Annual Review 2015

● Year Overview● News & Updates● What's New in Renewables● Guide to PPE Glove Protection● New Recruits● Arc Flash Trend Update● Power Quality 2015 Trends● Electrical Design Overview● SafeSite Development● Graduate Reports● New Offices and Entry into UK Market

Welcome to our review of 2015 where we take a breather, look back and absorb the year’s happenings.

We kicked off the year by moving our HQ to new offices, the first we have owned – the Premium Power building at 2A Fingal Bay Business Park. This gives us the physical space to grow the business. This has allowed us to accommodate six new staff members. 2015 also saw us open our first office abroad in Birmingham, UK.  

Our financial year finished in May and this shows an increase in sales of 20% with a steady increase in demand for power analysis services, particuarly forindustrial and data centre clients and grid code compliance for the renewable industry.

Managing renewable power generation projects for high tech manufacturers is still busy, with solar projects growing in demand after an initial surge in wind turbine projects.

Our commitment in the advancement of power generation from renewable energy sources continued this year and we were pleased to accept the invitation to join the technical development committee of the Irish Solar Energy Association.

Electrical safety services are in high demand with a particular emphasis on the provision of tools which allow clients manage electrical risks. You can read more later in this review how items such as arc flash, required PPE, electrical risk assessments, permitting, employee training and competence can all be managed using a new software product called SafeSite.

Our continued focus on excellence was demonstrated during our external audits for ISO9001, OHSAS18001 as well as a new accreditation achieved in October with our Achilles UVDB verification.

Our reputation has truly extended globally this year. We have just kicked off our first project in South America having worked on power analysis projects in Finland, Belgium, Holland, UK and Italy during the year.

Our hard working team deserve great credit for their achievements this year and are ambitious for the future as we continue to provide high-class service to our clients and develop the best in breed engineers.

 

A year of growth

Paula O'NeillDecember 2015

PREMIUM POWER NOMINATED FOR SFA ENERGY AWARDPremium Power was delighted to be selected as a finalist in the Small Firm’s Association annual awards in 2015. This was the first year the company entered the awards and beat off stiff competition to be one of the 33 finalists named. Nominated in the energy and environmental sustainability category Premium Power attended the business showcase in Dublin Castle and the awards themselves in February. Managing Director of Premium Power Paula O’Neill said: “This was a great networking event for Premium Power and we were delighted to meet with other businesses on a growth path for 2015.”The event was closed by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton and business presenter and CEO of Insomnia Bobby Kerr.

By working with a number of high profile clients, Premium Power is at the forefront of implementing the most ground-breaking electrical procedures in industry. In 2014 and 2015 Premium Power worked with MSD Ballydine to take their worldwide issued safety procedures and implement them locally on site. The program was nominated for an award in the health and safety a category ward at the Pharma Industry Awards in October 2015 and is being rolled out across other MSD sites. Premium Power were delighted to attend the awards which recognise excellence throughout the industry.

MSD FINALIST IN PHARMA AWARDS

An awarding year in 2015

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Famous in China!Our former electrical engineering intern Muyang Liu popped back to Premium Power offices in October with a camera crew in tow! Muyang was featured on International Channel Shanghai on a programme called 'All About Going Abroad', which is due to be broadcast in the Spring so look out for us! Here she is with her Premium Power mentor Andrew Hogan.

We were delighted to receive multiple 100% grades in our recent audit of UVDB verification, powered by Achilles. Achilles UVDB allows for a transparent supplier selection for tender opportunities and aims to help utility companies manage risk within their supply chain and comply with EU Procurement Legislation.Managing Director Paula O’Neill said: “We went through a rigorous assessment and worked hard to prove we we met the required standards. Our award shows our commitment and the effectiveness of our employees when on customer sites, in theareas of healthAnd safety, quality, CSR and environment.”

Audit Success

Senior Project Engineers Michal Sopocko and Andrew Hogan travelled to LA in the United States in the summer, to carry out advanced SKM power systems analysis training. This training qualifies the engineers to train others. Always on the job!

The guys hit LA

In the past year we have seen significant growth in our renewable integration services sector. We predicted this surge from two years ago when looking at the large amount of wind due to be connected to the grid at concentrated parts of the transmission system.

Premium Power invested in tailored power system software licences such as DigiSILENT PowerFactory to meet the forthcoming demand. Extensive training with these new tools has been provided to bring the engineers up to speed in carrying out complex modelling exercises.

