More support for power quality initiative

Earlier this week Hans De Keulenaer, Manager of the EC-supported Leonardo Power Quality Initiative, reported on the success of this leading European education and training programme.

At a presentation to the European Commission - Energy and Transport Directorate-General in Brussels on the 23rd June 2004, Hans De Keulenaer, Manager of the EC-supported Leonardo Power Quality Initiative, reported on the success of this leading European education and training programme for LV electrical installation professionals.

"The aim of LPQI has been to address the issue of power quality problems in Europe by the development and dissemination of free information on costs, measurement, solutions and management of PQ problems to those responsible for design, installation, operation and maintenance of LV installations".

"During the three years LPQI has been running we have established a credible body of information and a dissemination network which is now reaching 100,000 decision makers a year", reported De Keulenaer.

"EPRI-PEAC, Fluke, Laborolec, LEM Instruments and MGE are the latest companies to commit their expertise and support to this initiative and bring the total number of participating companies to 65, organised into 11 national power quality partnerships across Europe".

"These companies are committed to education and training and appreciate the importance of providing peer-reviewed, readily accessible, practical information to help end users make informed choices about PQ measurement, monitoring and mitigation issues", he continued.

The cornerstone of LPQI, now in its third year, is the "Power quality application guide", available in hard copy or downloadable from www.lpqi.org.

To date 18 application notes have been produced in 10 languages and over 100,000 copies have been issued, either in hard copy or downloaded from the website.

A further 20 are currently being processed and there is an editorial plan for a total of 100.

This practical guide has been used to produce a series of online e-learning modules, which allow users to learn at their own pace and to test themselves.

The guide also provides the basis for technical seminars on a host of PQ issues including earthing and EMC, availability, measurement and solutions.

The national power quality partnerships, which disseminate the application guide and deliver technical seminars, operate under the umbrella of a steering group and editorial board formed from 14 leading universities and institutions, and the five new industrial partners, from eight European countries.

The second phase of this project has a broader scope than power quality and, building on the established team of supporting organisations, will address the additional topics of safety and telemedicine, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

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