ENERGY AND CARBON SAVINGS
effectively. Controllable technology across the estate is fed data via a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), which enables the AI model to make intelligent decisions. For an organisation as complex as the NHS, this AI-learning capacity can harness a vast amount of data, helping to better inform Trusts’ Energy mangers in real-time. Resolving the Energy Trilemma presents
Powerstar says that, especially when combined with a smart microgrid and control system, Battery Energy Storage Systems can ‘really come into their own’.
up, turning down, or offsetting, energy demands in real-time, which helps the Grid to smooth out peaks and troughs in the country’s overall electricity demand. While FFR contracts are more stringent, in that they require response times of 30 seconds or less, BESS technology is ideal for meeting these requirements, given its instantaneous response time. The income available from Grid Balancing can be a significant advantage for NHS Estate managers looking to bring in new revenue while maintaining control over energy budgets.
Funding for CHP technology Many NHS Trusts have secured PSDS funding to implement Combined Heat and Power (CHP) technology, which, like solar on-site generation, is making for more sustainable energy, and reducing Trusts’ complete dependence on the Grid. In this scenario, and for any site with the type of complex operations and demands seen across the NHS, a smart microgrid and control system is a hugely beneficial asset. A microgrid covers a site, such as a hospital, enabling it to operate independently from the Grid when necessary, since it is generating its own electricity. While the site will, of course, be reliant on the National Grid for most energy requirements, in the current energy landscape – and energy security is nowhere more vital than in the NHS – the energy management software behind a microgrid enables the blending of power purchased from the Grid to be balanced with that generated on-site – usually from solar or CHP. BESS technology works hand in hand with both of these energy generation options. For solar, a BESS enables inherently inflexible energy to be stored and used when required, while for CHP, battery storage ensures that the CHP will continue to function in the event of
power disruption, keeping it independently operational.
Control system at the heart At the heart of a smart microgrid is the control system, to aid decision-making over energy management and power generation, storage, and demand. Software controls multiple power flows with automatic, AI-driven asset prioritisation to optimise energy usage across the site. Where Trusts have invested in on-site renewables, weather forecasting gleaned from historical data and load predictions can enable AI analysis to make real-time decisions, helping to manage energy usage and strategic load planning more
Andrew Donald
Andrew Donald is a senior Business Development manager at energy technology manufacturing specialist, Powerstar. He joined Powerstar after seven years working for Centrica in the public sector space. He has vast experience across the private, public, and third sectors, in a senior role at British Gas, as director for Wales for Virgin Media, and as CEO of Ospreys Rugby. As Chair of the Gorseinon Development Trust, and Chair of Finance at Gower College, he has ‘a deep understanding of public sector funding, and the issues and challenges it can bring’. At
Powerstar, he specialises in delivering complex, fully compliant, and cost-effective solutions for public sector organisations, particularly within the healthcare sector. With extensive experience of working in energy efficiency across the public sector, Andrew Donald champions Net Zero target achievement within the NHS, providing advice and support for Trusts and healthcare organisations looking for technology solutions to help them balance the competing pressures that make up the Energy Trilemma. Given his deep understanding of the finance and complexities faced by the sector – particularly in the current economic climate – he is an advocate for, and an expert on, energy management solutions for the NHS and the wider public sector.
January 2023 Health Estate Journal 63
huge issues for the NHS. Competing agendas of affordability, sustainability, and energy security, are difficult for any organisation, especially in the current economic and political climate. For the NHS, as the country’s largest employer – accounting for more than seven per cent of the UK’s GDP – the issues are immediate and pressing. However, this very scale means that measures taken in the NHS to work towards Net Zero will have wider impacts, and reduce the carbon footprint of the UK as a whole. Smart energy management strategies, incorporating the latest battery storage technology, are helping Trusts mitigate the problems of the three arms of the Trilemma: helping to reduce costs and optimise greener and cleaner energy sources, all the while ensuring the secure power supply that is, quite literally, critical. A copy of Powerstar’s healthcare energy white paper, NHS White Paper: Solving the Healthcare Sector’s Energy Trilemma, can be downloaded at
https://powerstar.com/ white-papers/
References 1 Exclusive: Hospitals will be hit with “eye watering” energy bills this winter. BMJ 2022; 378:o2088
https://www.bmj.com/ content/378/bmj.o2088.full
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