How to Keep Engineers in Manufacturing Companies Engaged at Work

When engineers find their work environment motivating, they will continue to perform at their peak, and even surpass expectations

The role of engineers in manufacturing companies can never be understated. A manufacturing operation may involve engineers specializing in various fields, including product development, design & operation and electrical to name a few.

Product development engineers make ideas come to life. In companies like Apple, Samsung, or Microsoft, they are involved in turning concepts into actual products that consumers patronize and use.

Design and operation engineers design, develop and manage integrated systems for the production of high-quality products. These systems may include computer networks, robots, machine tools, and materials-handling equipment.

Electrical engineers make sure that the power supply in a manufacturing site is enough for the company to meet its production targets. This is of particular importance for industrial manufacturing businesses like ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, Boeing or Airbus. They maintain the power infrastructure and facilities within the manufacturing plant, or liaise with temporary electric power suppliers in times when the factory needs additional power, say during peak production seasons, or when load shedding or peak shaving are implemented in the area.

Whatever the area of specialization is, engineers play highly essential roles in manufacturing facilities, and as such, it is important to keep them motivated at work and retain their services. While there is not a world of difference between what keeps engineers engaged at work and what it takes to do that for any other member of the organization, paying keen attention to the unique motivational needs of engineers can spell a huge difference.

Here are some things to take into consideration in keeping engineers motivated in manufacturing companies:

1. Allow them to be free, creative

Engineers value a strong sense of autonomy and the freedom to choose how to approach various issues at work. They appreciate if they are given the opportunity to creatively resolve engineering-related challenges at work. Based on our experience with our electrical engineers, they thrive on a results-driven environment, and appreciate having a degree of independence to perform at their best with minimal supervision and instruction. They are also stimulated by a work environment that promotes and rewards innovative thought.  

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2. They are not enticed by promotion

Okay, hold your horses. When I said that engineers are not enticed by promotion, I meant the type that follows a conventional progression across the company organization.

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Many engineers in manufacturing companies, like in India’s Tata Motors or Tejas Networks, may not be interested in traditional leadership positions, because they may not want to manage other employees or sit in the office for hours on end – they just want to keep building and developing products, and maintain the challenge and dynamism of a thriving engineering career. It is possible that promoting them to a traditional manager will suppress their creative engineering process, and this may dampen their motivation at work. For example, if a manufacturing company promotes an electrical engineer (who is actively engaged in installing, running and maintaining onsite power generation facilities) to a conventional manager (who will spend eight hours of his day preparing documents and responding to e-mails), then it is the running the risk of demotivating the previously-engaged engineer.

Having said this, if an engineer really deserves a promotion, then let it be to a position that is equally energetic and stimulating, that will still require his engineering creativity and ingenuity.

3. For engineers, learning is an ending journey (Kaizen)

Manufacturing companies hire engineers because of the latter’s mastery of what they do. While they may already be specialists in their own fields, engineers are always hungry to learn more and do more.

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Engineers flourish in environments where learning is a part of their daily life. As such, manufacturing companies should continuously offer them opportunities to improve on their skills and to apply new learnings through healthy challenges. Based on experience, our electrical engineers welcome specialized training courses on modern technologies and innovative methods, and situations that will require them to use the new knowledge that they have acquired. They also appreciate opportunities to mentor technicians or other engineers, because doing so helps them reinforce their engineering knowledge and, to a large extent, gives a deeper sense of purpose to their vocation as engineers.

4. Give them missions, not just projects

Engineers are driven by their desire to change the world. Most great engineers are motivated by working on big projects and by seeing the encompassing results of their hard work. Therefore, it is important that engineers in a manufacturing company realize the magnitude of the task given to them.

For example, it is essential that an electrical engineer in an industrial manufacturing facility, like Emirates Global Aluminium or Tata Steel, understands that without him performing his task, the plant will not have the power to produce goods, and as such the company will fail at providing its customers that products that they need. This will help him see the real-world impact of his responsibility within the production plant. The consciousness that his task has a meaningful effect to a great number of people and businesses will lead him to embrace his accountability and to value more his position within the company.

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5. Let them have fun

Engineering tasks within a manufacturing company can be daunting and can put a huge amount of pressure on engineers. It will not hurt to inject a bit of fun.

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It is, thus, important for manufacturing companies to encourage enjoyment and interaction at work. For example, they can organize a quarterly family day, when employees and their families can gather and enjoy a day at the park. They can also arrange a company lunch or dinner after a successful campaign or production season as a sign of appreciation of the employees’ work. They can also host an awards ceremony to recognize exemplary performance. A sports day is also a good idea to allow employees to unwind and engage each other in healthy competition.

Engineers represent an invaluable part of the overall success of a manufacturing business. Engineers possess an intellectual capacity and ability to generate innovation, and this is essential for manufacturing companies especially amidst escalating competition within an increasingly challenging market. The more that the management understands what drives the motivation of engineers, the better experience the engineering team will have in the manufacturing company. And the more encouraging their work environment, the bigger the chance that engineers will remain engaged at work, perform at their peak and surpass expectations.

For more information on the values that guide our operations and business & human resource practices, please visit: http://www.altaaqaglobal.com/about-us/about-altaaqa-global

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This article has previously been published on https://www.gineersnow.com/leadership/keep-engineers-manufacturing-companies-engaged-work


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How Much Do You Know About Renting Electricity?

You know that you can rent a car, a flat, or even songs and movies. But, have you heard about renting power?

