The UK grid problem and how Ecoadapt can help

July 9, 2011 - PRLog -- Did you know that the UK has one of the oldest and least sophisticated national grids of any country in the EU? As a direct result of this, the UK has the highest incoming voltage, averaging around 242v, which is far from ideal when it comes to energy efficiency. The good news is that as one of the UK’s leading voltage optimisation experts, Ecoadapt (http://www.ecoadapt.co.uk/) can help.
   
It’s a fact that the UK has the highest incoming voltage level in all of the EU at an average of 242v and that this over voltage is in part because the UK national grid is so outdated. When there is a voltage reduction to 220v, which is widely agreed to be the ideal voltage level, energy efficiency is vastly improved and it is possible to reduce electric costs.
   
The UK national grid does not only pose an over voltage problem, but also creates unreliable levels of voltage which can vary widely during a 24 hour, 7 day period. Known as voltage variance, this can lead to differences of as much as 23 volts, a significant problem considering that most voltage optimisation systems installed in the UK are fixed ratio. What this means is that they are simple, double wound transformers that merely mirror the incoming voltage. Experts predict that with the advent of renewable energy comes further gaps between peak and low voltages, so it seems voltage variance will be in existence for some time yet.

Unfortunately, the problems with the UK’s voltage do not end there. Voltage optimisation systems should be set at a level which provides an optimum output voltage of 220v, but fixed ratio units only achieve maximum savings at the time of the day or week when the voltage variance happens to correspond to 220v. This creates wasted energy for the entire rest of the time. Then there’s the effects of extreme weather, an increasing problem in the UK. Voltage power drops in sudden cold snaps and the closing of the nuclear and coal fired power stations in the UK could create a power shortage in as little as two or three years.  At the same time, increased stress on air-conditioning loads in heatwaves are leading to outages on a large scale. The power authorities are able to reduce the voltage across the grid in order to limit power during high demand periods, which could mean that fixed ratio voltage regulators experience dangerously low voltage levels, putting massive strain on motors and processing equipment.

The good news is that the answer to all these problems is simple: stabilise the output voltage at 220v regardless of the national grid input, thereby maximising the energy savings - additional savings which can be as high as 50%. How? Through second generation real voltage optimisation from Ecoadapt, which future-proofs electrical infrastructure from grid instability. To find out more about how Ecoadapt is delivering a smart grid to the UK, go to http://www.ecoadapt.co.uk/.