RMD Power and Cooling were presented with the Schneider Electric Project of the Year Award at the annual Elite Partner Event held at The Belfry last month.
The award was given to this project due it huge Carbon Footprint Reducing Technology, the uniqueness of the solution and for overcoming various logistical challenges.
Partnering with Inverness based ICM Electrical and Dumbarton based Engen Diesels, a complete Power solution was specified and Installed on a remote Scottish Island, which had up until then been powered solely from a Diesel Generator which was running 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.
RMD worked closely with ICM Electrical and Schneider Electric to Integrate a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) solution which would provide electricity to the Island for anywhere between 12 to 16 hours daily, reducing the generator running time and emissions by up to 65% daily.
RMD Business Development Manager Scot Docherty explains that this project has taken the principal of a UPS providing emergency back up power when required and reversed engineered it to providing power for long periods of time on a daily basis. This type of high demand could not be achieved using conventional Lead Acid batteries with the UPS and we had to look at Lithium-Ion Battery Technology to meet the demand of usage and longevity of battery life. This involved a lot of corresponding between RMD, ICM Electrical, Schneider Electric and Samsung, who make the Lithium-Ion batteries. Initially, life cycle data was difficult to get for this type of use, as this way of using a UPS was quite rare.
When the UPS part of the solution was agreed, Engen Diesels were brought in to provide a new and more efficient Generator and a bespoke Changeover Panel to allow seamless changing between UPS and Generator depending on time of day or the amount of power required.
The solution was made complete by installing Schneider Electric UPS monitoring platform Ecostruxure and remote stop / start software on the generator. The complete solution can now be monitored and controlled from anywhere globally.
ICM Electrical Managing Director, Ian Maclean said this has been both an enjoyable and challenging Project to work on, as in many ways we were dealing with the “unknown”. Also, throw into the mix the challenges of transporting large and very heavy items of critical equipment along single track roads and onto boats crossing the North Sea. This is ICM’s first time working with RMD and Engen and they have been excellent throughout and made this project easier with their professional approach, knowledge and service.
RMD Managing Director, Ross Barclay said we at RMD are proud to be part of what may be described as a “ground-breaking” project, and to be recognised by a Global Leader in Power Technology like Schneider Electric is great news. This is a great achievement and huge thanks to all involved at ICM Electrical, RMD and Engen Diesels.