVAC & Refrigeration ShowRABScreen, Stand C6, HVAC & Refrigeration Show, Excel, 23 – 25 January 2018
Econoplate E3Ai331D+1T
Angled Secondary Inlet
0333 320 1000 [email protected] @circosensecircosense-ltd
Energy Savings Through Intelligent Water Circulation
Save energy and reduce carbon emissions on your hot water
system with CircoSense:
• Smart energy saving technology
• Payback period of between 2 and 5 years
• Average 38% savings on energy costs of DHW system
• Saves energy complimenting any BMS system
For your no obligation survey, call us now on 0333 320 1000
