environment magazine

Standards needed in green tech gold rush

By Michael Pullan, Powerperfector

There aren’t many companies which can claim to have created a whole new industry, but powerPerfector Ltd is one. The company introduced Voltage Power Optimisation (VPO)® technology to the UK in 2001 and has recently been recognised as the fastest growing ‘green’ company in the UK.

Whether it is the cost of running delivery vehicles, or the high prices paid to heat buildings and run energy intensive machinery, industry is at the mercy of increases in fuel prices.

As energy sources from fossil fuels become increasingly scarce, supply and demand will dictate that prices follow an upward trend. Economic and political factors may introduce volatility which will create an unpredictable upward trend.

In many cases, how businesses adapt to this and meet their commitments to reduce costs and emissions, will dictate if they survive or fail.
The good news is that solutions are out there. There are numerous technologies that can reduce carbon, slash energy bills and tick the CSR box on the demand side but only one technology secures a business’ electrical supply and thus protects business continuity. With all the choices out there knowing how to differentiate good technology from bad is a challenge.

Feed-in Tariffs created a rush for micro-generation. With onsite generation attracting a feed-in tariff of over 40p/kWh in some cases, the finances stacked up. However, the government’s decision to axe the subsidy is likely to mean that solar arrays or wind turbines will no longer appeal to the finance team, but may hold sway with management, PR and CSR - all keen to have a visible manifestation of an environmental policy.

Likewise energy efficiency measures such as movement sensitive lighting and water saving initiatives are visible and differentiate a company that is acting on carbon and cost.

But, with average energy savings of around 12 per cent, the single most effective measure businesses can implement is one that does not have the same visibility but is hidden away in a corner of the switch room. Voltage Power Optimisation generates energy and carbon savings by optimising electrical power quality and by supplying voltage at a more efficient level to the whole business.

It is a sector of the energy efficiency market that is growing at an astonishing rate, fuelled by the confluence of drivers that in part are defined as ‘business risks’. Various technologies are being reconstituted, copied and re-positioned to offer a part solution to the marketplace. Most of the technology, the people and products will be reliable, good, concerned and professional. Others will not be. The green revolution – like the gold rush and the dot-com boom – will attract substandard products as people seek to exploit an opportunity for quick profits as opposed to assisting in the creation of a respected sector that provides quality solutions.

Supply-side installations hold far more risk than demand-side ones – if low energy lights or motors fail it can be worked around – if the electrical supply goes down tens of thousands of pounds can be lost - let alone the damage to reputation. This is where the choices made can either endanger or protect business continuity.

When describing our own technology we can say that it is trusted by some of the biggest names in energy and climate change. These include the energy regulator (Ofgem), the government’s climate change department (DECC), the UK’s main electricity distributor (National Grid), the UK’s biggest retailer (Tesco) and 9 other supermarket chains, the UK’s environmental guardians (Environment Agency), as well as 145 local authorities and over 20 government agencies. We have installed as many as 60 powerPerfectors a week so we really do understand risk for our client’s in this area as well.

However not all companies have the credibility afforded by the clients listed above. There is a need for greater regulation within the energy efficiency market. With no over-arching body to monitor and police false or exaggerated claims, companies have entered the Voltage Management sector with technology that does not perform as promoted.

ESTA’s endorsement of the International Performance, Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP), a robust, proven M and V protocol from the US goes a long way to filling “the policing gap” in the sector. Its use is intended to be mandatory as some point in the future and clients can then have 100% confidence in true savings and suppliers 100% confidence in a level honest playing field – the snake oil salesmen will creep back under their rocks.

IPMVP brings reassurance for clients that the savings are real and auditable. Think twice about buying Energy Conservation Measures from any company that does not include this evaluation process.

Within the voltage management market there are a variety of offers. Each technology is slightly different and claim varying savings and performance capabilities. So what criteria should energy professionals use when purchasing voltage management solutions?

Reliability - Make sure that the company’s technology has an unblemished reliability track record, otherwise you are risking business continuity.
Guarantee – If the guarantee is longer that the product’s market time how do you know it will last? And if it has been around a long time then what is different about it compared to other offerings?

Simplicity - As a rule of thumb, the fewer points of failure the better. Beware of ad hoc solutions which combine multiple separate components in one box to solve multiple problems. If it requires fan cooling it is not efficient and if the fan fails what is the danger of overheating? Moving parts can be a point of failure and at the critical point of the electrical supply they introduce unnecessary risk.

If a bypass is recommended – why - might it fail? If the supplier is not confident of their product, how can you be?

Bells and Whistles – Equipment showing savings live may seem useful but savings can’t be measured live as you need comparative consumption data so a product providing this is providing false information.

Measurement and Verification – A savings analysis should come in two parts, firstly a detailed savings plan, in which the site is analysed and a methodology for determining the savings is agreed upon, and secondly a savings report, which quantifies the avoided energy use.
Any measurement and verification strategy that does not have these two ingredients could be open to ambiguity, or worse, abuse, as the savings analysis can simply be thrown together after the energy conservation measure has been implemented.

IPMVP as mentioned before, is now the most widely used and recognised M&V protocol in the world. You can be sure savings calculated using IPMVP will be auditable and accurate if conducted by qualified practitioners – but make sure the practitioner is registered!

Price – The government spending review risks putting “best value procurement” at risk and raises the spectre of “lowest cost wins”. There will always be a cheaper product available if price is the main factor in decision making, the cheapest product is unlikely to provide the best value and in Voltage Management it will buy the highest risk.

Benchmarking – Make sure that the technology has been tried and tested. Review the case studies and testimonials of the company and then follow up by speaking to clients of the company.

Company reliability – Check the financials of the product seller – are they financially secure enough to pay out on their guarantees?
Finally, because of the critical point of the building at which Voltage Management technology sits, it is critical that you choose a robust, reliable solution. Failure is not an option.