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26 | Reach Issue 5 2013

Shetland Isles pilot Smart Grid project

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he Northern Isles New Energy Solutions (NINES) project could well provide the blueprint for the future of sustainable energy. This innovative research and development project in the Shetland Isles aims to help the islands maximise the use of wind-generated power by enabling the local electricity company, Scottish and Southern Energy, to monitor, supply and store power.

Using an in-house box and network provided by Airwave, the project aims to smooth out demand and supply by monitoring householder usage and producing enough electricity at off-peak times to store for later supply. Airwave Programme Manager Andy Noy said: “Because we already deliver public safety communications in the Highlands and Islands, the infrastructure is already in place. We’re now looking forward to leveraging our existing skills and capabilities for the bene… t of the local population.

“The project will provide a great opportunity for us to demonstrate to the utilities market that, when it comes to machine-to-machine telemetry, we know what we’re doing. We’re delighted to be involved in this sustainability research, which will help us all to understand what the future will look like and how we can start moving towards it.” The pilot stage of the NINES will see the … rst six homes fully equipped with new, energy ef… cient heating systems. Airwave will provide and manage the telemetry between home and power station.

Airwave Business Development Director John Reyner said: “Once proven, we will provide the same solution to up to 750 homes initially, but there is scope to reach 20,000 homes on the islands in the future. This is a landmark project for us. It is our … rst Smart Grid project and a brilliant reference point for smart metering going forward.”

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he Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has taken an in-building coverage solution from Airwave for two of their ambulance stations. The enhanced coverage enables new operational practices to be put in place to improve the patient experience.

Gary Hardacre, Head of Risk & Resilience, SAS, said: “There were tight deadlines, but I was determined to keep to the timelines. We needed to change to a system where the immediate deployment of ambulance resources from station locations would be put in place, and that this would contribute towards delivering a patient-centred service.”

The Airwave Special Coverage Lite solution was installed at the SAS Edinburgh City and Hamilton Ambulance Station. Special Coverage Lite is delivered through a directional antenna – similar to a TV antenna – on the outside of a building. This helps to ensure the Airwave radio signal is optimised and provides the in-building coverage required.

Special solution for Scottis Ambulance Service

Special solution for Scottis