It’s interesting that people assume the electricity that comes out of the mains power supply is as pure as distilled water. It isn’t. It is contaminated by all sorts of ‘nasties’ that can lead to sags, surges, brownouts, harmonics, flicker, frequency deviations, interference, interruptions, distortion as well as complete blackouts. In turn, these problems can have dire consequences. Firstly, they will shorten the life of equipment by causing wear-and-tear and they can also cause complete breakdown.  

With computer systems, these problems are magnified as equipment tends to be sensitive to fluctuations in voltage current. They can result in data corruption or loss, which for many companies may be devastating in terms of business continuity, reputation and customer service. In extreme cases, harmonics for example, has been known to cause fires.  

What can be done?  

UPS is the answer. Not only does it protect equipment from complete mains power failures, it also contains filters and conditioners that keep the voltage current to within an acceptable level and cushion against many of these problems. This can be helped with a little insight and research into which power problems are most prevalent at your site, their magnitude and frequency. This information will enable you to choose the right solution for you. Large sites may benefit from power monitoring, a service offered by specialist (like Riello UPS) to record disturbances over a specific time period.  

For more information about power problems visit Riello’s website.

The argument over bio fuels is raging. It centres on two key points: on the one hand bio fuels are said to be good for the environment because they produce fewer emissions than fossil fuels and so can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are said to be driving climate change. On the other hand, some organisations believe that bio fuels will do more harm to the environment in the way they are produced unless strict controls are imposed.  

The Royal Society issued a report this week, which followed a 14 month enquiry at the same time as the European Union announced re-examination of its targets for bio fuels because of fears of their impact on the environment. The fear is that forests will be decimated to make way for land on which to grow bio fuel crops.  

It stands to reason that in poor communities where environmental concerns are much less of a priority than putting food on the table, the urge to clear forest to make way for valuable crops would make sense. But it is often not these communities who live on the land who make the decision; it is the Governments and big businesses around the world who will initiate the competition for agricultural land between bio fuels and the crops needed to feed the expanding world population. However you look at it, it would seem trees are doomed and that’s bad news for everyone. It is a well-known fact that curbing carbon dioxide emissions is far easier by restoring and protecting forests.