Bulletins

Solar Maintenance -

Maximise PV Efficiency

Maintaining your Solar Power System is a must to ensure ongoing optimum performance. Annual inspections including reporting for damage to the panel connections, wiring, inverters and isolators ensures that the safety and longevity of the system will not be compromised.

 

When water and dust mix repeatedly and dry on solar panels, mould and lichen growth is imminent. This build up restricts light absorption to the panels, compromising performance by up to 80%.

 

Prolux recommends including Solar Maintenance as part of your Planned Preventative Maintenance Schedule to maximise energy production and ensure safety assurance.


*Annual Solar Maintenance on a 20,000kVA Solar PV System is approximately $600.00.

May 2024

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Air Circuit Breaker Maintenance

Air Circuit Breakers (ACBs) should be tested and serviced annually in line with the manufacturer’s guidelines and Australian Standards.


Replacement ACBs are not always readily available and preventative maintenance helps to identify when a replacement will be required – prior to a failure. Arrangements can be put in place to shut down a building and replace a faulty ACB at a convenient time, rather than doing so under non-ideal fault conditions.

 

Servicing ACBs is complex, requiring specialist technical expertise and costly injection test equipment. Prolux provides annual ACB testing as part of their Planned Preventative Maintenance Schedule, which includes both visual inspections for damage and deterioration and certified electrical testing.

April 2024

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Can VSDs cause RCDs to nuisance trip?

Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) are commonly used in Commercial Towers to regulate the motor speed of HVAC units. This enables the adjustment of motor speed through the VSD, which allows for optimisation for either speed or torque based on demand. As a result of this, substantial energy savings can be achieved, along with the added benefits of reduced maintenance costs, waste, and noise reduction. However, it must be emphasised the importance of proper installation of VSDs, as an incorrect set-up can introduce Harmonics into the building's electrical system.

 

The electrical cables connected to VSDs differ from standard cables, in that they are shielded, featuring an outer layer of metallic shielding beneath the outer layer of insulation. It is crucial to ensure that when a cable enters a VSD and its isolator, the shielding is consistently connected through to the cable exiting the VSD and its isolator. This shielding also needs to be bonded to the VSD and its isolator uses specialised cable glands designed for this purpose. Failure to maintain this connection, either by breaking the shielding at the VSD or isolator or neglecting to bond it using the specialised glands, compromises power quality and introduces Harmonics into the entire building's electrical system, leading to unnecessary tripping of RCDs.

 

Prolux have observed many installations where the shielding is not grounded to the VSD or isolator, indicating an oversight or shortcut in the selection of appropriate cable glands during installation. A quick check of your VSDs can save thousands in the long run and ensure a more reliable electrical system without the risk of nuisance RCD tripping.

 

March 2024

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Poor Power Quality

What is it costing you?

Ever heard of the saying ’poor man pays twice?’ In an ideal world, our expectations are met the first time. Making compromises usually means incurring higher costs in the long run. The same goes for the quality of power, the higher the quality of power, the lower the energy needed to operate the electrical equipment and in turn the lower the costs associated.

 

The good news is that effective management of Power Quality can lead to cost savings, a reduction in electricity consumption and prevent expensive equipment failures.

 

Conducting an on-site Power Quality Assessment enables the evaluation of a building’s power quality, to identify any primary causes, contributing factors leading to poor power quality and to allow for a plan of action to address any issues.

 

Prolux have completed many Power Quality Assessments, with a recent audit determining that simply by installing Power Factor Correction Units within their building would save the client over $9,000 in electricity costs and 12 tonnes of emissions annually.


A win-win for the client and sustainability.

 

February 2024

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Energy Efficient Timers

Plant Room Lighting

Many CBD office towers have in excess of 70 combined lights installed across all Plant, Switch, Generator, Mechanical and Riser Rooms.


Due to the location and restricted access to these rooms, the control of the lighting is generally overlooked, with most lights operating 24/7. As these rooms are generally occupied less than 10% of the time, there is at least a 90% waste in electricity usage.


Timers and sensors controlling the lighting is generally non-compliant to AS/NZS 1680.2.4:1997 as the lighting can automatically switch off while the equipment in the rooms is being used or working.


To overcome this issue, Prolux recommended the installation of key operated light switches. The keys for the switches were retained by building security and signed out to contractors with keys to the plant room doors. The plant room keys could not be returned to building security unless they were removed from the lock on the light switch. The keys can only be removed with the light switch in the off position.


(AS/NZS 1690.2.4:2997 interior lighting industrial tasks and processes).

January 2024

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Property Fire Risk

Electric Bikes and Scooters

When charging lithium batteries there is always a potential risk in which they could undergo thermal runaway and in a worst case scenario combust into a self-sustaining fire, which is often difficult to extinguish. 


With the growing popularity of electric scooters and electric bikes there has been a wave of reports identifying chargers overheating and causing fires. In Queensland, fire fighters are called to almost one fire event each week caused by lithium-ion battery faults.*


If nobody is present to remove the object and/or extinguish the fire, then there is an increased risk of damage to a building, especially when charging outlets are located indoors.


To mitigate this risk, Prolux put forward recommendations to install 4-hour push button timers on all e-bike and e-scooter charging outlets at a client's indoor EOT Facility.


Prevention is always priority.

Estimated costs at $500.00 per outlet.

ABC News 2022.



December 2023

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Switchboard Thermal Scanning

Safety Inspections and Compliance

Annual switchboard inspections and thermal scanning is a vital part of ensuring electrical safety and compliance. Many insurance agencies now have mandatory annual thermal scanning requirements as part of their insurance policies.


Prolux have trained and certified in-house thermal scanning technicians. As part of the inspection they check for thermal anomalies, faults and ensure switchboard safety and compliance is adhered to in line with the Australian Standard AS3000. 


Upon completion of a commercial office building's switchboard audit, it was found that there was significant degradation of cable in just a seven month period. A shutdown was scheduled and the cable was changed over. This saved the client unplanned downtime and potential injury or harm to personnel.



November 2023

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EV Chargers

Essential Electrical Testing and Inspections

Publicly available EV Chargers should be visually inspected by a trained technician every 12 months. This is to verify correct installation, running efficiency, identify any damage, wear and tear and to pinpoint any electrical faults.


Annual EV Charger Tests (as a minimum), should cover the following:


  • Proximity Pilot State (Current Simulation)
  • Control Pilot (Vehicle Load Simulation)
  • RCD Trip (Safety Switch Operation)


Prolux are equipped with the most advanced measuring instruments designed specifically for testing EV Charging Stations. Their tests will ensure the safety of your property and that all is adhered to and compliant.



(AS/NZS 3000:2018 Appendix P: Page 568)

(AS/NZS 3760:2010 In Service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment)



October 2023

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