ELECTRICAL SUPPLY
such as Australia experiencing an increased risk of blackouts. Another risk to grid stability is periods of high demand, especially when an ageing transmission system is finding it hard to keep up. For this reason, many grid operators continue to offer demand response programmes to reduce stress on the transmission network. Taking advantage of these programmes can offer significant payback for large energy users, but it requires careful management of loads and onsite generation assets. Finally, the risk of widespread power outages due to extreme weather is growing. Although we often associate extreme weather with hurricanes and tornados in the Atlantic and Pacific, weather events such as extreme cold, strong winds, and heavy rain, can all cause power disruptions. Every healthcare system, including medical research facilities, must have resilience against grid instability. If power is lost from the grid, the system must have a back-up in place to keep such facilities running without interruption. Organisations will need to use microgrid and other renewable technologies to ensure energy resilience at a moment’s notice in the event of a power outage.
2: More complex power distribution systems
At large facilities, plants, and campuses, power distribution systems typically evolve over time to accommodate more loads. This can either be more dispersed loads, or higher load densities within the same footprint. Today, many of these loads – including automation systems, variable-speed drives (VSDs), computers, data servers, and communication networks – are increasingly power- sensitive. Many types of loads can also be the source of potential power quality issues.
For example, excessive power harmonics can be produced by electric
A technician prepares for a viral whole-genome sequencing experiment at the Cancer Genomics Research Laboratory, part of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and genetics in Bethesda, Maryland.
arc furnaces, inverters, DC converters, switch-mode power supplies, AC or DC motor drives, and variable speed drives. Lower power factor, meanwhile, can be caused by large numbers of motors. It is also becoming common for large sites to include onsite generation, for power back-up, ‘peak shaving’ to avoid demand penalties, or to consume self-generated renewable energy when it is most economical. Onsite generation, often paired with energy storage, creates a facility or campus microgrid that can optimise costs and reliability, even ‘islanding’ itself in the event of a complete grid blackout. However, managing this effectively requires advanced levels of monitoring and control intelligence.
3: More competitive forces and budget pressure
Every organisation is tasked with maximising productivity and cutting
operational costs. Businesses are also using operational efficiency as a competitive advantage, turning reduced costs into greater financial performance. Energy plays a big role in this equation, as power reliability has a direct influence on productivity, while equipment maintenance and energy costs impact the bottom line.
In fact, quality power issues are often the cause of one of the largest avoidable operational costs – downtime. It has been found that 30-40% of downtime in any given building is due to power quality issues, and that 70% of these originate inside the building itself. While this may seem daunting, the good news is that there are ways to both identify and mitigate these effects.
4: More regulatory requirements The mission of a laboratory or research facility is to conduct research, but as with any enterprise, energy efficiency affects the bottom line. Large facilities are continuing to face stringent energy- related emissions regulations. So, finding ways to reduce energy consumption can help, as well as supporting corporate sustainability goals. Companies also need to be aware that the products and solutions they buy comply with the latest hazardous materials standards (such as RoHS and REACH).
A staff member works among a fleet of desktop genomic sequencing machines at the Cancer Genomics Research Laboratory in Bethesda, Maryland, in the US.
24 Health Estate Journal October 2021
Regulatory compliance is especially critical to the life sciences and medical research industry – particularly when it comes to data integrity. Data used to make decisions and support findings must be thorough, complete, and reliable, to ensure trust between the regulators, manufacturers, and patients. Outages can cause loss of this precious data, and interruptions to the research that collects it.
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