AMPS Power Magazine - Summer 2023

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

I SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS: PROFITS AND LOSS P18

with Jasper Steinhausen

I ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE P20 with David Murray

FEATURE ARTICLES

The Association of Manufacturers and suppliers of Power generating systems

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL AMPS GOLF DAY IN THE BAG

THE BOAT: BERNARD GOSPEL LOOKS AT THE HISTORY OF ENGINEERING

ZBC, the game changer in Renewable Power Generation

Developed with sustainability in mind, our Atlas Copco ZenergiZe Energy Storage unit helps operators to dramatically reduce their fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, electricity tariffs and back-ups to mains failures, while delivering optimal performance with zero noise and virtually no maintenance.

The Zenergize unit is your clean and quiet source of energy.

power.technique.uk@atlascopco.com

01442 222 350

www.atlascopco.co.uk

04: FOREWORD from AMPS Director General, David Oates.

05: INDUSTRY DATA with Competitive Intelligence Expert, Romain Mocaer.

06: AMPS ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2023 We celebrate a great day in words and pictures.

10: HOME SWEET PRISON with Professor Clive Deadman.

12: THE BOAT A look at ancient engineering with Bernard Gospel.

14: THE 2023 AMPS GOLF DAY all the teams and winners in words and pictures.

16: LINDA HAS THE ANSWER renewable energy with Crestchic Loadbanks.

18: SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS Jasper Seinhausen looks at profit and loss.

20: ESG David Murray discusses Environment, Sustainability & Governance.

22: ATLAS COPCO Zero Carbon products on show at Plantworx.

24: POWERING THE SOLAR REVOLUTION with MHM Group.

26: SMART TECH DECARBONISATION a summary of Marko Aunedo’s recent talk.

29: FORTHCOMING REGIONAL MEETING 34: REPRESENTING AMPS AT EUROPGEN with Bernard Gospel. 37: CPA BULLETIN MAGAZINE FOR FREE an AMPS Member exclusive offer.

MEMBER NEWS Articles from our members.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS 42: AMPS COUNCIL MEMBERS

Disclaimer:

In this edition, our primary focus centres around sustainability, a topic of utmost importance to all members of AMPS.

We are committed to ongoing discussions on this matter to ensure its integration into our future endeavours.

Furthermore, we are delighted to announce our partnerships with esteemed organisations such as the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) and the Data Centre Association (DCA). These collaborations will undoubtedly bolster our industry influence and strengthen our collective impact.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all those who supported and participated in the highly successful AMPS golf day. Congratulations are in order for the deserving winners.

Additionally, our regional events continue to thrive, with the recent gathering at Volvo Penta in Warwick being particularly exceptional. These complimentary events offer a valuable opportunity to connect with industry peers over a light lunch, while also benefiting from insights shared by expert speakers from within our field.

Mike Boughey

Editor: AMPS Power Magazine

CONTACT AMPS

The Association of Manufacturers and suppliers of Power generating Systems Unit 19, Omega Business Village, Thurston Road, Northallerton DL6 2NJ UK

Director General: David Oates

Chairman: Paul Aitken

Director General : david.oates@amps.org.uk

Membership enquiry: info@amps.org.uk

Publications: Mike Boughey: ampsmagazine@amps.org.uk

Accounts: accounts@amps.org.uk +44 (0) 20 8253 4505

www.amps.org.uk

The information contained in this magazine is for general information purposes only. We endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the magazine or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in the magazines for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. The editor, contributors and related parties shall have no responsibility for any action or omission by any other contributor, consultant, editor and shall have no responsibility for any links from this magazine to third party websites

FOREWORD FROM DAVID OATES

Director General of AMPS.

Many thanks to all our speakers and sponsors who supported the recent AMPS AGM & Conference in April. Over 150 people attended the event, and we are glad to announce that we will return again to the venue for 2024. The year has started so energetically for most of our members and Association staff with positive exhibitions and shows being held at Data Centre World, Distributed Energy Show and Executive Hire Show, to name a few! As we move forward, we will add a show calendar to the next magazine outlining key industry events for late 2023 and 2024, so members have visibility of what is being planned across the sector.

We continue to hear much comment from Government on Net Zero targets and decarbonisation, without seeing the detail or plans in place behind the statements being made. As such we will endeavour to focus on finding, interpreting, and analysing the information coming from Government in connection with the Energy Bill, Green Gas Support Schemes, Net Zero Progress Reports from BSI, and

ongoing updates from Environmental Audit Committee on electricity usage. We know the new Government departments are now in place with a minister leading the charge in all 3 areas that impact our industry moving forward, and will spend our focus in ensuring our ideas be presented where applicable to each department,

k Energy, Security and Net Zero: Grant Shapps

k Science, Innovation and Technology: Michelle Donelan

k Business & Trade: Kemi Badenoch Members will still have the chance to meet and network at the various events still to be held in 2023, including our 2 regional days, official summer golf event, and end of year Awards evening (see events calendar). Much to look forward to as we continue to support and liaise with members where needed to ensure everyone can see the value and benefits from being part of the Association.

Enjoy the magazine...

THE EUROPEAN MARKET HIT RECORD LEVEL IN Q4 2022

The diesel generator market reached record levels at the end of 2022, and remains very strong in most European countries in 2023, even if the market seems to have peaked and growth is slowing down (especially for small powers that had boomed in 2022).

Increase of generators below 375 kVA

The market for generators below 375 kVA reached a historic level at the end of 2022, boosted by Ukrainian imports but also the energy crisis in Europe as well as the significant delays on the largest powers. This hyper growth seems to be over and the market should return to a pre-energy crisis level from the second half of 2023.

