Electricity + Control August 2019

round up ELECTRICAL PROTECTION + SAFETY

Enhanced data centre for low voltage monitoring systems

UK-based Lucy Electric is a global leader in switching, protection and automation solutions for electrical distribution systems, with 200 years’ industry experience. At the cutting edge of ring main unit design and innovation, engineering medium and low voltage switchgear, overhead line equipment and providing retrofit and automation solutions, Lucy Electric’s power distribution solutions facilitate the delivery of electricity to homes and businesses worldwide. With its headquarters in Thame, Oxfordshire, Lucy Electric also has offices in China, Dubai, Malaysia and South Africa. Manufacturing facilities in the UK, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and India enable the company to provide a global service. With its industrial partners and contractors, Lucy Electric has an established network operating in over 50 countries. Enquiries: Lucy Electric, visit www.lucyelectric.com

decision-making and active network management. Working on the best way to display information to network operators has been an 18-month project. The team at GridKey collaborated with external experts who brought experience from a variety of other industries. Data Centre Team Leader Jordon Griffiths says, “When designing the display of information our objective was to make it as intuitive as possible – providing a top level dashboard which allows simple prioritisation of any issues found on the network, while still allowing the user to see the raw data collected, if needed. The dashboard provides simple colour-coded status information and allows filtering so that specific network issues can be understood and addressed. “It is readily accessible for customers and no new software is required. The interface uses a secure password- protected, web-based portal, so customers can login through their current computers.” The new Data Centre has a built- in continuous improvement loop. The website dashboard features a ‘Provide Feedback’ button for customers to send comments directly back to the team. This feedback is reviewed regularly and will form part of GridKey’s future development plans. Monthly updates to the analytics and graphical interface are also planned, providing new features and continuing to refine solutions in line with customers’ requirements.

Lucy Electric, a leader in secondary power distribution solutions, has launched a new, enhanced Data Centre, designed specifically for low voltage monitoring systems. Part of the GridKey low voltage monitoring range, the new Data Centre has enhanced analytical features and a completely new web-based, front-end graphical user interface (GUI). Based on the previous No-SQL database structure the newData Centre allows analytics to run on the data collected in real time, so that issues such as voltage excursions, fault information and power quality problems can be quickly identified. Director of Smart Grids for Lucy Electric, Paul Beck, explains the benefits to customers: “The real value of low voltage monitoring doesn’t come from the data produced by the monitoring equipment installed on the network, but from the information derived from that data. The value is in what we call ‘actionable information’, that is, information that allows the network operator to take action, to reduce operating costs and improve the service for consumers.” As well as the enhanced analytics, the new front-end GUI is designed to help operators interpret the monitoring data quickly through clear, at-a-glance dashboards. By providing a simple representation of complex data which can be interrogated at network, regional and individual substation level, the user interface supports faster, value-based

The new Data Centre in the GridKey low voltage monitoring system enables analytics to run on real-time data so that fault information or power quality problems can be identified quickly.