Category Archives: Information

£4 Million Boost To Help Switch Vans And Trucks To Electric

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£4 Million Boost To Help Switch Vans And Trucks To Electric

The government is committing an additional £4 million to the Plug-In Van grant scheme extending the eligibility to larger electric vehicles.

  • electric trucks above 3.5 tonnes eligible for grants of up to £20,000
  • scheme will help improve air quality in towns and cities
  • move to electric vehicles crucial for decarbonising the transport system

Businesses will now benefit from grants up to £20,000 when switching their large trucks to electric vehicles, Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark announced during a 3 day visit to Japan where he is meeting Japanese automotive companies.

The Plug-In Van grant has been available to small commercial vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes since 2012, but sales of new electric vans have remained limited.

Electric vans and trucks have significant air quality benefits, as they spend much of their time in towns and city centres and over 96% of them are diesel-powered.

The government is now committing an additional £4 million to the scheme so that all vans and trucks meeting the necessary requirements are eligible as part of the drive to reduce carbon emissions from transport use.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said:

The electric car revolution is well underway with consumers and this funding will encourage more businesses to consider switching to cleaner vans and trucks.

Our automotive sector is thriving with the world’s most popular electric car already made in the UK and we are forging ahead to deploy new engine technology to make low-carbon vehicles mainstream, and leading the way in driverless car technology.

The government and industry continue to work together to support the UK’s world class automotive industry to ensure we continue to be the number one place in the world to develop and manufacture cars.

The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), a joint unit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Transport, believes extending the scheme will stimulate demand for more electric vans and trucks, and consequently encourage new entrants into the electric van market.

The government and industry continue to work together to support the UK’s world class automotive industry, including on the Advanced Propulsion Centre, which has invested £1 billion to develop low carbon technologies. We have also invested £100 million in connected and autonomous vehicles, and through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles we are also helping work up the most constructive programme to support the adoption of electric vehicles.

It is the second visit the Business Secretary has made to Japan since his appointment in July 2016, highlighting the personal importance he attaches to this particular relationship. Japan is the second biggest investor in the UK and their track record of co-operation in the development of new technologies and business models is second to none. In addition to visiting Nissan, the Business Secretary also met with Honda and Toyota executives.

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story via gov.uk

Terasaki Electric TD3 M10 TD3 M06 Miniature Circuit Breaker- Recall

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Terasaki Electric TD3 M10 TD3 M06 Miniature Circuit Breaker- Recall

Terasaki Electric (Europe) Ltd – The following notice has been issued by the manufacturer:

They have detected a raw material non-conformity during the quality control process. Two products were affected: TD3 M10 and TD3 M06 miniature circuit breakers. Only certain products within a specific date range are affected. No failures of installed products have been reported to the manufacturer as of the time-of-writing, but it was decided to implement product recall and withdrawal procedure as a precautionary measure:

A large number of 10 kA MCBs and 6 kA MCBs are being recalled; for a full list see:  http://www.terasaki.co.uk/1.2_News/12_Index.htm

They have already contacted their customers who have bought these items according to the records.

If you have concerns about your installed products, you may contact Terasaki.

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UK Electronics Company Develop Parts For Britwind Wind Turbines

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UK electronics company develop bespoke coil and machinery for wind turbine manufacturer

AGW Electronics have designed and developed a bespoke coil and associated winding machine for UK wind turbine manufacturer Britwind.

Due to the compact nature and unusual shape of the wind turbine, standard products were unable to be used. AGW have not only ensured that the coil was wound with great control and precision, but also manufactured a specific machine allowing them to fulfil this order.

Initially, Britwind approached AGW with a prototype coil that had been made in parts where the separate wire strands had to be soldered together. This had been challenging and the coil that was developed was subject to vulnerability and quality problems, as well as taking up some needed space in the design.

AGW were able to develop a bespoke coil which had a continuous run of the wire strands (so no solder joints) despite the coil winding having to change direction.

“We knew that we would be able to provide a solution to our client’s challenge, however, initially we did not have a machine at that time that was capable of making the specified coil. As specialists in the design and manufacture of bespoke electronics components we manufactured a specific machine to allow us to fulfil their requirements.”
Nigel Godwin, MD AGW

We hope that our new development for this company will allow us to work further with other similar companies in this industry with cost effective results.

