HTIP Ltd have developed a voltage optimiser which is designed to be installed in homes after the electricity meter/mains switch. The unit can reduce the voltage supply to a household and therefore the energy consumption of the home.
In some cases, the voltage at the infeed to homes can be up to 250 V. The unit uses power electronics to regulate the supply to 220 V. When the voltage optimiser detects a demand below a particular current threshold the unit runs in voltage optimiser mode and above this current threshold the unit runs in bypass mode and does not regulate the voltage.
This was the second time that the HTIP voltage optimiser unit was tested on the PNDC LV network. This phase of testing was used to assess a range of design revisions which the University of Warwick has supported HTIP Ltd on. A key objective was to assess the behaviour of the revised design during LV fault conditions, during testing PNDC applied faults in over 2 kA at the customer side of the voltage optimiser.
Using our test network at the centre, heating and lighting loads were employed on the units to vary the load applied to the voltage optimiser under test. Seven of the units were subjected to fault conditions. The fault behaviour was recorded on the Fluke power quality analysers for later analysis at the University of Warwick.
The client now has confidence in the design changes that proved successful as well as having the opportunity to investigate further some of the challenges observed. All units went through rigorous testing, were exposed to representative fault currents on our controlled and safe environment at PNDC.
Along with the assets PNDC provided, technicians and research engineers were on hand with the client to provide support with the equipment and tests.
As part of our close-down satisfaction survey, the University of Warwick representative that attended the testing said they were “extremely likely” to recommend us, “extremely satisfied” with our services and were “extremely likely” to use us again in the future.