Zoom on the UK market

Imports of diesel generators have never been so important in the UK, reaching more than $30M in the first two months of 2023. This increase is very significant for generators of more than 2000 kVA, which have reached levels records over the last 12 months, mainly from the United States and Germany. The still very strong growth of the data center sector in the UK is driving this product segment.

The boom of Ukrainian imports

Ukrainian imports peaked in Q4 2022 ($245M) with a record month in December ($155M). It is generators of less than 375kVA that represent the vast majority of imports, mainly from Turkey and Poland (+50% of generators come from these two countries).

Imports decreased slightly at the start of 2023, but still represent more than $130M over the first two months of the year.

Competitive intelligence expert Romain Mocaer.

AMPS CONFERENCE & LUNCH

An Unparalleled Day (and night) of Education, Information, Networking and Socialising

A full house of AMPS members and guests enjoyed four excellent conference speakers at the AMPS Annual Conference on Thursday 20 April 2023. The Conference was held at the sumptuous One Great George Street in Westminster, home of the Institute of Civil Engineers.

Following welcome refreshments, generously sponsored by Jeremiahs, and receiving their delegate badge and pack, very kindly sponsored by AKSA, guests took their seats in the Telford Theatre –the ceiling encircled with the names of great engineers of times gone by.

Presentations covered: Cyber Security in the Virtual Age, Challenges Facing the Construction Sector in 2023, the Role and Value of Advanced Technologies & Control Systems and ESG & The Importance to Businesses in the UK.

Cyber Security in the Virtual Age

Joel Babb Falanx Cyber Security

The conference got underway with a sharp wakeup call from speaker Joel Babb from Falanx Cyber. In his presentation, Cyber Security in the Virtual Age, Joel shocked delegates with the realities of just how easily a virus, ransom wear or other digital nasties can breach a computer’s network defences, bringing the system and potentially the company, to its knees.

Joel’s presentation addressed the most pressing risks businesses face, including phishing attacks, ransomware, mobile device security and the perils of remote working. He has over 20 years’ experience in IT and Cybersecurity and has planned and simulated cyberattacks on companies worldwide, with the aim of identifying vulnerabilities and fortifying the resilience of his clients’ digital infrastructure. Falanx Cyber provides bespoke, cybersecurity services and solutions.

Joel’s prior experience on the ‘other side of the fence’ - as CTO responsible for running an IT department at a security firm - gives him deep insight into the business impact of cyber vulnerabilities and an appreciation for the specific challenges faced by his clients’ IT departments.

Challenges Facing the Construction Sector in 2023 Chris Cassley, CPA (Construction Planthire Association), Policy Manager

Chris’s presentation focussed on the challenges facing the Construction Sector including de-carbonisation and other environmental disruptors, rapid

commodity and raw material shortages and price rises post Brexit and Pandemic. Huge increases in energy and fuel costs, skilled labour shortages, lack of apprentices – the list goes on.

Chris is Policy Manager at the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), the largest trade association for the plant-hire sector in the UK with over 1,800 members, who supply 85% of hired plant to the construction industry. He is responsible for the development and lobbying work of government and key stakeholders, based around the key policy issues that are important to CPA members. Chris came to the CPA from a 16-year stint at the CBI where he covered policy areas such as SMEs, manufacturing, construction and science and innovation.

Joanna Oliver MBE, AMPS Client Lead

Role of Smart Technologies in Cost-Effective Decarbonisation of GB Energy System

Dr. Marko Aunedi Imperial College

Dr Aunedi’s presentation focussed on Zero-carbon transition for GB power system covering the UK’s commitment to net-zero GHG emissions requires full decarbonisation of electricity by 2035 including:

k Rapid expansion of low-carbon generation, esp. offshore wind (~50 GW by 2030)

k Rapid recent cost reductions of offshore wind (and other RES) and battery storage

k Decarbonisation of heat and road transport – opportunities for smart heating and smart EV charging + V2G

k Net-negative emissions may be required in electricity sector to offset carbon from other ‘difficult’ sectors

Dr Aunedi is an Advanced Research Fellow at Imperial College London in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Control and Power Group, with 22 years of experience in energy system modelling.

Marko’s expertise covers system integration of renewables and low-carbon technologies, decarbonisation of heat and transport, and assessing system benefits of smart grid solutions, energy storage, flexible demand and hydrogen technologies.

His key interests cover: - Multi-energy vector modelling including electricity, heat and gas, - Benefits of smart grid and energy storage technologies, - System integration of renewable and low-carbon technologies

- Impact of flexible demand on low-carbon energy systems

With a particular emphasis in building numerical simulation models to evaluate the benefits of technologies such as energy storage or Demand-Side Response (DSR) in supporting cost-efficient decarbonisation of multi-energy systems and the integration of renewable energy. Marko was speaking in an independent capacity via Imperial Consultants.

S Guests Queuing to get into the Telford Theatre

S DG David Oates Briefing Speaker Dr Marko Auendi

S Louise Hazel - New AMPS Vice Chair

S Networking - AMPS Marketing Committee Chairman Chris Caldwell

S Louise Hazel & Paul Aitken

ESG & The Importance to Businesses in the UK

David Murray, Sustainability First

David highlighted that ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) is by far the fastest growing strategic issue confronting company boards today.

The number of different and unrelated returns generated by ESG they companies are asked to complete creates a big distraction from getting on with ‘the real day job’. Companies must have clarity on the metrics being used to support investment and other key decisions - what’s being asked for, why, and how to measure and report it.

David left delegates contemplating the need to add value to their business, improve the information used to make business decisions, keep and attract talented staff, make borrowing cheaper and easier, and generally clarify the company’s sense of social purpose.

David Murray is Executive Director of the think tank, Sustainability First, a politically neutral sustainability charity that champions practical action to make the energy and water sectors better embed sustainability principles in the operation of these essential services.

