Case Study: Backup Generator Power for NHS Distribution Warehouse

The SRE power projects team helped a distribution warehouse ensure that it could operate during power outages, with the supply and installation of a 110kVA standby power generator.

The Power Problem

The warehouse manages the ordering, storage, and distribution of fast-moving consumable products to hospitals and medical facilities in Wales. Our projects team were contacted to help the warehouse operation from power outages.

The winter period often places heavy demand on the National Grid, with the potential for planned power cuts to help lower demand for electricity. Power outages can also happen at any time, and whilst the local IT servers are UPS protected, the UPS battery pack only provides sufficient backup power to shut down the servers in an orderly manner. The distribution warehouse needed a longer backup solution. Not just for the servers but the entire operation, in order that supply distribution was unaffected by planned or sporadic power outages.

Standby Power Generation

To protect the building electrical circuits required a standby power feed to supply the main distribution board. Readings were taken to establish the building load and a 110kVA Kohler generator from our power generation range.

Supplied with a built-in fuel tank, the generator is powered using HVO fuel rather than more polluting diesel. HVO stands for hydrotreated vegetable oil, sometimes referred to as ‘renewable diesel.’ HVO is part of the paraffinic family of fuels and offers a fossil-free alternative to mineral diesel, which can result in a reduction of up to 90% in Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Electrical Distribution Challenge

The main distribution board was supplied directly from the on-site substation. The projects team had to install extensive cabling and trunking for a purpose-built Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS), connection to the main distribution board, and manage a planned power disconnection with Scottish Power over a weekend period.

Final connection of the generator to the building is made through an IP-rated cabinet with plug-in connections. This allows the generator to be relocated later, if required.