News Industry Comment
It was a mixed reaction within industry to the government’s recent Budget. There was an element of positivity, with some claiming, amongst other things, that the announcement would provide a real boost to the engineering jobs mar- ket in the UK.
On the other side of the coin, there were individuals who criticised the government for talking a good game but without really having an industrial strategy in place. However, the view that seems to
be universally held by UK industry is that while the right noises were made, the Budget could have done far more to provide a solid founda- tion for forward growth. This is particularly highlighted in the area of training and apprenticeships, where the general feeling is that there are several issues that need to be addressed in order to properly moti- vate employers to invest in training - even though the economic case for doing so is unquestionable. Joe Bush, Editor
Power protection is a cruise for Eaton
THE WORLD’S LARGEST cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas, has installed more than 20 uninterruptible power sys- tems (UPSs) from Eaton to assist in protecting the ship’s critical systems and applications. The Allure of the Seas features seven distinct themed areas, spanning 16 decks. The ship can carry 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and features 2,700 staterooms - highlighting the scale of the challenge for Eaton. “The size and scope of technological applications on the Allure of the Seas pose remarkable challenges to pro- moting the efficient flow of reliable, clean and safe power,” said Jorma Mannerkoski, vice president sales for northern Europe, Eaton’s Electrical Sector. The project will mark the first marine deployment of
Eaton’s Energy Saver System technology, which is designed to increase the UPS efficiency up to 99% even when lightly loaded.
The Allure of the Seas features the flagship Eaton 9395 Marine UPS as well as the Eaton 9390, 9355 and 9155 Marine UPSs. Eaton also provided Intelligent Power
Manager Software for system performance monitoring. Eaton’s solutions provide a steady flow of power to the ship’s massive navigation, computer, emergency lighting and heating/cooling systems as well as its many restau- rants, casinos and theatres.
www.eaton.com
FiTs must align with the Green Deal
IN RESPONSE TO the Supreme Court quashing the government’s FiTs appeal, the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) has said that the government must re-engage with the industry if it wants solar PV to be a long term success, starting with a proper review of how FiTs will work with the forthcoming Green Deal. The ECA’s Paul Reeve said, “The speed of the Supreme Court’s deci- sion should bring an end to most of the turmoil and frantic installation activity that have characterised the industry for the last six months. The government needs to concen- trate on building a sustainable business environment for solar PV microgeneration. One of the first things they can do is ensure that FiTs dovetail with the uptake of a package of energy measures under the Green Deal. Right now, DECC seems to think FiTs and the Green Deal are ships in the night. “Many PV contractors built-up successful businesses based on FiTs. But even with dwindling tar- iffs, there is still a solid business case for solar PV because the capi- tal cost of installation is falling fast while the cost of energy is likely to rise substantially long term - and PV is a long term investment.”
www.eca.co.uk
Fire protection on tour Embracing renewables revolution
WAGNER WILL BE embarking on a multi-city roadshow around the UK and Ireland during May and June to promote its fire protection solutions - OxyReduct and TITANUS ASD. Visitors will be able to visit the OxyReduct demonstration trailer and witness at first hand an envi- ronment where fire cannot start. They will also be able to get hands-on with TITANUS ASD, a
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range of air sampling smoke detection systems.
CPD presentations will be run- ning throughout the day at each of the 14 venues and WAGNER UK’s staff will be available to answer questions and help with hands-on sessions. The roadshows will be open early in the morning to late afternoon in order to fit into people’s schedules.
www.wagner-roadshow.com
RESEARCH RECENTLY UNDER- TAKEN by renewable energy firm, Puragen, has revealed that electrical contractors are embrac- ing the renewables revolution to future-proof their business. Nearly a third (31%) have already moved into the renew- ables market in recognition that it’s the future for their career, and more than half (52%) are keen to look into the possibility with 29% considering expand- ing their offer as a means to grow their business. Puragen’s Jeremy Malindine commented, “Venturing into renewables really is a fantastic opportunity for contractors who already have the basic skills and technical knowledge to under- stand solutions such as solar PV. There clearly is an appetite among businesses and homeown- ers to consider renewable solu- tions, so for contractors eager to
become more forward thinking, by looking at partnerships, sup- port networks and franchise opportunities that can support them in this aim, they are future- proofing their business.”
www.puragen.co.uk
APRIL 2012 Electrical Engineering
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