Plant’s power controlled by computer

Press, 27 February 1980, Page 14

Plant’s power controlled by computer

PA Wellington ' Everything that opens and shuts at the General Motors plant at Trentham will soon be controlled by an energy computer. The result will be a saving of about $lOO,OOO a year. The micro-processor at the heart of the 5200.000 energy management systems will be capable of predicting peaks in power use and counteracting them.

It will also control boilers. ovens, air houses spray booths, plant heating and lighting, and give warning of machinery breakdowns.

Once it has proved successful at Trentham, it is likely to be joined to the General Motors buildings in Petone and Upper Hutt as well.

“Our total energy bill over the three plants is about $1 million a year,” said the energy resources engineer, Mr D. Smith. “We only have to make a 10 per cent saving on that for the computer to pay. for itself in two years.” Although electricity is not the main energy source used at the Trentham plant, it is the most expensive, accounting for 62 per cent of the annual power bill. A coded telephone wire run from the micro-pro-cessor to seven panels at key parts of the plant will enable the computer to monitor what is happening and give instant -reports on all functions.

The Honeywell Delta 1000 system is similar -to but more ■ sophisticated than the one used- at Vauxhall’s Dunstable plant in the United Kingdom. . The Vauxhall computer has recorded savings of $145,000 on the plant’s $1 million annual power bill.

Mr Smith said that while there were several energy computers in use in New Zealand, including

one linking several Wellington office buildings, the Trentham computer was probably the first at a manufacturing plant. While preliminary work is now under way. the computer is not expected to be installed or in use before July.

Last year the Trentham plant cut its energy bill by 19 per cent to win the Wellington regional final of the Mobile Energy Conservation Award.

This year it will be having a crack at the national title.