Supercharging the MOD’s Power Quality Management

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch a new Market Exploration called Power Quality Management, which aims to investigate the impact of poor power management on MOD estates, while also identifying ways in which the market can help MOD address power management inefficiencies.

This Market Exploration is being run on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and seeks to understand the effect poor power quality, power factor, and harmonic distortion has on its estate and ships. In addition, the Market Exploration also seeks to understand the capacity campus sites to take on distributed power resources such as solar and EV fast charging, especially when multiples are stacked on the same local grid or site.

The MOD estate incorporates a wide range of sites including offices, data centres, workshops, operational bases and houses as well as the deployed environment. As these environments are continuously optimised with increasingly complex and sophisticated technologies being woven into them, such as long-range sensors, artificial intelligence/automation and integrated combat systems, it is critical to ensure that electrical systems are being efficiently managed.

The power management market has seen significant growth, with minimum electricity consumption being a priority in sectors such as manufacturing, consumer electronics and the automobile industry.

The MOD understands there are products in the market which address power management inefficiencies, but are unaware of the full market offering or the benefits from the vendors, and how these can help MOD better manage power.

This market exploration seeks an independent analysis of the products and tools available and an assessment of their key benefits around:

• efficiency claims – any independently verified tests
• holistic power quality management – up to and including AC waveform reconstruction or maintenance on loaded circuits
• system phase balancing
• reaction to external fault
• ability to maintain benefits in a dynamic power network
• grid stability impact, including ability to support installation and operation of stacked DERs
• any restrictions on type or mix of loads
• harmonic (including supra) suppression and installation planning requirements
• size, weight, power and cooling requirements
• data capture and reporting capabilities

MOD seeks to identify solutions at TRL 4 or above which address these inefficiencies and the associated benefits. MOD is also keen to be made aware of any solutions below TRL 4 that are likely to mature within a year. Through this market exploration MOD seeks to better understand the capability.

MOD would like to gain an understanding of the products and tools available and an assessment of their key benefits in the following areas:

• Efficiency claims including the conclusions of any independently verified tests
• Holistic power quality management – including AC waveform reconstruction or maintenance on loaded circuits
• System phase balancing
• Reaction to external fault events (e.g. voltage, current, phase, frequency, earth and neutral leakage)
• Ability to maintain benefits in a dynamic power network and the associated response speeds
• Grid stability impact, including ability to support installation and operation of stacked DERs
• Any restrictions on type or mix of loads – adaptability without modification
• Harmonic (including supra) suppression and installation planning requirements
• Size, Weight, Power, Cooling requirements and any known infrastructure impact
• Data capture and reporting capabilities

This is not a competition and therefore we are not asking for costed proposals at this stage. This is a market engagement request for information exercise and we do not commit to subsequently launch a formal DASA competition.

You will be asked for a title and short summary of your innovation, along with questions related to your organisation, your idea and technology maturity. We are seeking to understand what and how much further development is required for a complete solution to meet requirements, or whether a combination of separate solutions is required. The information you provide will assist in developing a statement of requirements for potential future activities.

Submissions must be submitted by Midday on 19 August. Please provide details of only one product/capability per submission. If you have a number of potential solutions, then please submit multiple forms.