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EQUIPMENT : Reliability

A major area of technological development is in power station control systems. The river flow present at any time is interpreted to determine how much water may be abstracted. The turbine valves and hence the power output of the generating system are set accordingly. Schemes operate automatically and their performance can be monitored by remote telemetry. The electrical equipment needed is conventional and available from many suppliers.

We ensure that prudent safety measures are implemented within all of our projects. Equipment must be 'fail-safe', i.e. generation must cease in the event of a system malfunction. The remote telemetry link informs the maintenance services of the reason for shutdown so that early remedial action may be taken. Every day that a scheme is out of service could be worth 0.5% of the potential annual revenue.

In a well-engineered and maintained scheme, over 98% of the potential annual output should be extracted.