Ensuring a healthy power supply

The 21st century has been characterised by the ‘green’ agenda, and the drive towards lower carbon emissions and renewable energy. Globally, we have made headway on this and, in the UK, political will and media awareness campaigns mean that we are more frugal with the energy we use, more critical of the energy we waste, and more open to changes in the way we generate energy. Despite all of this, however, pressure on the National Grid has never been greater. We are using more energy than ever before and, while the availability of sustainable energy is growing, it is by no means keeping pace with increases in demand. The net result of all of this is that the risk of mains power outages is higher than it has ever been before. For hospitals, where the availability of a reliable power supply is not just business-critical, but could prove a matter of life and death, this is a very worrying risk indeed.

Higher demand; higher outage risk

 Of course, mains outages are nothing new; temporary faults, technical issues; and bad weather, can all affect the power supply. However, as the risk of outages increases due to higher demands on the grid, and hospitals’ reliance on electrical equipment increases due to advances in medical technology, the need for standby power has never been greater. The good news is that advances in control technology now mean that hospitals can be switched to standby power systems almost instantly, with the available load prioritised for the most critical services first. Designing such a system, however, requires a high level of expertise, and a collaborative process with the hospital concerned that will factor in both its current, and future, energy requirements.