This has significantly strengthened the company’s ability to provide complex technical services such as harmonic studies, fault ride through, transformer inrush, voltage flicker, voltage imbalance, transient stability and active/reactive studies.

More stringent EirGrid requirements have recently  come to light with respect to power quality when new facilities are seeking connection to the grid. This includes compliance to the specified transmission system impedance loci at the point of connection.

Premium Power has the expertise to help clients comply with these onerous regulations using our highly trained and experienced staff. We have also applied these studies to renewable projects in the UK. A thorough understanding of the UK grid codes is required as they differ somewhat to the ones applied in Ireland.

More recently we have begun applying our specialised services to the solar industry which is predicted to be a large growth area in 2016. The integration of solar in both the UK and Ireland also requires specialised studies to enable grid code compliance. With the ongoing largescale integration of renewables onto the grid it is expected that our renewable design department will see continued growth through 2016 and beyond.   

Paul Dempsey looks at the effect new grid code requirements have had on Premium Power's work in the renewable integration sector

New RecruitsIt was a year of expansion at Premium Power with five new electrical engineers starting, a marketing manager and a health and safety guru

Nicola Cassidy has a background in press, PR and journalism and looks after Premium Power's events, communications and social media.

Leo Fitzgerald took part in Premuim Power's graduate programme and is now a full time engineer. He specialises in solar.

Graham Burns is an engineering graduate of Napier University, Edinburgh and specialises in power systems and renewables.

Brian O'Shea previously worked as as an O&M engineer in the solar generation, Cardiff. He is a graduate of Napier University, Edinburgh.

Garrett Moran ran his own business for a decade before returning to study to become an engineer. He is passionate about sustainable energy.

John Conway holds a masters in Sustainable Energy from University College Cork and has a background in the automative industry.

Marketing Manager

Electrical Engineer

Electrical Engineer

Electrical Engineer

Electrical Engineer

Electrical Engineer

Arc Man was recruited by Premium Power as a special mascot for electrical health and safety. He will be attending all our shows and making special appearances in 2016. You can follow the adventures of Arc Man on our Twitter account @premium_power

Meet Arc Man

Advancement in Arc Flash Awareness

Premium Power held three open training seminars in 2015 in Galway, Dublin and Cork, following on from our event in Belfast in December 2014. All events were well attended by a number of different companies seeking information on the dangers of arc flash, arc flash legislation, arc flash mitigation techniques and training.

Premium Power Electrical Projects Lead Engineer Andrew hogan said knowledge and interest in arc flash and electrical safety is growing as shown by the large turn out all the events this year.

“We are seeing a better awareness of arc flash and the hazards it presents. Events like these help educate those most at risk of arc flash hazards and those who have the power, such as health and safety

safety officers and maintenance managers, to introduce risk assessments into their own workplaces.” Premium Power hold regional training events throughout Ireland and the UK. To find out about our next upcoming event email info@premium-power.com

Some of the Premium Power team at our arc flash event in Dublin

On Site TrainingTalk to us about organising specific electrical safety training at your facility. In 2015 Premium Power visited over a dozen pharmaceutical and advanced manufacturing facilities to deliver bespoke on site training, in areas such as arc flash, electrical safety procedures and PPE. Due to client demand our training package has been altered to include training on risk assessments and how arc flash hazards can be incorporated into standard electrical risk assessments.

0ur new updated arc flash brochure is available on www.premium-power.com

Arc Flash 2015 Update

Arc flash risk hazard analysis still remains greatly underdeveloped in Europe. As Europeans, the normal trend for carrying out arc flash hazard analysis was to continuously monitor what our colleagues in the US were doing and seek guidance from them. The approach to safe working in Europe has always been risk assessments, designing out the hazard and implantation of auxiliary control measures. This was not the case in the US. For those in Europe who managed to carry out arc incident energy calculations, the next steps were often blurred because our US counterparts had only one fixed answer following an arc flash study – PPE.

Adhering to the legislation and guidelines in Europe, Premium Powers stance on PPE is that it should only be applied once all other engineering and/or

administrative control measures have been considered and implemented. Bridging the gap between our US multinational clients, corporate health and safety requirements and the local health and safety requirements in Ireland has always been a challenge.However 2015 saw a major shift on how arc flash hazard analysis is carried out globally. The new NFPA 70E Standard was released containing significant changes that greatly impacted all parties on both sides of the Atlantic. One significant change was the need for arc flash risk assessments. For the first time it was acknowledged that calculating incident energies was no longer sufficient. Adopting the European approach, it is now an NFPA requirement that detailed electrical risk assessments take place once a study has been performed.