David joined Sustainability First as Executive Director in May 2022, from the humanitarian charity Article 25, an international design and build NGO, where he was Managing Director. He has over 17 years of experience in the charity sector and has championed active urban travel infrastructure and conservation.

Networking Reception, Lunch, Chairman’s Appeal and Guest Speaker

Following the formal conference presentations, guests withdrew to the splendid Great Hall, resplendent with images of engineering and a very grand painted ceiling.

Superb networking was facilitated by the pre-lunch drinks, generously sponsored by Crestchic as was the copious wine with lunch, which, judging by the reluctance of guests to take their seats for lunch, went going very well. Guests enjoyed a delicious lunch and fascinating post lunch speaker ex SAS officer, Colin Maclachlan.

Colin Maclachlan, star of Channel Four’s captivating reality TV drama SAS: Who Dares Wins and Channel 5’s ‘Secrets of the SAS’ is an operator with over 25 years of security and risk related experience.

Having had both an exciting and varied career, Colin was an excellent speaker on a wide variety of topics seamlessly integrating anecdotes from his time in the special services with his new career offering training for resilience, teamwork, leadership, risk, motivation, conflict resolution, change management, negotiation and performance.

The formal part of the day concluded with the Chairman’s Charity Appeal. Tshi year AMPS Chairman, Paul Aitken, chose the British Red Cross to raise funds for the victims of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria as well as support for the conflict victims in Ukraine. To date over £1,200 has been raised. Further pledges and a donation from AMPS should see the figure rise above £2,000. A record sum for the event. Guests carried on their networking well into the evening over the road at the Westminster Arms!

Preceding the conference was the AMPS 2023 AGM. In addition to the standard minutes and matters arising was the election of new Directors and retirement and, in some cases, re-election of existing ones. For the first time in many years, an AMPS Vice Chair was selected to assist the Chairman in the running of the Association. Congratulations to Louise Hazel, MD of IPU Group in taking on this role.

S Guests enjoying Colin Maclachlan’s presentation

S AMPS Chairman Paul Aitken

THE 2023/24 AMPS COUNCIL OF DIRECTORS

PAUL AITKEN

AMPS CHAIRMAN - GMI POWER

SOLUTIONS

LOUISE HAZEL

AMPS VICE-CHAIR - IPU GROUP

ALAN BEECH

CLARKE ENERGY

ANDREW BELL

MECC ALTE

CHRIS CALDWELL

CRESTCHIC

RICHARD. COLLMAN

ACOUSTICAL CONTROL

ENGINEERS LTD

KÖKEN GÜNEŞ

AKSA POWER GENERATION

EUROPE

VINCE MCCARRY

MENG MIET FUEL STORAGE

SOLUTIONS

RICCARDO SARDELLI

VOLVO PENTA

RICHARD RUSSETT

KOHLER POWER SYSTEMS

EMEA (NEW IN 2023)

NEIL SMITH CATERPILLAR

RETAIL ELECTRIC POWER

SOLUTIONS (NEW IN 2023)

CARLOS VICENTE

EMINOX LTD

PAUL WEBSTER

ATLAS COPCO

Thanks go to the retiring members of the AMPS Council who stood down following sterling service to the Association:

EREN MURAT EMRE

MSC IBM - TEKSAN

SUZANNE HOBSON

BGG UK

DEAN MANSELL

TURNER EPS (MITCHELL POWER SYSTEMS)

STEPHEN MCKINTY

CATERPILLAR

Clive has a background in mining and automotive Engineering, 9 years in private equity, and 18 years with United Utilities and Electricity North West. Sectors of interest include water, wastewater, gas & electrical power, housing, healthcare and the associated regulation.

As a Professor of Water and Energy, Author, and Chair and non-executive Director of a range of organisations Clive helps organisations prioritise, finance, and deliver competing customer service, resilience, environmental, carbon, healthcare and financial objectives.

HOME SWEET HOME

PRISON

After Uni I went to work in Africa. One night we were being lectured to by an old timer. He didn’t think much of us! “What would you do if there was a bush fire, or, if you were charged by an angry elephant?” He asked. Is that likely? We thought. “Run away? Hide in a hole? Shoot it?” We suggested. He laughed.

Planning for the unlikely is important. Work by the Basel Committee shows over the last two decades very rare but expensive losses account for the majority of losses.

So planning for very costly and certain crises is essential. Which takes me on to the decarbonisation of property. Gas and oil property heating accounts for between a quarter and a third of Europe’s energy consumption.

The table below details key UK decarbonisation deadlines:

Now these environmental deadlines have been passed into law not only are these angry elephants certain, but they are very big. BNP Paribas Real Estate estimate 8% of commercial properties in London have an EPC <E. A lack of enforcement and untested exemptions explain why across UK 185 million ft2 of retail tenants were not evicted last April 1st. This feels uncomfortable for lots of reasons.

So the pace of change over the next few years will be huge.

Before I go further, I do think we need to sort this out. Somehow. Running away from bush fires, angry African elephants and climate change doesn’t work. The problem is that there is a huge gap between our hopes and the costs.

In the residential housing sector the numbers are bigger. Focusing only on the immediate challenge of getting homes to EPC C and assuming only 50% of homes are below EPC C and allowing £10k a house that could cost UK homeowners £130 billion. That means just getting residential homes to EPC C is 10 times more costly than the ‘cladding’ scandal. Millions of homeowners could be pushed into negative equity and imprisoned in their own unsellable homes.

