Unplanned downtime is the anathema of any industrial environment and even a fault on a single piece of equipment can have a knock on effect across the plant.  But imagine if the whole plant went down.  Perhaps just for a few minutes, perhaps even for a few hours. And not due to any kind of maintenance failure, equipment malfunction or human error but entirely due to circumstances beyond the company’s control. It’s a pretty bleak picture…….and one that could become a reality sooner than you might think unless your business critical power has a reliable standby system to back it up.

Ofgem’s recent Electrical Capacity Report has warned of significant and imminent power shortages from a national grid that is experiencing both higher than ever demand and the prospect of a reduction in supply thanks to the decommissioning of the UK’s coal-fired power stations.  The report warns of an increased risk of power outages by the winter of 2015-16 – which gives industry a window of just two years to ensure that they have sufficient energy resilience to remain operational when the lights go out.

While most industrial environments will already have some level of standby power system, most of them will have been planned and installed for a low level of localised risk; not the increased risk of regular and prolonged outages predicted for the next few years.  The question therefore is not ‘have you got a standby power system?’ but ‘does your standby system really offer sufficient resilience for your needs?’

Complex Considerations

The industrial world’s reliance on a continuous power supply has increased as technology has advanced with automated control systems and work flow systems etc.  As reliance on automated systems has increased, so too has the threat of business interruption in the event of a power failure and operators need to ensure that their standby systems match their current and future needs.

A standby power specialist can carry out a complete audit to advise on the emergency power load required at the plant, taking into account the level of power needed to maintain full business-as-usual operation. Recommendations should include the generators required to provide the power and the associated fuel systems, control systems, noise attenuation and flues.  The standby power specialist should also be able to advise on whether an entirely new system is appropriate or whether it will be sufficient and more economical to integrate additional standby power generation capacity with the legacy system.

This will depend on a number of factors which could include the age and efficiency of the legacy system, the practicalities of finding a suitable location on site for an additional generator rather than replacing the existing generator with a larger capacity machine and the complexity of integrating existing and new equipment on a single control system.  In some cases, it will be more cost effective to replace legacy generators rather than integrating old and new kit on a single control system, particularly since the effectiveness of the control system in starting, synchronising and managing the switch back of power is fundamental to a successful standby power installation.

As the risk of power outages has increased, so too has the trend towards specification of prime-rated standby power systems for the industrial sector, which can provide continuous power indefinitely, as long as the required fuel infrastructure is in place. In order to offer that high level of resilience, these systems should include a maintenance and fuel management package so that the operator can always be confident that the standby system is fully operational. Additional safeguards can also be built into the system in terms of dual components, such as batteries and starter motors, to provide additional resilience. Similarly, the control system can be specified to offer more robust protection with the integration of a SCADA system to monitor the equipment, alerting the maintenance team of any warnings and providing fault diagnostics.

There is no simple rulebook for specifying standby power as each installation must meet the needs of the individual environment.  However there is some simple advice: be protected against outages and enlist the help of experts to ensure your protection is robust.