Energy security is a hotly debated topic in many countries around the world and a key factor in the discussion is the level of dependency on foreign economies and how national policy should address it. Without a doubt we live in an age of international co-dependency however this has resulted in governments and a range of organisations (which cut across the full spectrum of size and scale of operation), exploring opportunities which will protect their energy independence. Exploiting untapped oil reserves is one method of protecting a country’s energy future in the short term, however the more promising long term solutions all point towards sustainable energy forms, which are frequently described as Green Energy.
Current Green Energy technology is not well subscribed or effective enough to fully replace our reliance on fossil fuel energy sources, however sustainable energy techniques and technologies are improving all of the time and only by a greater expansion of low carbon energy generation infrastructure can any nation vouchsafe their energy needs. But if Green Energy is the prudent way to protect a country or substantial organisation’s energy usage, do we need to protect Green Energy assets?
Perhaps unsurprisingly the FM Sudafix Group approaches issues from the perspective of electrical safety and for that reason the company is ideally placed to help protect Green Energy assets (such as photovoltaic panels and wind turbines) from the threats of lightning activity, fault electrical currents, and vandals who seek to steal valuable non-ferrous metal components used in electrical safety systems. There are many misconceptions about how to effectively protect Green Energy assets from electrical hazards, or what is exactly required. Whether our customers need support for significant builds, rail or other sorts of infrastructure project, telecommunications or any other sort of power generation and transmission, as always FM Sudafix starts with the relevant standard, code of practice and construction specification. For those parties who are not as conversant with the applicable standards relating to Green Energy assets as our JMI technical team I can understand how confusing, or even apparently contradictory, they can seem.
For example, when it comes to wind turbines there are a number of potential electrical issues that require effective electrical safety management systems. The wind turbine standard that UK organisations will first look to is BS EN 61400 : 2005. Part 1 of this standard states that a lightning protection system must be installed in accordance with BS EN 62305 : 2006, a standard which specifically defines the requirements for lightning protection systems: all makes sense so far. One of the clauses within BS EN 62305 defines the target earth resistance of a lightning protection system as no greater than 10 ohms; however a caveat within that standard states that structures located on rock are exempt from this requirement due to the fact that rock has such poor electrical conductivity performance, which presents substantial problems in dissipating fault current. Now practical experience advises that wind farms are frequently located in rocky areas and this is going to make it difficult to achieve that sort of resistance, however it is potentially still possible through astute application of low impedance methodologies. This is where conversance with technical standards comes in, and the very reason people contact either FM Sudafix or JMI to help them manage electrical safety performance. This knowledge of standards and how they relate to each other is hard earned but provides a reliable and respected knowledge base.
Just knowing how to navigate through a few standards may be clever, but it does not reflect the extent of our technical team’s proficiency. Once the attributes of a site are determined the JMI team can then start helping the construction team overcome any lightning, earthing / grounding, or stray current challenges. Designing effective electrical safety systems in difficult environments is an everyday requirement at JMI. When it comes to wind farms on rock having to achieve a less than 10 ohm target for their earth resistance performance you can expect that a designer will determine that a substantial amount of copper or copperbond conductors are required; however if you expected that behaviour from JMI designers you would hopefully be pleasantly surprised. The JMI technical team focuses on value engineering and will seek to use more cost-effective methods to achieve the target resistance to earth value. Products like Conducrete (a conductive cement / concrete) enable the JMI design team to create safe zones where before there may have been threats to life. So not only does our technical team know the standards, it also knows how to design to them and instead of receiving a design from a boffin in an ivory tower, you get a design from someone who has devised a system that will perform effectively whilst addressing both installation and product cost concerns. If you have not already guessed, I am proud of how we go about our business!
The aforementioned example concerning the earth resistance value of wind turbines is presented because it is a real life example of an issue that was raised a few days ago (at the time of my writing) by a company who needed support. Here is another wind turbine related comment: “this turbine will not need surge protection will it?” I believe the JMI response was something like: “10.3 of the standard covers protective devices, and it states ‘A wind turbine electrical system shall, in addition to the requirements of 60364, include suitable devices that ensure protection against malfunctioning of either the wind turbine or the external electrical system that may lead to an unsafe condition or state…’ so tell me what incumbent surge protection provision you have and we will work from there.” We do not give advice without specific awareness of the applicable standard and frequently our first few responses to a question will be more questions because without clear information we do not have a working understanding and any advice we give could be misleading. What these examples demonstrate is that not knowing the right answer is not a crime; not knowing who to contact to get support with electrical safety systems is lamentable (I task our communications team to bring this organisation to your attention); but not seeking the requisite expertise is potentially negligent. If you have any issue relating to the electrical safety system on a Green Energy project get in touch with a member of our team who will ensure that you have access to our technical resource.
Whether you are working on harvesting solar power with photovoltaic panels (and some of the PV panel farms really do face more substantial challenges than the installation teams and owners may be aware) or wind power with turbines or any other Green Energy development, you are facing the prospect of converting one kind of energy into another. Anyone working in the electrical safety sector should immediately be advising you to check the performance attributes of the inverter and surge protection provision. Nothing will ruin your day, and in truth your Green Energy system, like an exploding inverter that could not meet the necessary performance demands. We have encountered this problem in the past on many occasions where owners, or people responsible for the ongoing maintenance of a Green Energy system, contact the FM Sudafix Group wanting to know how to rectify the issue. It is understandable that installation operatives presume that the inverter and surge protection device that has been supplied with the equipment (be it PV panel or turbine) is going to be sufficient to effectively manage the process of converting DC in to AC; however this is not always the case. Fortunately the FM Sudafix Group can provide a product solution so that instead of rectifying a damaged PV panel or turbine they can be installed from the outset and the problem need not ever be encountered.
In order to preserve the remaining fossil fuel reserves as long as possible demands a greater pursuit of Green Energy and in so doing create a more sustainable way of generating power for generations to come. Green Energy systems face enough challenges but electrical safety need not be one of them and that is why the prudent parties come to the FM Sudafix Group.