People with resources or an appetite to ‘green up’ have shown leadership and already invested, which is great. The industries and skills we need are beginning to be put in place. But as regulations start to require house owners to pay

Professor Clive Deadman

many thousands of pounds for insulation and heat pumps, I suspect we will start to look at EPC certificates more closely. They are a sensible tool and pragmatically applied, which is great. However, they are a very simple tool and when you measure actual energy losses with EPC certificates there are problems. Some excellent work sponsored by BEIS and undertaken by a consortium led by Etude1 has shown some homes categorised as EPC B actually have levels of heat losses expected of EPC D homes, and vice versa. Do we want a £50 EPC certificate to legally require homeowners to spend £15,000 on building works? Furthermore, the model used to calculate EPC currently gives little benefit for the instillation of heat pumps, which seems odd. Great minds are currently working on how the EPC system needs to be changed to make it more effective, which is helpful.

Market forces will drive progress but at present they are not too helpful as electricity is an expensive fuel. It is complex to unscramble different fuel heating costs due

to changing fuel prices, standing charges, taxes, transmission/delivery costs and heater efficiency issues. Fortunately, the thermal efficiency of heat pump (you get 3 times more heat out than electrical energy you put in) levels the costs out somewhat as the table above shows:

So if you invest £15k taking out an oil/gas boiler and putting in underfloor heating and heat pumps you will save your bit of the planet, but despite the costs your EPC might not change much and your fuel costs may not go down. That’s not helpful. Governments of all colours like to impose barriers and deadlines to drive progress. There is always a place for a bit of stick, but carrots work better. Banning new gas extraction in the North Sea or imposing more costs on hard pressed retail businesses last April seems short-sighted. No one likes an angry elephant and banning them may be popular, but it won’t fix the problem.

But now some good news. Despite its faults the EPC system is starting to move matters in the right direction. The thermal efficiency

of heat pumps and PV panels is improving all the time. Also if we are clever not all these costs are new costs. Over the next 20 years every gas boiler will have to be replaced so if we think our way through this it become much more affordable. While heat pumps and PV panels are exciting, better insulation will take away half the problem for ever. Insulation is well understood and over the next 25 years most properties could, at some point and at marginal cost, have more insulation fitted. A ‘fabric first’ approach is dull, affordable, and sensible.

So to conclude we have to be vigilant, keep our eyes on the horizon and think our way through this. More carrots and less sticks. This approach also solves the African challenge. The only thing to add is stay upwind of fire and downwind of elephants.

Bernard Gospel‘s continuing series of articles based on the topic of the history of engineering, loosely based on the BBC radio programmes and podcasts ‘a history of he world in 100 objects’ and ’50 things that made the modern economy’.

Bernard Gospel Technical Committee Secretary TechSec@AMPS.org.uk

engineering made the world

THE BOAT

No land bridge is known to have existed between Scotland and Orkney, and Scottish ferries were no doubt as problematical then as now! Indeed, how did they cross rivers too deep to wade? They needed boats or at least what we call now a flotation device. Perhaps a tree trunk floating down a river would have inspired our engineer to try and hitch a ride, when his friends joined him astride the trunk, it might have sunk. Obviously, the excess weight of too many passengers would push the trunk down. But this meant that they were overcoming some upward force. Where does this force come from?

It took a Greek called Archimedes (287 –212 BCE) to put some reasoning and maths behind this. He was tasked by his king with a different problem. The king had a gold crown made, the king suspected that the goldsmith had cheated and used some cheaper silver to dilute the expensive pure gold. How to tell?

Archimedes knew that gold was heavier than silver (for two equally sized pieces of gold and silver, the gold would weigh more, in modern terms gold is denser than silver). So if Archimedes knew the volume of the crown, he could weigh the crown against the same volume of gold. But how to determine the volume of gold in the

crown, since only melting the crown into a regular block would allow the volume to be measured? By now the crown was a holy relic and could not be destroyed.

Archimedes decided to have a relaxing bath. The servant filled the bath to the brim, unfazed, Archimedes stepped into the bath and let the surplus water spill over the edge of the bath. Archimedes realised that the volume of water spilt was the same as the volume of his body in the water. This was literally Archimedes’ ‘Eureka’ moment. Whether he really ran down the street shouting Eureka (I have found it!) is not known as the CCTV images were erased long ago.

He had his solution to his problem, he could fill a vessel with water, lower the crown into it, measure the volume of water spilt over the edge of the vessel and that would give him the volume of the crown. Determining the weight of that volume of pure gold would give him his answer for the king. It is not recorded if the goldsmith cheated!

How is this relevant to boats? What Archimedes discovered was that objects will displace their volume when immersed or partially immersed in a fluid. This fluid wants to return to its previous state and Is under pressure from the rest of the fluid to do so. The fluid thus exerts a pressure on the object.

Thinking of our people on Orkney, made me wonder how they got there? As the glaciers retreated, there was a land bridge where the English Channel now is, so people could walk from what is now France to England.

Archimedes’ principle states that the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially, is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces. Archimedes’ principle is a law of physics fundamental to fluid mechanics.

Archimedes’ principle allows the buoyancy of any floating object partially or fully immersed in a fluid to be calculated. The downward force on the object is simply its weight. The upward, or buoyant, force on the object is that stated by Archimedes’ principle above.

The net force on the object is the difference between the magnitudes of the buoyant force and its weight. If this net force is positive, the object rises; if negative, the object sinks; and if zero, the object is neutrally buoyant—that is, it remains in place without either rising or sinking.

In simple words, Archimedes’ principle states that, when a body is partially or completely immersed in a fluid, it experiences an apparent loss in weight that is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the immersed part of the body.

Why? Does not the shape of the object have an effect, surely a ‘Vee’ shaped boat hull will be squeezed out of the water more than a flat-bottomed boat like a barge?

