Is Your Company Embracing the Big Challenges in Power-Gen?

Facing challenges to become more diverse, digitalized and environmentally friendly - while meeting strict regulations - it’s testing times for companies in power generation (power-gen).

With the industry in transition, adaptability holds the key.

After speaking with countless senior contacts in my network, I’ve identified four companies who exemplify adaptability and are embracing the challenges heading into 2020:

Dale Power

Readers of my previous articles this year will know that I’m a strong advocate for encouraging female professionals into the industrial sector. So, it’s no shock I’m again championing Dale Power who are building a platform for women to grow working within their diverse environment.

The Dale Power apprenticeship scheme alone has been recognised by the Star Women in Business Awards, IET Women in Engineering Awards and won the Large Employer category for the National Apprenticeship Awards in recent years. Speaking with their Head of Marketing, Christopher Grimes, it’s clear that that a diverse workplace is a priority.

While the Dale Power offering includes innovations like multi-asset remote monitoring and a containerised UPS system, it’s the investment Dale Power put into their people and infrastructure that makes the company stand out – reflected by countless accolades.

Our people make the difference. From the technical expertise helping us deliver unique solutions across the UK and offshore, to the business accreditations that the team push for to ensure our solutions surpass the requirements of the supply chain and our clients.

They were among the first to receive the Princess Royal Training Award and one of the few to gain the Queens Award for Enterprise, in promoting opportunity, which sits alongside two other Queens Awards for Export. They’re also a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer.

Moving forward Dale Power will continue to invest in its people, product innovation and client solutions for more sustainable ways to provide seamless, continuous power for clients.

I believe this will set them in very good stead for the future and leaves the UK’s number one service and solutions provider of standby power systems well-placed for growth.

Sauer Compressors

Sauer Compressors are also in a healthy position, having long been a market leader in air and gas compression.

William Koester, Product Marketing Manager at Sauer Compressors, contributes their market success to more than just a great product offering. He explained how they’ve developed a culture that provides a “know-how” advantage over the competition.

Throughout its history, the company’s insightful leadership has been able to identify future issues and begin to proactively provide solutions before anyone else. 

Take helium scarcity, for instance. Sauer Compressors has been supplying special compressors for helium recovery and recirculation to customers in the university and research and development sectors since the 1970s. Such work puts them in a great position to handle the scarcity issue.

This standing will be strengthened by the introduction of their Orkan high-pressure air-cooled compressor series, set to go on market in 2020.

These are designed for gases like helium, hydrogen and CNG; offering oil-lubricated high-pressure piston compressors for air and gases of up to 110 kW for final pressures of up to 500 bar(g), plus booster solutions with inlet pressures of up to 16 bar(g).

With the market transitioning toward more green, renewable solutions where gases such as hydrogen and CNG will play a key role; Sauer are likely to be well-positioned again to solve a major industry issue again.

Genertek Power Industries

Looking to solve another issue in power-gen, cost, single source power generation solution providers, Genertek Power Industries (GPI), are leading innovation for cost-effective rapid response solutions.

Their global offering includes a single source solution for designing, packaging and constructing power plants.  This is coupled with a power generator solution to safely deliver and install power stations and support infrastructures.

GPI offers the only medium speed 2-cycle (750-900rpm) engine driven generator sets, that offer a 1000kW, 1500kW, 2000kW, 2500kW, 3000kW and 3350kW generator set in ether a 50HZ or 60hZ configuration – all packaged in a single container or a single trailer package.

These medium speed generator sets are six times less costly to maintain than any high-speed engine driven generator set, require the lowest number of site present manning hours and are designed to be operated in either manned or unmanned power stations from 1000 Kilowatts to 100 Megawatts. 

GPI have virtually eliminated unnecessary failure and unscheduled down time. The GPI control system makes you constantly aware of the exact real time operating condition of the unit, ensuring that the generator set is always performing in optimal running condition. 

The cost of ownership of a GPI medium generator sets, spare parts, overhaul parts and consumables for these remarkable two-cycle engines provide owners the lowest O&M cost per kW over any high speed or medium engine/generator set available in the market today.

Clarke Energy

While cost is clearly important, so is service.

That’s where Clarke Energy come in, who are an international specialist in gas-based embedded power-gen, operating in 25 countries.

Their Knowsley headquarters, near Liverpool, hold the largest inventory of INNIO Jenbacher spare parts in the world, beside its manufacturing facility in Austria.

As well as offering full scheduled maintenance, this northern powerhouse also provides reconditioned swing-engines and service exchange items at customer sites to ensure the lowest downtime for their engine.

This means they can provide rapid support for any unscheduled repairs or maintenance, making their service quicker than any competitor and helping them become a market leader.

Speaking with Alexander Marshall, one the UK’s top 10 ‘Most Engaged Marketers’ and Group Marketing and Compliance Director at Clarke Energy, it was clear reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during energy production for climate control is key.

According to Alexander, improving the efficiency of Clarke Energy’s Jenbacher gas engines is INNIO’s day-to-day business. Using a combined heat and power (CHP) application, high GHG emission reductions can be achieved. With the introduction of CHP gas engines, CO₂ emissions will reduce by 70%.

Gas engines can also play a vital role in enabling intermittent wind and solar power. With projections indicating up to 12GW of flexible gas engine generation being required to balance demand and supply on the UK grid by 2030.

Clarke Energy are in a strong position going into 2020. Their adding new products and services to their offering - including biogas upgrading plants – and demonstrating that they’re ready to meet the 2050 decarbonisation targets.

As the industry evolves to meet new expectations, companies will continue diversify, digitalize and become more environmentally friendly. While these companies appear to have adapted well to the challenges, there’s no doubt that achieving a successful balance will prove problematic for others behind the pace.