Renting affords numerous advantages, particularly to transient users, or those that use a particular item for a limited period of time. Think about renting flats, cars, movies or costumes. When you don’t see yourself living in a city for a long period of time, will you still invest in buying a home? When you expect to sparingly use a car, will you still spend on acquiring one and shell out for servicing and maintenance throughout its lifetime? For someone who simply likes to watch a new movie and does not fancy collecting films, will it make more sense to rent it than to actually buy a copy of it? Would you like to wear that Dracula costume every year to a Halloween party? I guess not.

There are many things that you can rent, but have you any idea about renting electricity? Yes, electricity can be rented, and it is a viable solution to energize numerous communities around the world that still lack access to reliable electricity. So, how does that work?

Basically, when a power utility company, a manufacturing firm, a mine operator or a government chooses to rent electricity, what they actually get is a complete, temporary power plant, designed, tailored, delivered, installed, operated, managed and serviced by a temporary power provider. All the equipment are owned by the provider, and the customer does not have to nvest in anything related to capital. Similar to renting any other item, the customer only has to pay for the product or service while he is using it – or in this case, for the electricity generated during the contract. This means that the customer can simply pay for the services of the rental power provider from his OPEX or operational expenditure.

Rental power plants are unlike permanent power plants. They are made up of modular power equipment, generators, transformers and other ancillaries, and can be simply connected “plug-and-play”-style. Because of this, they can be easily delivered from and to anywhere in the world, and can be made operational within days. Customers need not wait for years or decades obtaining approvals, financing and waiting for the completion of construction. Remember when you rented a car? The car was ready and was immediately handed over to you, right? And when you rented a flat? Did you have to wait for years for the building to be built before you could move in? No. Upon making the first tranche of payment, the keys to the unit were readily given to you.

When the need for supplemental electricity passes, a rental power plant can be simply uninstalled and demobilized, of course, by the temporary power provider. This means that there will be no permanent infrastructure left behind that will need constant maintenance and servicing. Simply put, the utility provider, the mining company, the manufacturing firm or the government stops spending when the need for supplemental electricity is no longer there.

To summarize, here is an illustration of what is involved in renting electricity:

We said above that renting electricity is a perfect option for energizing communities around the world that still do not enjoy the benefits of reliable electricity. Turning to temporary power solutions is a fast, efficient, safe and cost-effective way to gain access to consistent electricity. As governments, utility providers and allied stakeholders implement long-term energy plans, temporary power plants, working alone or in tandem with other sources of electrical power, can urgently provide the required electricity anywhere and anytime it is needed. 

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Rental Power Plants: Bringing Reliable Power to Islands

Keeping islands supplied with reliable electricity comes with several challenges for island power utility providers.

Islands around the world have been experiencing a constant increase in local population and electricity utilization in the past decades, taking its toll on the local permanent power infrastructure. This is not helped by the seasonal rise in population during high tourism months, which creates a momentary but significant spike in electricity demand.

In light of this, the local permanent power stations that supply electricity to the islands have been failing to keep up with the continuous rise in power requirements, particularly in peak summer months, when residents use the most electricity and when tourists come flocking to the islands. A possible solution is to import electricity from the mainland or from other islands in the area, but the wide distance poses significant difficulties in moving reliable electricity.

On top of this is the issue of power plant operation and maintenance. As the local power plants age and become less efficient, they have increasingly been requiring enormous amounts of servicing and fuel, which adds to the cost of running them, hitting customers in the pocket.

In recognition of the urgent need to expand the power generation capacity and to improve the power infrastructure of islands, there has been a keen interest on building alternative power systems, particularly of renewables, but initiatives in this regards have been met with headwinds.

Not a one-size-fits-all solution

There are several observed obstacles to building renewable energy systems in islands.

First, there is the location. For instance, an island with a large population will require the most amount of electricity, but will have a limited space for wind or solar energy systems; while an island with fewer people may have more sites for renewable energy infrastructure, but may find it difficult to attract and secure investments owing to projected limited demand. A proposed solution is to move electricity between islands, but this is not possible in all cases, and building power transmission and distribution lines across huge distances will require a sizeable amount of capital expenditure.

Furthermore, renewables, like sunshine and wind, may not always be available in all sites, making the electricity production of renewable energy facilities highly intermittent. For example, the output of a wind farm will depend on the constant changes in wind speed and direction, and that of a photovoltaic system may fluctuate as clouds pass. The power generated by hydroelectric systems will vary with the amount of rainfall and the flow of streams.

Storing “as-available” energy maybe a possible solution, but, again, building energy storage facilities will be cost-prohibitive and will add to the price of electric power.

Support from firm electricity sources

In support of intermittent electricity sources, island power utility providers need firm energy sources, which are available on-demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to meet their customers’ energy needs. Island power utilities will find benefits in partnering with multi-megawatt temporary power providers to supply reliable electricity anytime and anywhere it is needed.

Temporary power plants can be deployed at a moment’s notice and can be easily installed to start supplying electricity in a matter of days. The generators that make up the plants are containerized so they can be easily delivered as complete power packages anywhere in the world, even in remote areas. They are also modular, which means they can fit a wide variety of site lay-outs, and do not need to be laid out on a huge space. They also have low-noise and low-emission operations, so situating them within the vicinity of residential areas and tourist spots will not pose a huge issue.

The latest-technology temporary power plants can be easily connected to the existing local power infrastructure in islands, and can generate power either in synchronization with the local power generation plants or as a standalone system. They are flexible in power and voltage, and their electricity output can be scaled up or down to meet islands’ varying electricity demand.

Hiring temporary power plants will not require a sizable capital expenditure, and owing to their operational reliability and fuel efficiency will considerably reduce the operating and maintenance expenses of island utility providers.