Consider a cube shaped box placed on water, with a weight inside...

cube. By summing up sufficiently many arbitrarily small cubes, this reasoning may be extended to irregular shapes, and so, whatever the shape of the submerged body, the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the displaced fluid only. Logically:

weight of displaced fluid = weight of object (in vacuum) − weight of object immersed in fluid

If you have ever lifted a child from a swimming pool you get a very practical demonstration, as they become heavier the further you lift them, until they are completely out of the water, and the weight increase ceases. There is no increase in the mass of the child, it is the buoyancy which reduces.

We can express this relation in the equation, derived from Archimedes’ writings:

k Fa=pgV

Where:

k Fa denotes the buoyant force applied onto the submerged object.

k ‘p (rho) denotes the density of the fluid.

k g is the acceleration due to gravity.

k V represents the volume of the displaced fluid

Thus, among completely submerged objects with equal masses, objects with greater volume have greater buoyancy: Make your boat bigger and you can carry more load. Fresh water is less dense than seawater; boats ride lower in the water when they enter rivers from the sea.

The forces on each side will cancel out, as being equal and opposite. This leaves the top and bottom forces in opposition.

The pressure difference between the bottom and the top face is directly proportional to the height (difference in depth of submersion).

Multiplying the pressure difference by the area of a face gives a net force on the cube -  the buoyancy -  equalling in size the weight of the fluid displaced by the

In the above example,

a) in free air, the block exerts a force of 20 Newtons downwards

b) immersing the block partially in the water, reduces the force to 14 Newtons,

c) immersing the block fully in the water, reduces the force to 10 Newtons. Further immersion will not change the force.

As an experiment, take a kitchen storage box, fill a sink with water, place the box in the water. It will float almost on the surface of the water as the box has a low mass (weight). Place a bag of sugar in the box, the box will sink into the water until the weight of water displaced equals the weight of sugar plus the box.

The engineers had already worked this out empirically, but Archimedes was a mathematician. He worked out the relationships from which the formula could be derived.

As the technology of boats improved from those early log floating days, the engineers soon realised that hollowing out the boat to form a canoe reduced its mass and enabled it to support more wight. Other developments such as sails and rudders followed.

How is all this relevant to AMPS members? Consider the case of a fuel tank, if there is a flood, then the engineer has to consider the effect. The depth of the flood will result in an upwards force on the tank, it could float off its foundations unless adequately restrained.

BACKUP POWER USING RENEWABLE ENERGY? LINDA HAS THE ANSWER.

Until now, renewable energy plants in Germany have not been set up for emergency power supply in the event of a power outage. That is about to change, thanks to the award-winning LINDA research project - and Crestchic’s load bank technology is a critical part of the solution.

What is the LINDA project?

Funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the project looks at how renewable energy plants could supply power to a local “island” grid in a decentralised way in the event of a power failure.

The project - Local Island Grid Supply and Accelerated Grid Reconstruction with Decentralised Generation Plants in the Event of Large-scale Power Outages (or the more simple “LINDA” to those in the know) - seeks to explore, test and implement ways of making power generation systems use renewable energy sources for emergency power supplies.

In 2018, phase one of the project - which involved partners from across academia and industry, including the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, the Technical University of Munich, LEW Verteilnetz and LEW Wasserkraft, and KIMA automation - won the ISGAN Award (International Smart Grid Action Network) and the Bavarian Energy Prize.

The project included the development of a new emergency generator that successfully integrated renewable decentralised power generation systems, including photovoltaic systems, hydroelectric power plants, and a biogas plant, into an independent island grid. In the event of a power failure, the system was designed to supply a local grid with electricity power from existing renewable energy sources.

Emergency power - limitations of the current approach

Historically, emergency power generators have been operated in such a way that power failures can result in a temporary lapse in supply while the generator kicks in. As well as causing momentary outages and fluctuations in supply, these backups are usually supplied by diesel generators.

With the new approach, the system is designed to provide a continuous supply in the event of a power failure - using power from multiple decentralised systems and, crucially, favouring renewables as a backup power source.

In pilots of the system, LINDA was able to guarantee the uninterrupted power supply of households in the test communities. This was done without costly retrofitting of the current systems, providing an important building block for the energy transition and improved security of supply.

LINDA 2.0 - automating backup power

In the second phase of the project - LINDA 2.0 - the research team is developing a supply concept with battery storage and a diesel generator to provide an additional backup power supply. As well as providing a backup, the system is being designed to automatically balance the fluctuating power generation from decentralised systems and the energy load itself. As well as ensuring a stable and secure power supply without interruptions, the automation will enable the system to shift into emergency mode remotely, without the need for staff to be on site.

Bespoke loadbank solution helps to balance frequency

In order to automate the system, AVS - a German blackout management specialist that provides generators and grid stabilisation systems to a range of industries - worked with the team at Crestchic Loadbanks to create a fully automatic hybrid frequency-controlled power control for generators up to 1300 kVA.

Dubbed AVS Greenomic, the solution allows the system to prioritise drawing on renewable energy (e.g. CHP, wind power or photovoltaic systems) in order to provide backup power in a blackout scenarioallowing Diesel fuel consumption to be reduced by up to 80%.

The load bank itself provides a stability of voltage and frequency when switching between different power sources, and maintains a constant 20% load on the Generator. Any oversupply of energy is also consumed in a controlled manner, helping

to balance the power generation system and smooth out any frequency inbalances.

Mike Derbyshire, European Area Sales Manager at Crestchic, explains, “We’ve worked with AVS for a number of years, so were delighted to collaborate with them on a bespoke solution that would meet the requirements of the LINDA project. Our standard loadbanks and controllers were adapted to allow AVS to add their own control system, and we added additional fuse protection, an interface between the loadbank and the Greenomic assembly and the power connections themselves - all of which enables the system to balance the frequency and ensure and reliable and stable supply. It’s a high-profile project and we’re pleased to have been able to use our technical experience to support and enable the project goals.”

