A Healthy Supply of Power

High energy consumption is an inevitable consequence of operating a cutting edge manufacturing facility. But with rising energy prices and greater emphasis on reducing carbon emissions, facilities old and new should be investing in solutions that will improve their energy consumption and drive sustainability. Peter Newell, UK sales manager at leading green tech company EMSc UK Ltd, believes the advancements in voltage optimisation technology make it the perfect energy saving solution for the industry.  

Voltage optimisation (VO) systems address the imbalance between a building’s voltage supply from the National Grid (the high voltage electric power transmission network in Great Britain) and the demands of its electrical loads by bringing the supply in line with the on-site usage requirement; allowing a building to significantly reduce its energy consumption.

With simple and cost-effective implementation, as well as proven reductions in carbon emissions and savings on energy bills, it’s little wonder that voltage optimisation systems, such as the EMSc (UK) Ltd developed Powerstar range, have already been installed at hundreds of manufacturing sites.

There are two main variations of voltage optimisation system on the market; fixed and dynamic (also referred to as variable).

A building or facility that has a stable incoming voltage supply, but one that is still over and above the optimum rating for electrical devices (220V), requires a fixed voltage optimisation system such as the market-leading Powerstar, which drops the incoming voltage by a set amount and matches the optimum voltage profile of the site.

Should a site have an unstable voltage supply, high night loading or secure, critical data, then a system that uses electronic-dynamic voltage optimisation technology, like Powerstar MAX, will be required as it can systematically manage the peaks and troughs in power supplied by the National Grid and ensure the voltage is supplied to a site at a constant, stable level.

EMSc has also developed a new, unique, system that presents another voltage optimisation solution to larger manufacturing sites that have their own High Voltage (HV) transformer. These sites can benefit further still by replacing their existing transformer with Powerstar HV MAX—a super low-loss amorphous core transformer with integrated electronic voltage optimisation technology that optimises a building’s voltage supply before it is distributed throughout the site.

The materials used in the Powerstar HV MAX have a high electrical resistance which reduces standing losses and delivers greater efficiencies; as a result it can boast 99.91% efficiency and reduce standing losses by up to 75% when compared to conventional transformers. The system then uses the existing electronic-dynamic technology of the Powerstar Max to address any voltage instability.

Exact savings will vary depending on the building and the type of installation, but generally voltage optimisers will deliver between 12-15% savings. However, as one of the most efficient systems, Powerstar has achieved savings up to 26% of total electricity consumption and related CO₂ emissions without compromising the supply to electrical equipment. A further average electricity consumption saving between 3-10% can be achieved by sites that are able to replace their existing transformer with the unique, super-low loss Powerstar HV MAX transformer.

The stabilised voltage output of the systems offers other benefits too; by minimising the effects of transients—very brief but large, and potentially destructive, bursts of voltage which can cause equipment and machinery to fail instantly. This will benefit plastics manufacturing facilities which often have critical loads and require high levels of reliability.

Energy efficiency has been an issue within the rubber and plastics manufacturing industry for some time. Of course there are now set European guidelines on machinery efficiency and with many sites implementing energy measurement schemes, the demand for comparable energy consumption figures is now of vital importance.

With that in mind facilities will be able to monitor on-site energy usage and savings using the intelligent real-time monitoring interfaces featured on the most innovative voltage optimisation systems. This will help to achieve sustainability marks and high efficiency ratings through the energy measurement accreditations such as BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

The various Powerstar systems are already playing an integral part in the energy efficiency strategies of many other manufacturing facilities. They will benefit the industry in particular, by reducing the energy consumption of machines without impacting plastics manufacturing output, and achieving a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

Voltage optimisation is not an ‘off the shelf’ solution, as many would have you believe. Each site will differ in requirements and functionally, and so a site-specific survey should be carried out by the manufacturer or installer, along with an on-going consultation, to determine the perfect voltage optimisation installation for the site in question and ensure maximum savings.

Fundamentally, voltage optimisation will further aid the cost-effective production of high quality medical plastics and the savings made should, in turn, be passed on to the NHS (National Health Service—the UK's state-funded healthcare service) hospitals and medical facilities that are coming under increasing financial strain. Ultimately this will benefit the healthcare and treatment of patients and the general public.