As manufacturing and engineering companies get switched on to a greener, more environmentally friendly way of operating, we take a brief glimpse at the busbar market and its appeal to green technophiles.
The development of green energy, the smart home and smart cities
Over the last couple of decades, wind farms, tidal energy and solar panels have steadily become more affordable and recognisable to society. These technologies haven’t just been implemented to keep up with the need of more energy supplies but also a conscious effort of being environmentally friendly and more sustainable. In 2017, the National Grid reported that wind made up 25.6% of power generation. This figure was only beaten by nuclear making up 33.2%. Other greener energy options were as follows; solar 8.1%, biomass 2.5%, gas 17.3%, others 4%. Imports accounted for 9.3%. This means that renewable sources amounted to a massive 36% of the UK’s power generation. [Statistics collected from The Guardian]
Connecting this to the evolutionary trends over the last decade of smarter homes and cities, it’s easy to see how the appetite for greener energy has grown. Added to the wider current trend of localisation rather than globalisation and it begins to make even more sense. Battery storage technology is improving in leaps and bounds, smart motorway and road construction is well under way across the UK, and technology in the home is widespread. Kitchens are becoming automated; heating systems operate at an optimum output and adjust to a household’s needs. Even innovative sensor lighting and security systems that were once seen as radical are increasingly common and standard in a domestic setting.
Although voice recognition appliances such as Amazon’s Alexa have greatly aided this, it’s not just the homestead or social environment that are rapidly becoming smarter and more cohesive with smart technology. Work and business is also evolving in many ways. Localised networking events are proving just as popular as international conferences, just as clever tweaks to a manufacturing process are. One of these measures can be the introduction of busbars.
Why busbars are effective
Firstly, let’s talk broadly about the appeal of busbars and the many reasons why they are an effective, sensible choice for companies. In addition to being relatively cheap, they are easy to install, require little maintenance and are both energy saving and environmentally friendly. This makes them especially appealing to those looking for an easy way of greener operating or of modernising their current productivity infrastructure.
Busbar design and positioning
Because busbars are designed to be above head height, they instantly clean any working environment of unnecessary wires and plugs. This not only makes a work space safer, due to less clutter, but also flexible and efficient. Due to their size and design they can be very cheap to install and energy savvy. Busbars tend to come in two formats, either a thin, flat design or a hollowed cubed pipe, both made from copper. This means that they don’t over heat due to the size of their surface area and conduct extremely well.
Custom sizes and amperage
Ordering to custom sizes reduces manufacturing time, costs, and installation fees. A busbar’s electrical current can range significantly, but common industrial busbars carry anything between 40 amps to 1200 amps. With the use of busbars, a custom frame can be built to fit any space or shape. Busbars can also accommodate lighting tracks, removing the need for extra lighting installations. They can come in a choice of coatings, these can be employed to stop the natural corrosion of copper or in the case of silver, be used not just for aesthetics, but also because of its excellent characteristics as a conductor.
The wider business world
These main contributing factors all make busbars an attractive option to companies wanting to go greener. Across the market place, companies are becoming aware of their environmental conscience in relation to their own practices, their clients and shareholders’ needs. Recently, we’ve seen green policy come further into the mainstream and companies increase their green policies. For example, in January 2018 both Waitrose and McDonald’s announced plans to tackle plastic waste by 2025 by using recycled packaging or making all packaging recyclable.
This wider environmental consciousness of society only further adds to the growing list of competent green practice, thus making busbars an attractive option to a company looking to modernise and become greener.
If you’re interested in busbar technology and what Electropak can offer you, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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