New demand, new power sources

Island power utility providers are hard at work at meeting the perceived challenges of supplying reliable power to islands. Island utilities are gradually developing renewable energy projects where possible, adding power lines and substations needed for such projects, and working on improving energy storage technologies that will allow them to add more renewable energy to the grid. As island power utilities optimize renewable energy technologies to enhance their long-term reliability and overall power quality, other alternative power sources, such as multi-megawatt rental power plants, are ready to support the electricity needs of islands around the world, delivering reliable electricity anytime and anywhere it is needed.

For more information on temporary power solutions, visit http://www.altaaqaglobal.com

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The Benefits of Turning to Temporary Power from a Tenant’s Perspective

Owning a home has always been my lifelong goal, but unfortunately, personal and economic circumstances have not yet made that possible. So at present, I am renting a midsize house near my place of work. Through this experience, however, I realized that renting is a real viable alternative to having my own place – especially in a recuperating economy.

Working for a temporary power provider, I reckon that the benefits afforded to me by renting a home, compared to buying my own place, are parallel to the merits of turning to temporary power solutions, instead of building new or maintaining old permanent power plants. So for those who are having a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept of hiring electricity, here are 5 advantages of renting power explained through the perspective of a tenant.

1. Availability

When one chooses to rent, he will not have to wait for when the house is constructed or when the property is handed over, after all the legalities are fulfilled and relevant papers are signed. This can take years! Where will one stay, then? Under a tree? When one rents, he just has to pay the first month’s rent and move in. Simple. The same thing in turning to temporary power solutions. A city, a region or a country does not have to wait till the permanent power facilities are built to have electricity. The utilities can simply hire the services of a temporary power provider, the equipment and the engineering team will arrive at the site, and the power plant can be installed and powered on in a matter of days. Not years, but days.

2. Flexibility
One does not know what the future holds. One can get married and have children, and thus require a bigger home. On the flip side, one can lose his job or, touch wood, one of his loved ones, and decide to downgrade. Power requirements show a similar pattern. There are times, like during summer, when electricity requirement spikes, and there are seasons when it relaxes. With temporary power solutions, power utilities can choose to add or subtract power modules to increase or decrease the output of the power plants. There will be no need to build an additional permanent power facility when the power demand goes up, and there will be no need to run existing permanent power plants at part-load when electricity requirements go down.

3. No need to think of maintenance
Another definitive advantage of renting a home is that tenants do not have to think about maintenance and repair of household equipment and amenities. When you rent a property, the landlord should be responsible for all maintenance and repair jobs. It is the same case in hiring the services of temporary power providers. Part of their service is ensuring that generators run smoothly and efficiently at all times. So, clients can leave the maintenance services to the expert and highly trained engineers at site, and concentrate on activities that matters most to them.

4. Access to modern amenities/technology
Imagine building a state-of-the-art swimming pool and fully equipped gym in your own home. Nice to have, isn’t it? But they represent a colossal expense, and can be prohibitive to most of us. Temporary power solution providers deploy and install cutting-edge power generation technologies that are highly reliable and tremendously fuel efficient. Because such equipment can be rented, clients do not have to spend a fortune on capital expenditure, and can simply pay for the hired equipment and electricity from their operating revenues.

5. Freedom from worries of decreasing values
Property values go up or down. While this may be a huge factor for homeowners, it does not affect tenants. Hired temporary power plants can simply be demobilized when the requirement for supplemental electricity has sailed. This means that there will be no depreciating permanent equipment or facility left behind, which may sit idle and/or may need constant service and maintenance through the years. So those who turn to temporary power solutions do not have to worry about escalating expenses and dwindling values of permanent power facilities.

Bottom Line
Renting or buying is one’s own choice. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Personally, the trump card of renting is the availability, affordability and flexibility it provides. It may be a different case for you. But, this one is true: before deciding to rent or to buy, look at all the available choices, review the details and make the decision that fits your needs and your pocket.

To know more about how temporary power solutions can work for you, visit www.altaaqaglobal.com

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Averting a Power Crisis: Is Curtailing Electricity Consumption the Best Option?

It seems logical, doesn’t it? If there was a hole in your boat, through which the water entered, what would you do? Plug it. If you lifted a box that proved to be too heavy for you, what would you do? Let it down a while, and unload a little. If you had colds, and it was making it hard for you to breathe, what would you do? Blow your nose.

The parallel couldn’t be clearer: If electricity was not enough, and consumption was outstripping the supply, what would a country, a province or a city do? Curtail the demand by all means, even if it means limiting work hours and mandating energy savings. But, does it really solve the problem, or is such a solution merely palliative?

Many hydropower-dependent countries around the world are facing an electricity shortage, owing to prolonged droughts brought about by the El Nino weather phenomenon. The absent or extremely low rainfall levels is choking off hydroelectric dams essential for supplying a lion’s share of the countries’ electricity resources. Because the countries’ power generation is severely hampered, governments and utility providers are forced to implement drastic electricity-conservation measures to make do in the face of the energy challenge.

Aside from load shedding and peak shaving, some countries have started rolling out a mandatory additional day-off for certain sectors, in an effort to control power consumption. While some employees welcome such directives, others are feeling apprehensive. Marta, 45, government employee, shares her thoughts. “I should be happy that I have more time to catch up on sleep and play with my kids, but I am worried about our productivity.” Just a few months ago, Marta’s office cut the working time short by two hours. “A lot of things are not getting done, because we were only working for six hours a day for five days. I cannot imagine what happens now that we will only be working for four days.”

Economists share Marta’s perspective, when they said that decreasing the number of working hours and shortening the work-week for government offices and private companies could worsen the countries’ already reeling economic performance. They said that the implementation of such measures could bring about devastating effects to the countries’ economic productivity, already depressed from the power crisis.