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ROLE OF LOAD BANKS IN BACKUP POWER SYSTEMS, VISIT WWW.CRESTCHICLOADBANKS.COM

Jasper Steinhausen

is the founder and CEO of Business With Impact.

He is a business consultant and a specialist in making sustainability profitable for SME´s in the manufacturing space.

He has helped more than 100 companies create business results through sustainability - from a full green turnaround, over creating a massive increase in branding and ability to attract talent, partners, and customers, to a company saving millions.

He is an appraised speaker and has presented on the subject of business and sustainability to well beyond 10.000 people ranging from board members and leadership teams to technical staff.

He is the longest-running circular economy business consultant in the Nordic countries and has been an advisor for the Danish government on how to accelerate the green transition through their Green Transition Fund.

SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS = PROFITS AND IMPACT

As leaders in the energy equipment manufacturing industry, your decisions significantly impact the future of our planet. If you do it right, you will get a thriving business that makes the world a better place. If you do it wrong, you will get minimal ROI and impact. If you don’t do it, you will stack the risk against you and increasingly lose out on business opportunities!

In other words – you must make yourself part of the solution to some of the world’s pressing problems to stay on top. There are two sides to this statement. The risk side and the opportunity side.

The risk argument for changing your business.

We have passed a tipping point here in Europe (and parts of the rest of the world). More and more people realise the world is out of balance. Every day people experience themselves or read about climate extremes. Hot or dry, wet or cold, stormy or completely still – you know the stories and have felt them on your body as well.

Increasingly, people are also waking up to the fact that second and third-order impacts happen, and they can be very severe. Like the increase in energy prices and power shortage in parts of Europe last year where a combination of very little rain and high temperatures and less wind that on average, made it hard to cool the nuclear powerplants in France, hard to get the coal up the rivers in Europe to the powerplants, less hydro energy from Norway and Sweden and less from electricity from the windmills.

These experiences drive change in people’s perception of the climate crisis, and they want somebody to act. And remember the

companies and governments you sell to really are a group of individuals and their decisions is starting to be influenced by their experiences. The same goes for whom they want to work for, partner with, recommend, and what kind of legislation they feel there is a need for.

The opportunity argument for changing your business.

We are so used to sustainability being seen as a mainly technical discipline. But if you think it is an environmental and technical discipline, you are missing the point.

The thing is that sustainability can be used to solve a range of common business issues. It is really a toolbox, so view it as extra layers in the toolbox for leadership, management, and business development.

Let me give you some examples: Reduce costs

By reducing waste, optimising resource use and flow, selling excess materials, and sharing resources instead of owning them outright, businesses can save money on production costs.

Create an attractive employee brand

Many people today are looking for jobs that offer a sense of purpose and meaning. By prioritising sustainability, your company will appeal to these job seekers and attract the best and brightest talent. This is perhaps the most profound shared denominator of all the countless companies I have worked with, engaged with, studied and read/ heard about over the years. They all report about becoming a magnet for great people no matter if they have deliberately tried to become it or not.

Improve productivity

This part follows the former. A highly motivated, engaged group of people that are proud to be on the team will outperform any team that you try to motivate to do something they only have mediocre feelings towards no matter how comprehensive an employee benefits program you have. It also tends to reduce gossip at the workplace simply because happiness at work is the antidote to gossip.

Improve branding and brand value

Proud and committed employees are more likely to speak positively about the

company. The same goes for your customers. Thus, your employees and your customers become your marketing department. This can lead to improved branding and a stronger reputation in the market. The solid sustainable business results you create are also something you can drive into your marketing and storytelling.

Attract partners

As a consequence of all the business value that sustainability brings with it and an increasing commitment from business leaders to step up and be part of the solution to some major problems, forward-looking and progressive companies are moving on this agenda. Thus, the most interesting partners will be companies that engage wholeheartedly in sustainability and are looking for like-minded – birds of a feather flock together.

Lower the price per customer

A similar correlation is at play here. An increasing number of companies sets targets on some aspects of sustainability. And sooner or later they start to influence who they are willing to buy from. They are looking for suppliers that match their strategic focus and values and that can bring them products and solutions that help them reach their goals – goals that is often stretch

goals and thus they require all the help they can get. Similarly, the situation for B2C is where individuals increasingly factor in sustainability in the buying process. When the match is there, it will be easier and cheaper for you to acquire a new customer. Finally, sustainability can give businesses more loyal customers

As customers become increasingly concerned with sustainability, businesses that prioritise sustainability will be better positioned to attract these consumers and build a loyal customer base.

As you can see sustainability can be used to solve a range of common issues that is on your plate as a leader. So, start and end with business when you address the green transition.

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David Murray Executive Director Sustainability First

ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE ESG

ESG - or Environment, Social, and Governance to give it its longhand name - is by far the fastest growing strategic issue confronting boards today. And from a risk and compliance perspective, ESG issues have undoubtedly been around since the very first business (probably the sale of sticks as fire starters?!)

We all appreciate the importance of having access to trusted, consistent, and comparable management information to help inform business decisions. And it is just the same for climate issues (as the most obvious “elephant-in-the-room” ESG topic).

Perhaps the biggest issue that appears across companies of all sizes, and any sector, for non-executive directors who are keen to fulfill their assurance roles with confidence, is a lack of high-quality, benchmarked, management information. Simply put, it’s so easy to waste time measuring what turned out to be the wrong things or measured the right thing but haven’t known what ‘good’ looks like. You could create a fantastic audit process to count the number or chairs on the titanic, but it’s not likely to change future outcomes...

Worse still (stay with me - I promise to end on a brighter note!), the things that external agents like lenders, auditors, grant givers, and regulators, look for aren’t always the same things that might help you to run your

business efficiently and successfully! Not what you want to hear as busy business leaders working hard to take on a recession and navigate your way through to a more fruitful future.

