# Crestchic: In the eye of the storm – the critical role of backup power

- Link: https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/crestchic-in-the-eye-of-the-storm-the-critical-role-of-backup-power/412957592
- Published: 2021-02-01T08:36:22+00:00
- Author: Amilia Stone

January 2021 has been an eventful month so far, with snow and rain bringing severe
weather warnings to much of the country. While the snow has an almost inevitable
impact our travel and transport systems, the arrival of Storm Christoph resulted
in power cuts that impacted homes and businesses across the North of the country
and into the Midlands. With
many businesses already under pressure from the current
pandemic, Paul Brickman from Crestchic Loadbanks explores how they can mitigate 
the risk of power outages.

Whether due to adverse weather conditions or planned works carried out by network
operators, power outages can wreak havoc and cause major disruptions to businesses
of all sizes and across all industries. Being prepared is a critical step to maintaining
operability, mitigating production losses and reducing the potential impact of power
failures.

Many businesses already recognise that having backup power systems in place can 
reduce the financial and operational impact of a power failure, with recent data
suggesting that investment in backup generators is set to rise. However, wherever
there is a need for backup power, there is also a need for it to be tested. The 
most effective solution for the testing of backup power systems is to use a load
bank – a piece of equipment that tests the
generator to make sure it will kick in
quickly and efficiently in the event of power failure.

Sites that rely heavily on backup power, such as data centres, will have load banks
integrated as part of their backup power system. For others, hiring a load bank 
for commissioning and periodic testing will ensure that equipment is maintained 
adequately.

> **Paul explains,** “Today’s customers, whether they are businesses or end consumers,
> have high expectations that the goods and services they need will be supplied 
> efficiently and without interruption. For this reason, many businesses have a 
> continuous focus on efficiency and reliability, with strategies in place to deal
> with power blackouts.”
> “However, when power is mission-critical, the impact of a power failure – caused
> by planned outages managed by electricity companies, or unforeseen incidents such
> as this week’s storms – can be disastrous. Testing back-up power systems can make
> all the difference to whether they operate effectively when called upon. Just 
> like a car engine, leaving a generator sitting idle for months on end and expecting
> it to just start up when needed isn’t realistic. A full system test, using a load
> bank, will ensure that the components of the system work as they should – from
> the alternator to the oil and fuel pressure. Running a generator on full load 
> will also help to remove deposits from pistons, engine castings and exhausts, 
> reducing the risk of wet stacking, which is a known cause of generator failure.”

For more information on the role of load banks in testing backup power systems, 
please visit www.crestchicloadbanks.com

_Northbridge Industrial Services ([LON:NBI](https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/company/crestchic/load.l))
has two core activities, Crestchic Loadbanks and Tasman Oil Tools. Crestchic is 
a specialist electrical equipment business which manufactures, sells and rents loadbanks
and transformers from its base in Burton on Trent and has depots in France, Germany,
Belgium, UAE and Singapore. Crestchic also has satellite locations in China and 
the USA._

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