Alberto, 51, restaurateur, does not subscribe to the four-day work-week. “I cannot afford to have my restaurant closed for three days a week. It’s just not possible from a business stand-point.” Unfortunately, Alberto’s restaurant is in front of Marta’s office, so the four-day work-week affects its footfall. “Most of my customers are from that office. They take lunch here, and used to take something out for dinner. When they started working for two hours less, most of them stopped ordering for dinner, but at least they still eat lunch. Now, that they are off for three days, I don’t know how I can fill up the seats.”

Power-conservation measures, such as shortening work-hours, may have merits in immediately controlling electricity consumption, but there could be productivity-related drawbacks underneath the surface. As most businesses and industries need electricity to be productive, requiring them to suspend operations to save on power may be counter-productive to a certain extent.

In times when a country’s power generation is no longer enough to support the demand, governments and power utility providers may find benefit in turning to temporary power solutions to urgently supply the necessary electricity.

By having temporary power solutions on board, governments and power utilities need not spend scarce resources on capital purchase, which is usually the case when building permanent power plants, or refurbishing/rehabilitating old permanent power stations. Moreover, governments and power utilities can pay for the electricity produced by the hired power plants from their operating revenues. Hiring temporary power solutions also brings considerable cost savings, owing to the efficiency and reliability of temporary power technologies. Governments and power utilities will be able to save on fuel- and maintenance-related costs, vis-à-vis running or maintaining dated permanent power facilities.

Temporary power plants are flexible in power and voltage, and their capacity can be increased or decreased according to demand, so governments and power utilities can choose to add power modules as the requirement for power increases. Readily available and rapidly deployed and installed anywhere in the world, they temporary power plants are able to function in virtually any locations, including in areas where traditional power infrastructure, like grids and substations, is outdated, damaged or absent.

Temporary power plants are capable of supplying reliable electricity while droughts persist. As soon as the weather conditions improve, and dams have enough water to generate sufficient electricity, governments and power utilities can simply end the contract, and the temporary power solutions will be demobilized, leaving no idle permanent infrastructure or equipment.

Power supply insufficiency adversely affects big and small businesses alike, like Alberto’s restaurant; government services, as in the case of Marta; and an entire country’s economy. Persistent power outages result in hampered economic productivity that reins in the development of any country. In times of power-related challenges, such as drought for hydropower-dependent countries, temporary power technologies can supply the necessary electricity to keep businesses and industries going, while natural conditions eventually turn favorable.

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What is Load Shedding?

Chances are, you have already read or heard about load shedding in the past. For those of you living in areas with a stable supply of electricity, load shedding may be an extremely alien concept. But, did you know that many regions in the world still suffer from power demand and supply imbalance, so lights in those places go off at certain times? Here is a simple explanation of what load shedding is, and a suggestion of a possible solution to keep the lights on.

Load shedding happens when people demand more electricity than what the power utilities can produce. A possible solution to provide everyone with electricity is not to provide everyone with electricity at the same time. Power companies may have to cut the electricity supply of certain users at particular times.

Often, power companies do not decide to shed load just like that. As soon as they recognize that the demand is outstripping the supply, they warn people to conserve electricity and limit their consumption. Unfortunately, this strategy often proves ineffective, so power companies are left with no choice but to resort to more drastic measures.

A point of clarification: Load shedding is often called rolling blackouts, but that may be a misnomer, if you want to be lexically strict about it. A blackout is usually an unforeseen power outage, and as such cannot be scheduled. It can also cause severe damage to power infrastructure.

Load shedding, on the other hand is a controlled response to power demand-supply imbalance. Instead of risking a blackout, power providers will decide on the best way to ration electricity, so that the burden of the shortage can be spread across their networks. Load shedding instances are usually scheduled, and establishments that are highly dependent on electricity, like manufacturing plants or supermarkets, are often informed in advance.

Though load shedding is scheduled, and residents and businesses are notified before it is applied, it is still a huge inconvenience and, if not resolved, can prove detrimental to social and economic progress. Load shedding can perfectly avoided by hiring rental power plants to boost the supply of electricity in certain areas. When the supply meets the demand, then the need to shed load will be negated. People and businesses will have a constant and reliable supply of electricity, and their day-to-day activities will no longer have to be adjusted or interrupted.

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Brownouts, Blackouts, Power Surges: What’s the Difference?

We offer hear the words blackout, brownout or power surge when the topic revolves around problems in electricity supply. For some, knowing the exact meaning of the terms is not at all important, because for them, the words only mean one thing: inconvenience. But, it is essential for everyone to have an idea of what they are, so that we know the root cause of the problem and how we can keep ourselves prepared for and safe from their consequences.

Here is an overview of what these terms actually mean…

BROWNOUT

A brownout is a drop in the power supply that leads to a dip in voltage. When a brownout happens, one may notice that lights become dim. Though brownouts are not total power failures, they may damage electrical equipment. Especially vulnerable during brownouts are induction and three-phase electrical motors, because they can overheat. A solution to frequent brownouts is to have a back-up power system that will provide the necessary power in case the voltage drops.

BLACKOUT

A blackout is way more serious than a brownout: It refers to a complete loss of power within a certain geographic area. Blackouts may be caused by several factors, and may take time to resolve, depending on the structure of the affected power network.

POWER SURGE

Power surges are known to be the most detrimental power disturbance, which can permanently damage many types of electric appliances. They occur when something increases the electrical charge at a certain point in the power lines. This sudden “jump” causes a spike in the electrical potential energy, which can increase the current flowing to the wall outlet. Fortunately, surge protectors and circuit breakers can protect you from power surges’ harmful effects. Surge protection should ideally be incorporated into the main power switchboard.