“The winding component was very technically challenging, however AGW displayed their knowledge and years of technical experience throughout the process and their winding technique achieved a very consistent control of the coil. We had great communication with AGW all the way through the project and we were very impressed by their resourcefulness in building a bespoke machine.”
Mike Wastling, Technical Director, Britwind.

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Workshop – HSE Inspectors Guide to Electrical Safety

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Workshop – HSE Inspectors Guide to Electrical Safety – 14th September 2016

This workshop will be delivered by current and former Specialist Electrical Inspectors with extensive industry experience including giving guidance to duty holders, experience with serious incident investigations and enforcement action. The workshop is based on HSE’s practical enforcement experience which arises out of the businesses it inspects, generally those in the higher risk industries but also those where although the hazards can be high, the risks are thought to be well-controlled.

The workshop will give you a practical understanding of what HSE inspectors are looking for in the control of general electrical safety risks, including the risk and appropriate controls. You will review known high risk electrical safety issues together with the appropriate controls based on HSE’s investigation experiences and understand the practical application of HSE’s Enforcement Management Model.

The course will cover:

  • Relevant legislation, guidance and industry best practice.
  • High-risk and priority issues an HSE inspector will focus on in general electrical safety.
  • Managing electrical distribution networks and controlling risks to third parties; legislation, guidance.
  • How to reflect on and plan for any necessary improvements in the control of risks associated with electricity before an HSE inspector calls.
  • Electrical safety issues that are likely to trigger enforcement action.
  • What happens when things go wrong? (An insight into forensic investigation)

Who should attend?

Health and Safety Professionals responsible for managing or advising on the interface between businesses and the HSE.  Business owners, senior managers and technical specialists responsible for managing and controlling general electrical safety risks. Owners and operators of both public (licenced) and private (unlicenced) electrical distribution networks.

Venue

The course will be run at the HSL laboratory in the spa town of Buxton. Buxton is in the heart of the Peak District and has good links to mainline train stations and Manchester International Airport.

Details of hotels in the Buxton area can be found at www.visitbuxton.co.uk

Cost

The cost of this course is £495 per person (includes course notes, lunch and refreshments).

More Details

For more details, or to book on this please click here

Details via HSL website.

 

Where Does The UK Get Its Energy From ?

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The UK is consuming less energy than it did in 1998 and more of the energy we are consuming is coming from renewable sources.

However, at the same time, the decline in North Sea oil and gas production has meant the UK has become increasingly dependent on imports of energy.

But just how dependent are we? How do we compare to our European neighbours? And what are we importing and where is it coming from?

UK energy: consumption down and renewable energy up

There was a 17% fall in the amount of energy used by the UK between 1998 and 2015.

This may be explained by:

  • the increased use of energy-efficient technologies by households and firms
  • government policies designed to reduce energy consumption
  • a decline of UK manufacturing, especially in energy-intensive industries

Reliance on imported energy rises back up to 1970 levels

Despite the overall fall in UK energy consumption and the increasing use of renewable and waste sources, the UK’s reliance on imported energy has returned to the levels last seen around the mid-to late-1970s.

In recent years our reliance on imported energy has been on an upward trend but it has now fallen from its recent peak in 2013.

All EU countries now import more energy than they export

All EU countries imported more energy than they exported in 2014. In terms of rankings, of the 28 EU countries the UK was the 12th most dependent on foreign sources of energy; less reliant than Germany and Italy but more reliant than Sweden and the Netherlands.

Furthermore, in 2014 the UK’s import dependency was below the EU average and the UK was the least dependent on foreign sources of energy out of the five EU countries who consumed the largest amounts of energy overall (namely Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK).

However, even though the UK’s reliance on imported energy is still below its EU neighbours, the UK is now more in line with them than it has been in recent history.

Since 1998 the UK has gone from being a net exporter to a net importer of energy while Germany, Spain, France and Italy have all consistently imported more energy than they exported.

From oil and natural gas from Norway to coal and diesel from Russia – just where do our energy imports come from?

In 2015 the UK’s main types of imported fuel were crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products (for example, petrol and diesel). We also imported electricity and coal and other types of solid fuel (like wood) in smaller amounts.

Electricity imports

It might seem strange but the UK does actually import electricity that is created elsewhere. Imports of electricity made up 1% of our fuel imports in 2015.

This electricity is imported via interconnectors and it comes mainly from France and the Netherlands.

Information via gov.uk

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