We’re all in this together

It may be of some comfort to know that, your industry is not alone. The Energy and water utilities (who we work closely with at Sustainability First), for example, have similar issues. Equity owners often control where things will go next, and regularly want metrics that can be compared across sectors. The number of different and unrelated returns they are asked to complete creates a big distraction from getting on with ‘the real day job’. This is one of the main reasons why I proposed during the recent AMPS conference the need for the sector to take control of its own ESG destiny. By creating your own Sustainability Reporting Standard (SRS), it’s being created by and for the sector ensuring it is relevant to your business. Also, you should have clarity on the metrics being used to support investment decisions, as you’ll know what’s being asked for, why, and how to measure and report it.

Setting the standard

There are lessons from other sectors here that will help your sector to fastrack its way to a solid standard that’s oven-ready! The key to getting this right will be drawing on

external expertise on climate for example, so that it is well-informed. Essential too, is creating a critical mass to ensure you get buy-in at the sector level and adoption with sector benchmarks.

Updating the standard on a regular cycle to ensure it all remains current and stretches companies to greater performance standards will be a big help too. And if you can co-invent this SRS with the lenders, it immediately eradicates any duplication of metrics and helps to cut through some of the mists which can surround the ESG ‘industry’ itself.

Don’t just settle for compliance

Simply reporting against a standard because it is easier than doing your own metrics to keep lenders happy is missing the point of ESG. Don’t be tempted to fall into a compliance merry-go-round. ESG reporting via an agreed standard would need to clearly sit underneath, and ideally inform strategies. Good governance through effective chairs plus good boards can assimilate all the decisions and trade-offs they need to set and refine the strategic direction of a company. The best utility companies are clear about their public purpose and value, using ESG to check on how they are doing.

Secondly, good reporting is an important component of the work of audit and risk committees but is not enough on its own. Benchmarked reports help identify strengths and weaknesses - but what a good audit and risk committee should be doing is using an ESG standard to ask questions about risks and risk appetite in the business.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast

Where a standard could be most effective is when it is used as a tool for helping to drive change in culture. Informing and listening to staff, in particular front-line staff, and changing how the organisation works. If you get the culture right, your staff retention and productivity should soar, and you’ll look very attractive to young graduates and the next wave of the workforce.

So if you want to add value to your business, improve the information you use to make business decisions, keep and attract talented staff, make borrowing cheaper and easier, and generally clarify your company’s sense of social purpose, then ESG is for you!

Should you and/or the industry want more support from Sustainability First along the way, then our charity would be delighted to explore this with you.

AMPS REGIONAL DAY

THURSDAY 22 JUNE 2023

GUEST SPEAKERS

Many thanks to Riccardo Sardelli, Director of Industrial Sales and his team for being great hosts as we held both the Council Meeting & Regional Event at the venue. It is always encouraging to see a strong attendance and to watch members network and build relationships with each other at the event. One of the key benefits of being part of

the AMPS Association is for individuals & companies to forge and build new business contacts across our industry. The Regional Event saw a wide variety range of speakers, covering various topics from micro-grids, emissions legislation, export/import support from Government, and generator market trends & statistics!

All well presented by wonderful speakers such as Keith Maclean-Martin MEng (Hons), CEng MIET Technical Director, Piller UK Ltd, Bernard Gospel, AMPS Technical Secretary, Anya J. M. Novak, the Department for Business and Trade’s Infrastructure Specialist, and Alex Woodrow, Managing Director, KGP Commercial Power train Intelligence.

We hope to see them all again at futures events! The next Regional Event is being planned for September, so if any member has a topic or suggestions to assist with our speaker choice, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Our industry is continuing to evolve and change as our members work individually and sometimes collectively, to deal with the challenges of supporting the path to Net Zero by 2035.

This is a very fluid path as new technology presents itself and old technology is being improved to continue to support industry over the same period. Part of the AMPS mission is to act as a communication centre for such trends and changes. AMPS holds these events to try and share and communicate to Members industry information and facts.

We are about to create an AMPS Policy Committee to support our interaction with Government.

As such, we extend an invitation to any member who would like to participate in the Committee.

Please contact me directly if interested: david.oates@amps.org.uk

Our first AMPS Regional Event of the year was held recently at Volvo Penta in Warwick.

WB POWER SERVICES TEAM RECOGNISED WITH KOHLER DISTRIBUTOR AWARDS

Staff at Kohler’s largest distributor in Europe, Derbyshire based WB Power Services, have been recognised in its 2022 Distributor Awards.

The Kohler Power Systems EMEA Marketing Campaign Management & Training Award was presented to Robb Shingles, Head of Marketing, with the Tools Champion Award given to Chris Wilmott, Logistics Director.

Kohler’s Olivier Andrieu and Xavier Perseq visited the WB Power Services offices in Heanor in April to present the accolades to a thrilled team.

WB Power Services Managing Director, Andrew Wilmott said he was thrilled for the team, commenting: “We became a Kohler authorised distributor in 2004, with the partnership growing in strength thanks the hard work and dedication of our teams. To have two of those team members recognised is testament to how they have built new and exciting programmes with Kohler, always with the end goal of supporting our customers through best practice and ongoing investment. Huge congratulations to Robb and Chris.”

In 2002 WB Power Services announced the expansion of its arrangement with Kohler, giving the critical power provider exclusive rights to service all data centres in England, Scotland and Wales.

Its commitment was recently recognised with the Kohler EMEA Distributor of the Year Award, acknowledging WB Power Services for a range of achievements spanning both its internal practices and ongoing business development. The enhanced partnership extends to the leading generator manufacturer recommending its former dealers in England, Scotland and Wales to purchase parts directly from WB Power Services.

