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Intelligent Energy Storage
Call +44 (0)2381 230 230
The Link Centre is a large leisure complex, comprising of an international-sized ice skating rink, swimming pool, indoor courts, climbing walls, a fitness studio and the local library.
Voltage optimisation was installed as one of a number of energy efficiency measures across the site.
Average voltage onsite was 241.2V and peaked at 246.4V. It was decided to use a voltage regulator to reduce the voltage to 221V.
This has resulted in a 15% reduction of electricity use and associated carbon emissions. The project paid for itself within 10 months.
This has resulted in a 17.3% reduction of electricity use and associated carbon emissions.
The Link Centre is a large leisure complex, comprising an International-sized ice skating rink, swimming pool, indoor courts, climbing walls, a fitness studio and the local library. The site operates seven days a week for fifty-one weeks per year. The demand onsite would normally run anywhere between 400kVA and the maximum demand of approximately 750kVA, with the overnight baseload being approximately 300kVA.
Onsite voltages (Diagram 1) were high, peaking at just under 247V (Phase to Neutral). The whole site is fed by a single substation 1000kVA transformer.
The Client has already implemented a number of energy saving measures, for example fitting high frequency ballast lighting and variable speed drives to some of their larger motors.
Installation
Installation was reasonably difficult with the main switch-room located in the basement plant room of the centre and existing equipment restricting access. An additional plinth as flood protection (Figure 1) was requested. The existing ACB main breaker was reused, reducing the overall cost of installation. Due to the limited access it was decided to install three single-phase units instead of a single three-phase unit. The model chosen, the PSR-16, was specified at 1441 Amps per phase and 318kVA at the 221V (P-N) set output voltage. An external bypass switch was installed, allowing the Client full control over their supply. The specifications provided sufficient excess capacity for future growth of electricity use at the facility.
All preparations for installation were carried out beforehand, with the final connections made during a four-hour period on a Sunday
Financial
• Cost savings (Year 1): £76,547
• Payback time: 10 months
Technical
• Electricity savings: 15.0%
• Improved power quality
Environmental
• CO2 emissions reduction: 334 tonnes (Year 1)
The electricity consumption of the Link Centre was 4,258,134kWh at an annual cost of approximately £510,310.
The implementation of voltage optimisation has now reduced this to 3,619,414kWh (a saving of 638,720kWh) and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 334,050kg (calculated at 0.523kg CO2/kWh). The cost savings of £76,547 per year delivered a return on investment within less than 10 months.
Diagram 1: Voltage profile of the electricity entering the Link Centre before and after voltage optimisation.
