Power panels impress on renewable energy project

All consultations, as well as the design work on the panels, were done remotely on the project in accordance with current COVID-19 restrictions. The copper connections were created in-house from drawings produced by Rittal’s online configurator, which is said to have saved both time and money for Powerfish. 

Powerfish is an electrical engineering and panel building company based in Perth, Scotland.  Its engineering and manufacturing facilities provide a full range of engineering capabilities for the power generation and controls industry. The company’s G99 control system provides customers and users  with a remote monitoring and a web interface for control and automation systems, with access through proprietary Powerfish® monitoring and datalogging software.

Powerfish approached Rittal about building three new panels, one each for three new hydro-turbine generators at a site in the Scottish Highlands. The panels needed to accommodate large 400mm incoming cables from below, arriving via a trench. They also needed sufficient space within the panels to house new voltage transformers and G99 control equipment.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions on movement meant that the panels had to be constructed without a site visit from a Rittal engineer, but the company’s VX25 Ri4Power was identified as the optimum for the project. Its maxi PLS busbar system could contain the cable lugs and the fact that its design makes it extremely flexible and able to accommodate changes during the build (such as the compartments’ size) were also factors.

The ACB connections were created in-house by Powerfish from drawings produced using Rittal’s online configurator. Connection clamps were used for a voltage reference, avoiding any drilling of the busbar, and the clamp simply clips onto the copper bar. Further, the VX25 Ri4Power has a strong welded frame which is stated to be well-suited to large power applications and (as indicated previously) remain easy to install.

Powerfish provided a written specification from which a detailed design and panel layout was completed for two types of panel: a 2500 amp system and a 2000 amp system.

The PLC section contained the G99 controls as required from the local DNO company. The entire panel is automated and can be monitored remotely through the Powerfish software. The ACB section and the outgoing section have a total of 24 x 400mm2 cables, but despite this the VX25 Ri4Power MAXI PLS incoming busbar system meant all the connections were easy to manage.

David Kirkhope, Director of Powerfish, says: “The three systems were built, programmed and factory-acceptance tested incredibly quickly and well within our customer’s timetable. Sourcing the copper connections for the busbar system in-house, from the drawings created by Rittal’s online configurator, reduced costs and increased our control. This was the first time we’ve used the VX25 Ri4Power on a project of this complexity. The panels look impressive and they have met both our expectations and those of our customer.”