Andrew Hogan discusses how the US is still ahead when it comes to Arc Flash analysis, but that Europe is catching up

Michael Sopocko and Paul Dempsey pictured at IWEA's Autumn conference

2015 was the busiest year yet for the power quality department in Premium Power. The variety of projects we participated in, saw a further expansion of our power quality team and a growth in expertise. Premium Power are well known harmonic experts. We provided a significant number of studies for pharmaceutical and medical devices semiconductor, plastic extrusion and food industry clients in 2015. This year a substantial growth was recorded in the utility and renewable sector as harmonic studies became compulsory with the new grid requirements for connection of embedded generation. As a result we are also sizing and designing more filtering solutions. This year was busy too for custom projects.

Premium Power collaborated with inventors, start-ups and well established equipment designers in 2015. We have tested prototype generators, participated in filtering design for tidal turbine and carried out trouble shooting for a test hybrid facility connected at the generation level. Increased demand for power quality studies resulted in expansion of our software capabilities (new Power Factory DigSILENT and PSCAD modules) and growth of the team: Leo, Brian and John. We have also introduced a new range of power quality analysers – DRANETZ HDPQ, to be able to meet expectations of even most demanding clients. Extensive market research, carried out in the early months of 2015, allowed us to introduce new brands and power quality equipment types to the market. We have successfully commissioned a number of Schaffner Active Harmonic Filters, provided PFC and filtering solutions from Alstom/Nokian and established cooperation

Power Quality Challenges

Michal Sopocko is Engineering Manager with Premium Power

with Merus Power, TDK and Enspec.

Not bad for one year.

Premium Power are known for many specialist technical electrical engineering services however our capabilities as a one stop shop for electrical systems design consultancy is only beginning to be known in the wider industry. Thisyear we formed partnerships with our clients and electrical contractors to deliver challenging MV strategic system planning, Primary LV Distribution system upgrades and also UPS system projects. These projects were mainly for clients operating in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors.

Robbie GilbertDesign Engineer

Ferroro Rocher at the ready! We were delighted to welcome a delegation of African Ambassadors in Summer 2015. The representatives were in Ireland to discuss the growing power systems market in Africa

It is clear that the electrical industry is becoming more aware of the need to combat electrical hazards through good design practices.  Safety, risk management and reliability have joined energy efficiency in electrical system management priorities for our clients in 2015.  In the recent past, cost competitiveness may have been prioritised due to budgetary constraints, but now there is a longer term value perspective taken. Electrical hazards and risk management are now important factors.

Electrical Design

International Visitors

SafeSite-Live is a safety, permitting and contractor management software.The software has been designed to be a flexible and web enabled service for facilities looking to improve their site safety, task planning and contractor management.

The contractor management systems allows users to see the tasks scheduled, to choose specific employees, and view and download important documents.

SafeSite-Live ensures that contractor employees are competent to work on your site and gives site-wide access to information.

 During our onsite work with customers we noticed a gap in the market for customisable safety permit and contractor management software.

Alan O'KellySafeSite Developer

Efficient management of electrical permitting, PPE, competency and contractor management.

SafeSite-Live is a site aware document management tool.It can store any documentation including schematics, Single Line Diagrams, Arc Flash information and much more in asingle location.

Interactive graphics shows electrical equipment on single line drawings or physical locations. SafeSite has been developed with partner companies and is currently deployed on a number of test sites.  Look out for full launch in Q1 2016. 

Learning on the jobJohn McCarthy is 18 months into his 2 year graduate programme with Premium Power. He comments on all he has learned since leaving university.

I applied to Premium Power’s graduate programme because I was interested in the power industry. This programme highlighted personal and business development as well as technical. That appealed to me. I’m involved in a lot of projects and get to experience far more than I might in a larger company. I’m involved in power quality studies, arc flash studies and system modelling. We operate through a skills matrix, so everything I do is recorded and you can see my number of different competencies building up. It’s been a steep learning curve. In college you learn the basic skills and everything is presented in ideal conditions.

In real life, things are different and you have to learn problem solving skills.Now in my second year, I’ve progressed even further, with more responsibility, involvement in larger scale projects, dealingwith clients face to face and on site. I’ve gone from learning software programmes to teaching the

programme that it’s a great opportunity. I would see myself as working for the next few years, building my skill level and then pursuing a Masters. I’m really enjoying the programme and if I had a choice, I would do it, all over again.

