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Remote controlled street lights reach Coventry and Surrey


Street lights in Coventry are being equipped with remote monitoring tech- nology connected to a central street light- ing management system,supplied by Mayrise Systems,in order to reduce light pollution and provide significant reduc- tions in energy consumption and carbon emissions. Following a £250mn PFI award to


Balfour Beatty by Coventry City Council, the city-wide installation of a centralised system will allow the automatic dimming of street lights and signs from a central control centre. The Mayrise integrated Telensa system


also allows automated fault reporting and improved asset management through the synchronisation of asset information. The 25-year project will see the replacement of 38,000 lit units over a five year period, including the introduction of energy effi-


The installation of 1,300 new charging points – the ‘Source London’ network – to encourage more drivers to use electric vehi- cles in the capital has begun,and Transport for London (TfL) has finalised a contract that will see Siemens manage the operation of the network and registration of drivers. Charging points will be installed by over 40 Source London partners from a range of sectors,including Sainsbury’s,Asda,NCP, Capital Shopping Centres,Scottish and Southern Energy and London boroughs. At least 1,300 charging points will be installed by the end of 2013 in public loca-


cient ‘white lights’,followed by a 20-year maintenance programme. The system will allow lit assets to be remotely controlled with,for example,lights dimmed as the sun begins to rise or ‘turned up’ for public events such as football matches. Meanwhile,Surrey County has recently


started to install the ‘LeafNut’ wireless street lighting solution from Harvard across its 89,000 street lights. The five-year project will help Surrey County Council to reduce its carbon emissions to comply with the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme. The LeafNut system helps to reduce carbon emissions by 100 kg of car- bon per year for every street light,accord- ing to Harvard. The system also allows authorities to


dim street lights instead of switching them off,and each street light can be securely managed over the Internet.


London vehicle charging points arrive


tions and streets across the Capital,says the mayor of London’s Office. By that stage, London will have more charging points than petrol stations,giving drivers the con- fidence to buy into thenewtechnology and providing a boost to the growing electric vehicle market. The deal between TfL and Siemens will


see Siemens run the Source London back office to March 2014 at no cost to tax- payers. For the first year annual member- ship of the scheme will cost £100 per year and charging will then be free at the point of use.


‘Quadrature Boosters’, valued at £18mn. The first booster, which has been desig- nated by National Grid as a spare unit, will be designed and manufactured in 2012, whilst the second will be manufactured in 2013 for installation at Penwortham Substation near Preston, Lancashire. The units will be built at Alstom Grid’s trans- former factory in Stafford. EachQuadrature Booster comprises


two transformers, individually weighing around 270 tonnes. Once installed at site, filled withoil and connected together they will have a total weight of around 1,000 tonnes. The North West of England is experi-


National Grid has awarded Alstom Grid a contract for the design, supply and com- missioning of two 400 kV, 2750 MVA


10


encing a surge in the growth and devel- opment of wind farms located off the shore of Cumbria. The Quadrature Booster implemented at Penwortham will allow National Grid to control the increased power flows generated by them and optimise the load sharing in this part of the network. Delivery and commission- ing of the boosters is expected to com- mence during 2013 and 2014.


Coventry Cathedral just after sunset


Investment slows UK oil and gas decline


Capital investment in UK oil and gas exploration and production has increased by 60% over the last two years, significantly slowing the rate of produc- tion decline from the UK continental shelf (UKCS),according to Oil & Gas UK’s latest Activity Survey published in February. The survey suggests that investment,


which in 2009 was just under £5bn, could increase this year to around £8bn (2010 prices). Provided all the develop- ment plans now being considered by companies come to fruition,annual investment could be sustained at this rate for the next five years. This would have a significant impact on the coun- try’s hydrocarbon production and could ultimately lead to the decline rate halving to around 3% per annum to 2016,down from the basin’s yearly average decline of 6 to 7% over the past ten years.


Investment has been boosted by the approval of a number of new large field developments in the west of Shetland,the central North Sea and to a lesser extent,in the northern North Sea. Investment was initiated in thirteen new oil and gas fields in 2010,together with four major redevel- opment projects on existing fields,says Oil & Gas UK.


Energy World April 2011


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