As well as providing support to data centres, WB Power Services continue to supply all businesses who require Kohler parts, from healthcare providers, education, telecoms and the wider public sector amongst others.

NON-ROAD MOBILE MACHINERY (NRMM) LEGISLATION WHITEPAPER AVAILABLE

WB Power Services Ltd encourage readers to read their recent white paper which provides a concise overview of the Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) legislation, specifically focusing on emission standards for diesel engines.

The NRMM legislation, known as Regulation (EU) 2016/1628, establishes emission

limits for carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter for diesel engines with power outputs ranging from 19kW to 560kW. The legislation introduced Stage V emission standards, which were phased in by 2018 for new engine types and by 2019 for all new engines. For the full article please follow this link to the WBPS website.

HTTPS://WWW.WBPSLTD.CO.UK/BLOG/A-QUICK-GUIDE-TO-NON-ROAD-MOBILE-MACHINERYNRMM-LEGISLATION/

ENERGY BILLS DISCOUNT SCHEME –CHECK IF YOU QUALIFY?

Firms with primary operations in the sectors listed under the UK Governments ETII scheme will be eligible for support and given a per unit discount on their electricity and gas per unit prices.

The ETII sectors were identified via the EBRS review as those meeting certain thresholds for energy and trade intensity, in addition to sectors currently included in existing Energy Compensation and Exemption schemes

Your AMPS Technical Committee have identified certain categories from the list that may offer eligibility to some AMPS Members.

26.11 Manufacture of electronic components

27.20 Manufacture of batteries and accumulators

19.20 Manufacture of refined petroleum products

The full list of eligible Standard Industry Classification (SIC) codes:

HTTPS://ASSETS.PUBLISHING.SERVICE.GOV.UK/GOVERNMENT/UPLOADS/SYSTEM/UPLOADS/ATTACHMENT_DATA/FILE/1128033/230104_ETII_LIST_FOR_GOV.UK.PDF

WB POWER SERVICES TAKES THE LEAD ON OFFERING SUSTAINABLE CRITICAL POWER SOLUTIONS BY PARTNERING WITH 2G ENERGY

Industries using gas and CHP generators can now look towards a more sustainable future thanks to a new partnership between the UK’s leading critical power provider WB Power Services and 2G Energy.

2G Energy is a world leading renewable critical power solution provider, providing generators utilising natural gas, biogas, hydrogen and propane. The agreement with WB Power Services means that industries in which gas and CHP generators are the preferred method of critical power, can now meet the pressing requirements of having sustainable energy solutions.

Commenting on the partnership, WB Power Services managing director Andrew Willmott commented: “The industry is rapidly moving towards more sustainable critical power solutions and as such we have been looking for a manufacturer to partner with for some time. Our goal is to be the go-to suppler of a greener solution for industries in which gas & CHP generators are the preferred method of critical power.

“WB Power Services is a trusted supplier across a range of sectors, and this new introduction to our generator range will ensure healthcare and utilities businesses in particular can deliver more sustainable energy. They will benefit from increased energy efficiency resulting in lower costs – something that is key to building profitability. The quality of the 2G generators is outstanding and we are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with an industry leading manufacturer.”

By supplying the gas and CHP generators from 2G Energy, WB Power Services will increase its market presence in the utility and healthcare sectors, opening up new opportunities to drive growth with these two segments. 2G Energy’s generators provide industry-leading renewable critical power solutions for customers, helping support long-term sustainability and increasing energy efficiency, which will greatly reduce costs for customers.

The 2G Energy range of CHP and gas generators from WB Power Services will

be introduced to the market in early May, following a detailed training programme. To support the rollout, 2G Energy will be showcasing the range to WB Power Services customers on Monday 21st May. Its hydrogen CHP solution will be presented to customers on its ‘UK Hydrogen Tour’ which will involve demonstrating a 100% hydrogen CHP on a lorry which would facilitate presentations, the chance for any questions to be answered and product demos.

This will be particularly applicable to the waste water industry due to its focus on net zero. WWTP have space to apply electrolysers (in combination with elements such as PV and wind) which are generating hydrogen and oxygen. WWTP could reduce energy consumption by using that oxygen by 20+%. The hydrogen could be turned into zero carbon power and heat to support the sites zero carbon agenda while using the biogas available in addition.

AMPS COUNCIL MEMBERS

PAUL AITKEN

COUNCIL MEMBER

CHAIRMAN ANDREW BELL

MECC ALTE UK

COUNCIL MEMBER

RICHARD A COLLMAN

ACOUSTICAL CONTROL ENGINEERS

COUNCIL MEMBER

RICHARD RUSSETT KOHLER POWER SYSTEMS

COUNCIL MEMBER

VINCE MCCARRY FUEL STORAGE SOLUTIONS

COUNCIL MEMBER

RICCARDO SARDELLI VOLVO GROUP

COUNCIL MEMBER

PAUL WEBSTER ATLAS COPCO

COUNCIL MEMBER

PAUL CAMPBELL INDUSTRIAL POWER SYSTEMS LTD

VICE CHAIR

LOUISE HAZEL

IPU GROUP

COUNCIL MEMBER

ALAN BEECH CLARKE ENERGY

COUNCIL MEMBER

CHRIS CALDWELL CRESTCHIC

COUNCIL MEMBER

KÖKEN GUNES AKSA POWER GENERATION

COUNCIL MEMBER

CARLOS VICENTE EMINOX LTD

COUNCIL MEMBER

NEIL SMITH CATERPILLAR RETAIL ELECTRIC POWER SOLUTIONS

COUNCIL MEMBER

GEOFF HALLIDAY WBPS LTD

IMPROVE THE RELIABILITY AND RESILIENCE OF YOUR MACHINERY

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