African Petrochemicals- Mar/April Edition 15_2 {2018}
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Backup power - why site surveys are a win-win<br />
By Kevin Norris, Consulting Solutions Architect: Renewable Energy, Jasco Intelligent Technologies.<br />
Winter is approaching and with it, brings the inevitable likelihood of power outages.<br />
Many South <strong>African</strong> organisations are gearing up by investing in alternative power<br />
solutions or, at the very least a UPS system to manage the safe shut down of systems in<br />
the event of an outage. It’s important however, to ensure that the solution you choose<br />
is the best fit for your business - or it will fail you when you need it most.<br />
Kevin Norris.<br />
Selecting the best UPS to meet your<br />
requirements isn’t as simple as choosing one<br />
from a catalogue or going with the solution<br />
that works best for another company. Your<br />
business has unique requirements and there<br />
are a lot of factors that go into planning the<br />
right solution. These include calculating the<br />
exact power load and ensuring that there are<br />
not external problems which could impact<br />
the functionality of the system.<br />
Incorrect planning could result in a system<br />
that is unequal to the task. You could end up<br />
overspending on a system that over-caters for<br />
your requirements. Price has no impact on the<br />
suitability of a solution. Your chosen solution<br />
in fact, could end up costing more in the long<br />
run due to damages caused by incompatibility<br />
or additional components required later. For<br />
these reasons, it is essential to ensure a proper<br />
site survey is carried out before investing in a<br />
UPS or generator solution.<br />
Site surveys are often seen as unnecessary<br />
spending, however, UPS and generator<br />
power systems can be exorbitantly<br />
expensive, and the costs of site surveys are<br />
often negligible when weighted against the<br />
overall solution. The benefits of conducting<br />
a proper site survey extend beyond saving<br />
money on your solution. -They can help<br />
identify inefficiencies in your business’s<br />
power environment, the correction of which<br />
could save you even more money.<br />
Proper site surveys are more than simply<br />
visiting a site and quickly assessing what<br />
equipment requires power backup before<br />
proposing a solution. Quick surveys may be<br />
able to determine what the electrical load<br />
is, but will not be able to detect underlying<br />
power problems, invisible to the naked<br />
eye. Nor can they assess any events which<br />
may impact power delivery. For example,<br />
an industrial machine may cause a large<br />
power drain when it is switched on, and such<br />
activities need to be catered for in the event<br />
of a power outage.<br />
Typically, a quality site survey should<br />
include monitoring your business’s electrical<br />
environment for at least seven days,<br />
factoring in the parameters relevant to the<br />
equipment being catered for (which should<br />
be confirmed before starting). This will give<br />
an overview of factors such as poor power<br />
factor (inductive) loads, voltage fluctuations,<br />
harmonics, transience and any patterns<br />
which may impact a backup power system.<br />
A good power service provider will be able<br />
to provide you with a UPS solution that can<br />
operate easily and efficiently within the<br />
existing parameters of your organisation’s<br />
existing electrical environment and confine<br />
its output to fit within the tolerances of the<br />
equipment it supports.<br />
The surveyor should also inspect the electrical<br />
distribution within your site premises, tracing<br />
from the source of power to the load in order<br />
to check for any obvious flaws. These should<br />
be corrected before installing a UPS or taken<br />
into account with the proposed solution.<br />
Something as seemingly inconsequential as<br />
a bad power terminal can cause inefficiencies<br />
in the delivery of power to your entire<br />
organisation. It can also put unnecessary<br />
pressure on a UPS system.<br />
Over and above examining the existing<br />
electrical environment, the survey should<br />
also inspect the proposed area where the<br />
UPS is to be installed. Improper housing<br />
without the necessary cooling and filters<br />
can negatively impact the lifespan of a UPS<br />
system, and may well cause the system to fail<br />
before it even starts.<br />
Once the seven day (minimum) evaluation<br />
is completed, and the parameters of both<br />
the existing and proposed environments are<br />
confirmed, the service provider should be<br />
able to produce a report on the power status<br />
of your business. This report should detail<br />
the requirements as well as suggest any<br />
recommended corrections to be done before<br />
a UPS is installed.<br />
A site survey will also equip the service<br />
provider with all the information needed<br />
to specify the perfect solution options to<br />
meet your requirement. In so doing, you<br />
will be protected, knowing that your chosen<br />
solution will work, and that accountability for<br />
an incorrectly specified solution rests with<br />
the service provider. It’s a win-win.<br />
About the Jasco Group<br />
Jasco delivers end-to-end best-of-breed<br />
solutions across the entire ICT value chain.<br />
Our services include solution design,<br />
business consulting, project management<br />
and logistics to manage the supply,<br />
installation and commissioning of solutions;<br />
and professional services to provide<br />
integration and customisation of solutions;<br />
managed services, support and maintenance.<br />
Jasco’s operating divisions, namely Intelligent<br />
Technologies, Enterprise, Carriers and<br />
Electrical Manufacturers deliver a range<br />
of solutions and services. Intelligent<br />
Technologies delivers broadcast, power,<br />
data centres and Property Technology<br />
Management (PTM) solutions as well as<br />
Energy Optimisation and Co-location<br />
services, a carrier-neutral co-location<br />
telecommunications hub where the network<br />
infrastructure serves multiple service<br />
providers. The Carrier business provides<br />
solutions and components for access and<br />
transmission networks as well as hi-sites. The<br />
Enterprise business delivers contact centre<br />
solutions, Unified Communications, Cloud<br />
Solutions and security and fire solutions.<br />
Electrical Manufacturers delivers contract<br />
manufacturing of white goods.<br />
The Jasco Group has a national footprint with<br />
offices in Gauteng, Western Cape, Free State,<br />
Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. Other than<br />
South Africa, the organisation trade in many<br />
sub-Saharan <strong>African</strong> countries, with a special<br />
focus on the Southern <strong>African</strong> Development<br />
Community (SADC) region.<br />
For more information:<br />
www.jasco.co.za<br />
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