Feature The Future of Power
In the next few years the UK’s power demand will start to overtake supply and leave the country at risk to power cuts. Here, Borri offer some advice on how to cope with this impending energy void
he anticipated closure of most of the UK’s coal fired power stations, coupled with increased demand for electricity, is putting the coun- try under considerable strain. Stringent EU environmental laws are forcing the accelerated closure of ageing coal power plants, but the national energy regulator, Ofgem, recently revealed that no new gas fired power plants are due to start construction until 2016, and it expects only one to start generat- ing before the end of the decade. So how will the UK cope with this very evident energy shortfall?
Last year coal made up one third of the nation’s electricity supply and with coal stations closing down at a much faster rate than originally anticipated, and the combination of lack of investment from energy com- panies and unclear guidance from various governments, has resulted in a significant unavoidable deficit in electrical supply.
Drawing on these latest predic- tions, Ofgem has forecasted that there will be four times as many power cuts by 2015, when it is likely that Britain will be most at risk during the colder months. Another stark warn- ing is that within the next three years there will be a mere four percent sur- plus in UK energy supplies, com- pared to the current level of 14% additional capacity.
Shrinking capacity, growing risk These narrower margins mean higher risks of outages, spikes and surges, which are a growing concern for all UK businesses, which are individually already losing £1m a year in lost rev- enue due to power disturbances. Without any contingency plans to combat this, businesses could find themselves falling foul to irrecover- able down-time losses.
Companies are also feeling the strain from continued rising energy prices, so not only are they crying out for affordable power solutions, they also need resilient technologies. Being at the forefront of the latest back-up power technologies, Borri designs all of its UPS solutions with power pro- tection as their primary function. Also recognising the importance of efficiency and total cost of ownership, Borri’s UPS systems combine the best
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Preparing for the inevitable shortfall T
of both worlds. Borri director, Mark Trolley com- mented, “The expected increases in power spikes caused by renewable sources switching in and out of the main grid will be devastating to some businesses and we have been sur- prised by the level of risk that many companies are willing to take. “Since the recession hit it seems that many have chosen to delay invest- ments and continue to run with out- dated, unreliable back-up power systems or even worse, nothing at all. There is a misconception that UPS investments are high and very few truly understand the total cost of own- ership benefits that high efficiency UPS solutions can deliver.
“As a complete solutions provider, we work with a network of lead- ing design and build contractors to ensure that our customers select the right systems for their operating environments and have clear long term power protection strategies in place.”
Understanding the technology The first step for any end user is to understand the plethora of UPS technologies, which include line interactive, online, single- phase, 3-phase, transformer- based and transformer-free. The wide variety of available back-up power solutions makes it even more important for businesses to
SEPTEMBER 2013 UPS & Standby Power
Above and below: investing in a
back-up power UPS solution could go a long way to
providing protection against impending power shortages
start mapping out clearer power pro- tection strategies to not only safe- guard data but also ensure that investments are made in the most cost effective and practical solutions. With the threat of more power cuts and £1m at stake, no-one can afford to take any more risks. Power protection is one investment that in the long term could save a business from irrecover- able damage.
Some welcome news for those looking to invest in more efficient new UPS sys- tems, is that funding is available. Equipment that is listed as part of the government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme such as UPS units from Borri’s ECO B9000FXS and B9600FXS ranges, enable any sized business to claim up to 100% against the cost of the investment for the first year as part of their corporation tax return. Not only are these initial savings substantial but as these UPS systems are listed on the ETPL (Energy Technology Product List), they also deliver long term efficiency gains and can achieve annual savings of up to £36,000 on a 100kVA UPS against traditional six and 12 pulse UPS systems. Trolley concluded, “UK companies must understand that the risks to power supply are greater than ever before and consequently must enforce more resilient protection strategies. We hope that more begin to appreciate the importance of these back-up power contingency plans.
“A carefully mapped out strategy and a small investment into a back- up power UPS solution could go a very long way and our message is simple: Be prepared - do not get caught out!”
Borri
www.borri.co.uk T: 0800 136 993
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