Premium Power turned to Rowan Atkinson in its graduate recruitment campaign this year. The actor holds a masters in Electrical Engineering.

New graduates the skills I’ve learned.Premium Power is a young, dynamic company. I would say to any graduate student thinking of applying to the PremiumPower graduate

John McCarthy

As a student at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, I have been encouraged from the very beginning to both study and work in another country. This year I had the great opportunity to do both here in Ireland. I spent the spring semester in UCD, and through connections I made there I reached out to Premium Power, who offered me a position as an intern for the second half of the year. Living in Dublin and working

at Premium Power has been one of the highlights of my college career. I gained valuable experience in everything from power systems analysis to software development, from working with clients to working with colleagues from every kind of background. After almost an entire year in Ireland, I have found myself integrated into the culture, in the workplace and out. It really has become a second home for me. Kathleen Fownes

Graduate Growth:An overview of Premium Power's graduate engineers

Fionn McKnight, Premium Power’s software engineer outlines a graduate cross border initiative he is involved in

The FUSION programme enables organisations to develop innovative products by helping to fund the employment of a high calibre science, technology or engineering graduate and partnering the organisation with a third level institute for expertise and guidance. I joined the programme in September 2014. I wanted to help develop a

software that would utilise Premium Power’s knowledge in electrical safety. Enter: SafeSite Live. Alongside Alan O’Kelly, Premium Power’s Project Development Manager, we have worked to deliver a customisable software for use in industry to allow health and safety and operations managers manage their safety permits and contractors on site. The product is at final testing stages and is now installed in some major manufacturing

facilities in Ireland. FUSION has been very successful recruiting around 100 graduates every year, many of which now hold key senior positions in their placement companies.Graduates must manage and lead the project from start to finish. We are provided with support and guidance from the university, meeting with our academic advisors every month. I’ve really enjoyed taking part in the programme. Most of all I’ve enjoyed taking a project from an idea, to development to actually seeing the software delivered and working within industry.

Home from home

Given that a person’s hands are his/her most important tools, then how might the electrically-skilled worker protect those from electrical burns, as a result of either an arc flash or contact with an energised conductor? Arc rated PPE is determined by predicting the potential incident energy in the event of arc flash.

Prospective incident energy is calculated at the generally assumed working distance of the worker’s head and torso from the source of a prospective arc. But what about when workers need to place their arms closer towards terminals or busbars?

As a rough rule of thumb, every reduction of working distance by 50% equates approximately to a four-fold increase in prospective incident energy. And so, such work will require gloves with a much higher arc rating than that of other items of PPE (balaclava, visor, and overall). 

PPE glove protectionHowever, the availability of protective gloves in terms of arc rating and insulation is limited.

Consider the case of voltage testing, either for the purpose of proving dead or in the course of fault-finding. The employer must balance the need for live testing, and not least the risks associated with not testing, with the risks associated with testing. For example, the risks not only to the worker testing voltage for the purpose of proving a circuit dead, but also the risks to others such as the mechanical movement of electrically driven parts, mistakenly thought to have been deenergised.

 It will also be necessary to consider risks associated with the use of protective gloves which impair dexterity. In this regard, it will be necessary to consider functionality in terms of fit, grip and flexibility. 

Pat MacNally works as a Compliance Engineer with Premium Power

Social Round UpCongratulations to Paula O'Neill for completing the Dublin Marathon this year in a very respectable time! She has recruited Garrett and John to join her for a PP Team next year!

Congratulations to Michal Sopocko and his wife on the birth of their beautiful boy

Congratulations to Andrew Hogan on his engagement and good news on the property front

New offices & entry into the UK Market

Premium Power opened new Dublin offices in 2015 to cater for our growing staff numbers. We can now facilitate on-site meetings across our three floors. Our Birmingham office opened in late 2015 and we look forward to rolling out a number of UK events and meeting our new customers in 2016.

One of Premium Power's major projects in 2015 was to design a new website to showcase our services and showcases. Visit the new site at www.premium-power.com to read about how we implement our services.

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2A Fingal Bay Business Park, Balbriggan,Co Dublin, K32 W566 &Birmingham Blythe Valley Business Park, Central Boulevard, Solihull, Birmingham B90 8AG+353 1 8105032 / + 44 1564 711226 / info@premium-power.com / www.premium-power.com

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