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Getting the word out about training opportunities
Jobsite survey reveals that the current engineering talent shortfall is driven, not by lack of interest, but by the fact that young people just don’t know how to get started in the field.
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Some six out of 10 (63%) 16-18 year olds don’t know what qualifications are necessary to become an engineer, while three-quarters (74%) were not aware of engineering work experience opportunities.
So with more than 50 per cent of respondents expressing a desire to join the industry, it falls to businesses and schools to bring engineering apprenticeships to the fore.
One company already doing this is engineering solutions firm, adi Group, which currently has 19 employees on its post-16 apprenticeship scheme, and a dozen 14-16 year olds undertaking an adi pre-apprenticeship in partnership with a local school – a UK first.
Unfortunately, such partnerships seem to be the exception. In an IAC survey of
CONTENTS BSEE
From THIS MONTHthe Editor
5 NEWS Latest news from around the industry.
apprentices, half of all those questioned found out about their apprenticeship through their own initiative, with a mere 15% finding out from a teacher or careers adviser.
This month, however, BESA (The Building Engineering Services Association) reports record levels of inquiries about apprentices and the association is working with building engineering employers to develop Trailblazer apprenticeships in key technical sectors. Last month, I, too, witnessed bright young apprentices in action at the finals of the Scolmore-sponsored
NICEIC/ELECSA Electrical Apprentice of the Year.
It gave me real hope for the future. There are bright youngsters out there wanting to take up the tools and be part of this industry. They just need the opportunities.
Enjoy this month’s issue. Debbie Eales
deales@datateam.co.uk 9 THE BUILDING SERVICES
FORUM 2018 More news about our exciting new educational event. This month: focus on event sponsor, Carlo Gavazzi.
10 BUILDING CONTROLS uPutting well‐being first.
uThe advent of batteryless sensing in buildings.
uFocus on North’s new Smart Switch.
11 THE BCIA COLUMN BCIA President, Malcolm Anson, discusses training and skills.
14 BOILERS & HOT WATER uWhen space is an issue, you need a flexible friend.
uOvercoming the challenges of boiler upgrades.
uPotterton Commercial’s Q&A on heating for growing businesses.
uBoosting boiler house efficiency. uTaking control of heat sources.
TALKING POINT
By Steve Hughes, Managing Director
of power quality specialist REO UK
Exploring the power of solar energy T
here is a dark cloud hanging over solar energy. Despite frequent Government pushes for wider adoption of renewable power sources, progress in recent years has been relatively slow. Until 2011, only a small amount of the UK’s renewable electricity came from solar energy. Since then, the falling price of photovoltaic (PV) panels and the introduction of feed-in tariffs has driven a surge in sales.
It is understandable why so many businesses and consumers are switching to solar. Once the installation costs of PV panels are out of the way, solar energy offers a unique approach to generating both electricity and money – by feeding excess energy back into the grid – while also meeting green guidelines.
However, renewable energies are plagued by a host of power quality issues that have a detrimental effect on our electrical infrastructure and pose the biggest challenge in switching to renewable energy. Converting the DC voltage generated by renewable power sources to the AC voltage required for the electrical grid creates a number of power quality problems. Modern inverters convert energy from DC to AC quickly and efficiently but, due to the speed of electronic switching, this results in harmonic frequencies entering the system. These extraneous frequencies may seem harmless but they result in higher energy consumption and cause electromagnetic interference (EMI).
EM noise causes interference in electronic components, which if left unresolved, can quickly degrade. To prevent this from occurring, it is important that protective
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measures are put into place to minimise EM frequencies.
While it is not possible to entirely eliminate EM noise from a system, it can be kept under control by installing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) filters. These are low- pass filters that are designed to attenuate high frequencies of EM noise without disrupting the flow of mains power. Ironically, one of the core selling points for the uptake of solar energy generation contributes to the delay in adoption. The financial incentive for the installation of PV panels is that excess energy is fed back into the main electrical grid, resulting in businesses being paid for the power they help to generate. To do this, companies require a connection to the power grid. However, the grid interconnect point of parallel inverters causes another power quality problem – harmonic resonance. In order to get rid of this underlying harmonic resonance, it is essential that companies incorporate harmonic current filters into systems. These filters cause a substantial reduction in the harmonics present in a system, resulting in a total harmonic distortion (THD) drop of more than 50 per cent in some cases.
As it stands, technology is only advanced enough to allow PV panels to harness 0.001 per cent of the energy produced by the sun. In the future, this figure will be substantially higher, which will drive the use of solar power and the need for high power quality. It is only by ensuring that infrastructure is capable of meeting this demand that we can enjoy all that the sun has to offer.
http://www.reo.co.uk BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JULY 2017 3
20 PUMPS uSpecifying pumps for healthcare facilities.
uThe benefits of modern packaged pump systems.
24 EMERGENCY LIGHTING Lighting the route to safety.
25 PUMP INDUSTRY AWARDS Brian Huxley wins BPMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
27 AIR CONDITIONING & IAQ uMVHR installation: Just a load of hot air?
uMaking a difference to occupant health.
uChoosing the right humidification system.
32 SAFETY & SECURITY uManaging your vulnerabilities.
uCyber attacks and other threats.
37 INSTALLATION NEWS Three pages of installation stories and case studies.
40 WHAT’S NEW 44 RECRUITMENT 44 CLASSIFIED
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