ELECTRICAL TREEING

Electrical treeing is a phenomenon that often manifests in high power installations, including HV power cables and transformers, among others. It is a damaging process owing to partial discharges, which progresses through the stressed dielectric insulation, in a path that looks like branches of a tree. If treeing is not checked, it can cause the continuous deterioration of the equipment, and can eventually result in a total breakdown. To avoid the harmful effects of treeing, it is important to use high-quality materials tailored for the electric load. Regular maintenance by trained engineers is also essential.

Electrical power has become a vital part of modern day life, that even a momentary interruption in power supply can cause significant damages not only to electric devices, but also to business operations and human activity. So, for everything that concerns electricity, you should always seek for professional services, and trust nothing but high-quality equipment and installation. The initial cost may be higher, but you must remember that you are not only paying for mere products and services – you are investing in the continuity of your business, in your personal protection and in total peace of mind.    

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Load Shedding ‘Forces’ Pregnant Patients to Leave

Modern hospitals require a continuous supply of reliable electricity to best cater to the needs of their patients. Hospital equipment, like respirators, health monitors, ultrasound scanners, and laboratory machines, necessitates electricity to function as effectively and efficiently as desired. Intensive care units, gynaecology sections, operating theatres, recovery rooms, neo-natal sections, and offices & clinics need power to keep patients stable and comfortable, and doctors and medical staff productive. Even a momentary power outage can have serious effects on the health of the patients and the operations of the hospital at large.

A city in one of the emerging countries in Asia has been suffering from a power supply shortage that has placed its healthcare facilities, especially the ones operated by the local government, in dire straits. Owing to the lack of electricity, and the consequent constant load shedding and blackouts, gynaecology departments in certain public hospitals have been forced to refuse new pregnant patients and discharge existing ones, advising them to instead seek medical help from private hospitals which may have electricity to support their specialized medical needs. Sunil, whose pregnant wife was admitted in one of the public hospitals, rued, “We came to this government hospital to avail of affordable medical care, but there has been no electricity the entire day.” He added that due to the absence of appropriate care and the discomfort brought about by heat and humidity, his wife’s condition had fast deteriorated. “Now,” he said, “because there is uncertainty when the power will be restored, we don’t have any choice but to transfer to a private hospital and hope that they have local generators that function. We will surely pay a higher price, but that’s another challenge altogether.”

Commenting on the situation, the Chief Medical Officer of the said hospital, explained, “We have a local generator for emergency. Unfortunately, it is not functional as of the moment as there were some technical glitches. We will have it fixed and try our best to have the power supply restored.” When asked when power can be restored, he vaguely said, “When the generator is fixed, then the power will be restored.”

In times of power supply insufficiency, load shedding and regular electricity outage, governments, utilities and stakeholders in the healthcare sector will find an immediate effective power solution in hiring the services of temporary electricity providers. Reliable electricity is needed to power hospitals and healthcare facilities, and renting large-scale power plants can guarantee a constant supply of power even to expansive facilities without the need to spend scarce CAPEX. Rented power plants offer economy and flexibility, because governments, utilities and allied stakeholders can pay for the electricity produced by hired power plants as the generators run, and they can choose to add power modules to the rental power plants as their requirements increase.

Rental power plants are not only reliable and fuel efficient, they also have less impact to the environment. Modern rental generators boast of cleaner operations, being able to run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas or a blend of gas and diesel. Studies conducted in different rental power plants sites around the world show that temporary power stations, like those running on natural gas, can surpass the worldwide NOx emission requirements, emitting only 250 mg/Nm3 even without after treatment.

Electricity powers hospitals and healthcare facilities so that they offer the full extent of medical services required by patients. A power interruption, regardless of its duration, can negatively impact the health of patients and the operations and facilities of hospitals. While waiting for the completion of permanent solutions to electricity supply problems, renting large-scale power plants can bridge the gap in power anytime and anywhere in the world.

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Benefits of Using Natural Gas Generators in Standby Applications

For critical facilities, like hospitals, data centers, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and oil & gas-related sites, a constant supply of power is indispensable. Standby rental power plants guarantee the continuous supply of reliable electricity in the event of power failure. Standby temporary power systems fundamentally have limited hours of operation, because they are only activated when the power is cut from the primary electricity source. Therefore, the more hours the standby power station operates, the more important the fuel choice becomes.

Among the rental power technologies available, diesel generators still remain the most popular for standby applications, largely due to economy, wide availability of fuel, fuel safety, ease of installation and typically better transient (load acceptance) capabilities. However, it is notable that generators running on natural gas are progressively gaining ground as a standby power solution, largely owing to ease of maintenance and environmental stewardship. The market expansion of such technology is spurred by the availability of inexpensive locally extracted natural gas, strict emission regulations in many countries around the world, and an increasing number of longer-term temporary power requirements.

One of the most salient advantages of using natural gas in standby application is the availability of a reliable fuel supply. Natural gas lines produce a round-the-clock supply that runs underground, which means that they are generally protected from natural disasters, like storms, floods and hurricanes. In addition, this set-up also eliminates the need for fuel storage tanks, which in turn will require refueling, regulation and maintenance.

Natural gas rental power plants also see reduced expenditure related to manpower, fuel storage and fuel treatment. A standby power station usually operates between 50 and 100 hours per year, at most 500. Calculating using the prevailing fuel price, Caterpillar declares that a standby power station running on natural gas operated for only 50 hours per year can save more than USD 15,000 per year in fuel costs. Therefore, utilizing natural gas-powered standby power plants during an extended outage can considerably reduce operating costs.

Another benefit to opting for natural gas standby power plants is reduced exhaust emissions. Studies conducted in different rental power plants sites around the world show that natural gas temporary power stations can surpass the worldwide NOx emission requirements, emitting only 250 mg/Nm3 even without after treatment. Running on a lean mixture of fuel and air, lean-burn natural gas gensets release up to five times less NOx and virtually zero particulate matter.

Natural gas gensets are also used as emergency, continuous or peaking power. Do you want to learn more about large-scale natural gas generator sets and their wide range of applications? Visit our website at www.altaaqaglobal.com.

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Rental Power Plants Mitigate the Effects of Power Cuts on Manufacturing Facilities

Several hydropower-dependent countries around the world are currently experiencing the disruptive effects of prolonged droughts and low-rain season, not helped by the El Niño weather phenomenon being felt by most such areas. Power utilities in these countries have rolled out load shedding schemes in an effort to distribute the limited available power. Despite such initiatives, the power supply in these areas still remains scarce that residents, businesses and industrial facilities have been enduring power cuts that last for as much as 24 hours…

The power crisis in these hydropower dependent countries has adversely affected small-, medium- and large-scale manufacturing enterprises, which typically account for the majority of employment in such areas. In addition to lamenting about the debilitating consequences of power interruptions on operations, business operators have been complaining about employee productivity, saying that the usual 8 AM to 5 PM shift of their employees has been rendered academic, because workers spend most of their time doing no work due to power cuts. “In most cases,” commented a facility manager, “power is restored at the end of the day. Since we cannot predict when the power will go out, it has become difficult to plan the shifts, because no one knows the time when the power will be available.”

As a result of the prevailing constant load shedding, manufacturing industry players predict that a considerable number of companies will close down or cut back on expansion projects that would have created viable job opportunities. “We have not evaluated the damage of the power shortage,” said an industry player, “but we have seen that the power cuts have not spared even the large industrial areas.” The lack of assurance in the electricity supply, he continued, would force more companies to lay off workers due to their inability to sustain overhead costs amidst the little or absent production. “Because of the power supply insufficiency,” he added, “manufacturing companies will incur higher production costs due to start-stop production. They will also suffer substantial losses and increased fixed costs per unit due to lower volumes.”

In times of persistent load shedding, manufacturing companies will find tremendous economic benefits in hiring the services of temporary power providers. Reliable electricity is the lifeblood of manufacturing companies, and renting large-scale power plants can guarantee a constant supply of power to their facilities without the need to spend scarce CAPEX in building permanent power stations. In these difficult times for the industry, manufacturing companies will appreciate the fact that they can pay for the electricity produced by hired power plants from their operating revenues. Manufacturing companies can also choose to add power modules to the rental power plants as their operations expand and their requirement for electricity increase, for instance during peak production seasons.

Rental power plants are not only reliable, they are also environmentally friendly. Modern rental generators boast of cleaner operations, being able to run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas or dual-fuel. Studies conducted in different rental power plants sites around the world show that temporary power stations, like those running on natural gas, can surpass the worldwide NOx emission requirements, emitting only 250 mg/Nm3 even without after treatment.

“Electricity is a critical input to production,” said another industry player, as he shared the apprehension of other business operators about not reaching their respective production targets for 2015. “We understand that the ongoing power situation is a crisis. We, need, however, to save the critical sectors that generate and create business for the country and employment for its people.”

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Altaaqa Global
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Can We Capture and Utilize the Electrons Produced Through Photosynthesis?

We were taught about photosynthesis in school – a process through which plants convert sunlight into food. Approximately all of the photons captured by plants from sunlight are turned into electrons, which then go through further processes to generate sugars.

But, did you know that photosynthesis can be interrupted to capture and utilize the electrons produced through it? A study conducted by the University of Georgia is focused on harnessing the power of these electrons to generate electricity.

How is it possible? 

The key is in extracting certain parts of plants that lead to thylakoids, the photosynthetic reaction, and then immobilize them on a bed of carbon nanotubes that will play the role of effective electrical conductors to capture and send the electrons on, along the wire. Then, with a consistent light flow, there will also be a continuous flow of electrons that can be converted to electrical power.

The roadmap ahead

The scholars agree that there is still a lot to cover and more complicated processes to be handled in relation to taking the thylakoids out of a plant. They believe that this machinery would eventually have to be genetically engineered to maintain stability throughout the process and completely harness the potential of the system.

Once the system is stably in place, the researchers believe that the applications for this technology are endless. This entirely clean energy source will be capable of acting as a true source of electricity for various machinery and for remote locations.

While the technology is still being enhanced and optimized, existing alternative sources of electricity, like rental power plants, can fill in the gap in power supply, where and when needed. Temporary power plants, which do not call for a huge CAPEX, can be easily deployed and installed at almost any conceivable location or site on Earth. They can be tailored to precisely respond to the power needs of any operation, and can be ramped up or scaled down depending on the requirement. They do not require extensive civil work to begin operating, and can function even without substations. Moreover, modern rental power stations are environmentally friendly, at times even doing better than the global emission benchmark.

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Altaaqa Global

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rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com

Temporary Power: Keeping the Mining Industry Buoyant Through the Trying Times

The present times have not been favorable to the mining industry.

Many mine operators in Africa, Asia and South America have been facing myriad production-related challenges, owing to power shortages, not helped by the longer and stronger than expected El Niño phenomenon. El Niño, a cyclical meteorological phenomenon, brings extreme weather to parts of South America, Southeast Asia, Australia and Africa. For instance, mining operators in Indonesia, a major nickel and copper producer, have been facing consistent output drops as hydroelectric power facilities fail to generate enough electricity. In Peru and Chile, persistent heavy rains not only cause extreme flooding into zinc mines, affecting their production and triggering price spikes, but wide spread blackouts and damage to power infrastructure.

Then, there is the gradual decline of prices of commodities for the past several years. Prices of gold, silver, iron ore, coal and copper have all been negatively affected by stringent credit restrictions, weak global demand and a growing supply from new low-cost projects. As a result, mining companies, established and start-ups alike, are struggling to maintain a profitable production, resulting in job cuts and tighter cash flows and limited expenditures.

In such a case, mine operators can find huge benefits in hiring the services of temporary power providers. Electricity plays an undeniably essential role in mining operations, be it in exploration, production, climate control or workplace visibility, and rental power plants can provide the necessary electricity without the operators spending scarce CAPEX. As opposed to investing in permanent power infrastructure, mining companies can pay for the electricity produced by hired power plants from their operating revenues. As their operations expand and their power requirements increase, mine operators will be able to add additional power modules that will increase the rental power plant’s generation capacity. The investment in temporary power plants have been proven to be marginal compared to the cost of foregone opportunities, lost production time, or wasted man-hours.

As rental generators are modular and containerized, they can be rapidly delivered to and installed anywhere in the world, and can be tailored to the requirement of any mining site. They are fully able to function even in remote locations and in sites where traditional power infrastructure, like grids and substations, is outdated, damaged or absent. They can be fully constructed and powered on in a matter of days, and can be ramped up or scaled down depending on a site’s power usage demand.

Modern rental generators boast of a cleaner operation, being able to run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas or dual-fuel (70% gas and 30% diesel). As a case in point, Caterpillar’s natural gas-powered generators surpass the NOx emission requirements, emitting only 250 mg/Nm3 even without after-treatment.

Caterpillar’s gas generators are also capable of converting coal mine methane to electric or thermal power, which contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The gas generator technologies have the ability to utilize gas with variable concentrations of methane.

The global mining industry is going through challenging times triggered by natural and economic circumstances. Temporary power technologies can give mine operators a sustainable competitive advantage, as they can enhance a site’s productivity and optimize its processes without the need for a sizeable capital expenditure.

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Altaaqa Global

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Temporary Power Plants Support Hydropower Generation

Many countries around the globe whose electricity generation is mainly dependent on hydropower are being adversely affected by the extended and intense El Niño phenomenon. El Niño, a cyclical meteorological phenomenon, brings droughts in a number of regions in the world, causing hydropower facilities to fail to generate enough electricity for residential and industrial consumption.

In cases like this, utility providers or governments of hydropower-dependent countries can find merit in hiring large-scale temporary power plants. Rental power plants can instantly fill in the gap in electricity supply without the need to heavily invest in permanent power infrastructure or wait years or decades for the completion of one. As large-scale rental generators are modular and containerized they can be rapidly delivered to and installed anywhere in the world, and can be configured to the requirement of any city, region or even an entire country. They are fully capable of working in remote locations and in areas where grids or substations are outdated, damaged or absent. They can be fully constructed and operated in a matter of weeks, and can be ramped up or scaled down based on the customer’s consumption.

Aside from proven reliability and ease of installation and operation, large-scale temporary power plants also boast of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Modern large-scale rental generators are able to run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas or dual-fuel (gas and diesel) and thus surpass worldwide emission standards.

By virtue of their economy, dependability and environmentally friendliness, renting large-scale temporary power plants as a solution for seasonal electricity requirements yields many benefits to governments, utilities, industries and residents.

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Altaaqa Global

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rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com

Do Renewable Energy Facilities Have a Negative Impact on the Environment?

Every year, the number of countries that pledge to incorporate renewable energy in their overall energy mix is gradually going up. Be they incited by a constantly increasing demand for electricity, a keen interest to augment electrification rates or by the desire to conform to strict efficiency and environmental stewardship standards, the plans to “go green” are projected to come into fruition in 10 to 20 years.

In recent years, the world has seen a notable increase in the number of constructed and in-progress renewable energy facilities. In 2014, 64% of the global installed renewable energy capacity is hydro, 24% is wind, 8% is solar, 3% is bioenergy and 1% is geothermal (www.altenergymag.com). The facilities are indubitably geared towards the amplification of energy reserves and the reduction of the environmentally harmful effects of conventional energy generation, but are such facilities really as friendly to the environment as they are billed to be?

We have investigated some of the negative effects of renewable energy facilities towards the environment, and here is what we found:

Hydro

Though hydropower facilities do not cause any direct air quality impact, their construction and operation can influence the flow of rivers, which, in turn, affects wildlife and people.

Hydro facilities can cause flooding in and around the area where they are situated. When the water stored within the dam is suddenly released, it can lead to immediate flooding of the river downstream. The flooding may result in the destruction of agricultural land and forests.

Wind

Wind energy facilities are mostly scrutinized due to their impact on birds and other species. A recent release from the National Wind Coordinating Committee reflects that collisions with wind turbines, and the change in air pressure owing to spinning turbines are responsible for a number of deaths among birds and bats.

Solar

Complaints about solar facilities are often motivated by issues in land use, water use, habitat loss and materials used in the manufacture of solar panels.

Case-in point, to build a large-scale power facility, a vast area of land is needed. Experts suggest that the use of many acres of land may result in clearing and grading of land, leading to soil compaction, erosion and alteration of drainage channels.

Solar energy systems can also negatively affect the land during the process of materials extraction, exploration, manufacturing and disposal.

Bioenergy

Bioenergy feedstock, and the way it is harvested, may not only impact land use but also contribute to global warming emissions. For instance, human and animal waste utilized to power engines may increase harmful methane emission.

In addition, using tree or tree products to create biomass requires vast forest lands to be cleared, which causes topical changes and damages animal habitat.

Geothermal  

Aside from being known as capital intensive, constructing geothermal facilities may cause poisonous gases to escape during the drilling of holes. Geothermal facilities are also, under extreme circumstances, known to cause earthquakes.

While renewable energy facilities bring about observed negative impacts to the environment, one cannot deny the fact that they make a considerable difference in reducing carbon emissions largely associated with conventional electricity generation, among other processes. The onus is now on the R&D sector, manufacturers, implementing agencies and governments to mitigate (or eradicate) the impact the above-mentioned harmful effects.

In Part 2 of this article, we will take a look at other alternative energy sources that can support the power demand while renewable energy technologies and infrastructure are enhanced and optimized.

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Altaaqa Global
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Things You Can Do to Mitigate the Effects of Load Shedding on Your Business

Modern businesses, be they small-, medium- or large-scale enterprises, heavily rely on electricity-powered technologies for their day-to-day operations. The companies of today largely depend on computers, scanning machines, fax machines and servers to support their everyday services. Therefore, it is not at all doubtful that the recent wave of load shedding incidents takes a heavy toll on businesses all over the world.

While bigger, more established businesses find reprieve in utilizing local generators to keep their operations running, small- and medium-scale businesses, not having much wriggle room, are often content in waiting out the darkness.

There are, however, practical solutions available today that small- and medium-scale business owners and employees can tap to mitigate the effects of blackouts on their operations.

For one, respectably featured laptops are, nowadays, becoming more affordable, and it makes economic sense to choose them over desktops. With laptops, employees can work outside their offices, in a coffee shop for instance, and still collaborate with the entire team through cloud-based productivity applications.

There are cloud-based word or spreadsheet processors available for free, and a company’s staff can use them to create, edit and share documents without being connected to a local server or ever printing a single page.

Companies can take it a step further and take a cost-effective investment to host e-mails, documents and applications in the cloud, for added security and flexibility. Not only is it considerably cheaper than procuring a local hosting infrastructure, hosting in the cloud can ensure that business will continue even when the lights go out.

For functions that cannot be hosted in the cloud or moved to a mobile device, such as printing, copying, fax and scanning (though there are scanning apps now available on smart phones), modern all-in-one machines can now work on batteries.

Load shedding used to be the stuff of nightmares for businesses. Now, by slightly altering the way we do things, companies can mitigate or even cancel its effects on their operations. But while blackouts are now easier to deal with, they should in no way be part of the everyday existence of businesses. Governments/utility providers should be able to take a proactive stance and stop or even prevent load shedding.

Innovative and cost-effective technologies, like rental power plants, now exist to provide the necessary electricity when a country’s power infrastructure cannot produce enough. They can be easily installed and commissioned, and can be constructed in as little as days – not weeks nor months. Hiring temporary power plants can avert power outages or stop blackouts in its tracks. The investment involved in renting electricity is proven to be marginal compared to the economic and social losses that a country may incur with persistent load shedding or wide-scale power interruptions.

A popular adage says that adversity may be the secret ingredient of success. By living through load shedding, businesses may learn how to tweak their operations and survive, or even save some money along the way. But if a business’ survival or a country’s economic viability is at stake, one cannot risk going through difficult times and simply hope for the best.  

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Robert Bagatsing
Altaaqa Global
Tel: +971 56 1749505
rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com

A Power Crisis Looming Large

A natural disaster can leave millions upon millions of people without electrical power, sometimes in the dead of winter or in the peak of a scorching summer.

Many people around the world have experienced the calamitous effects of natural catastrophes, like hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and flooding, to name a few. Who could ever forget the havoc that Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy brought to the US? How about the recent earthquakes in Nepal and Japan? Then, there are the deadly tsunamis of a few years back that hit Indonesia, New Zealand and a number of Pacific Islands.

Natural disasters can bring about unspeakable destruction to what is known as the “world’s largest machine”: the power grid. For us lucky enough to be spared from major calamities, the power grid operates invisibly, almost unnoticeable. The time, however, that it begins to fail, is when we realize the gravity of its benefits in our lives. Some of us may think that power outages are simply isolated events, but recent studies reveal a bigger challenge looming large.

Massoud Amin, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, conducted a research that showed that the rate of power outages had increased dramatically every five years. It exposed that blackouts had been on the rise since the 1980s, despite the world’s increasing reliance on electricity. It is the same heightened dependence on electrical power that magnifies the effects of a power outage: Once the power goes out, it is not difficult to imagine that any society will be grounded to a standstill.

Amin further told of a worse news: The grid, and not only in the US, is old and falling apart, making it more susceptible to the effects of natural disasters and the overwhelming demand of today’s consumers.

He advocates transparency in information pertaining to grid reliability, and vigilance and activism on the part of the citizens. He believed that if the people did not know the real state of the power grid, they would find it unreasonable and difficult to persuade the governments and utility providers to invest in addressing the problem.

Despite the alarming results of his study, Amin maintained an optimistic stance, as he acknowledged today’s technological advancements in the way we produce, distribute and utilize electricity. At the bottom of it all, Amin concluded, the onus was still on the people to be aware and to pay a heightened attention to the massive energy infrastructure that is the power grid.

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PRESS INQUIRIES

Robert Bagatsing

Altaaqa Global

Tel: +971 56 1749505

rbagatsing@altaaqaglobal.com