DEIF helps Power Solutions provide reliable power in extreme conditions
When you operate MW-scale power plants in some of the world’s most challenging environments, you need high-quality control systems, fast application support, and the flexibility to quickly adapt to new challenges. Rental company Power Solutions is getting all three from DEIF, helping the company thrive and evolve.
If something goes wrong with a generator control system deep in the steaming jungles of South America, fast answers are needed to resume power production. Power Solutions, an international power rental company headquartered in Belgium, knows that it can rely on DEIF application support for its megawatt-scale temporary power plants.
“If the site is down, I need answers and solutions now,” says Technical Director Ivan Meeus. “We're not going to wait until we receive an answer by email. For this support, I can rely on DEIF.”
"I'm always impressed with the atmosphere that I notice at DEIF."
Technical Director Ivan Meeus, Power Solutions
One unique solution for all environments
Power Solutions combines specialty power rental for industry, construction, and more with IPP (independent power production) solutions, providing reliable power for remote locations where the power grid is unstable or unable to cover the demand. The company’s products and services help people light their houses, cook meals, and stay comfortable with heating or cooling systems, and they help factories maintain or resume production – all over the world, and in some of the most challenging environments imaginable. The quick support and high component quality offered by DEIF is important to stay operational in wet, dusty, hot, or freezing climates.
“We always go to extremes!” remarks Ivan Meeus. “We have been operational in South America for a long time, in tropical environments on the equator. We have an average temperature of 35 degrees, which is not a problem. But we have a relative humidity of 95-99%, so everything is wet, which creates a lot of problems. On the other hand, we are also active in countries like Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, and Burkina Faso where it's very dry and very hot, and if we have 20 or 30 of our machines installed in a small space, temperatures can go up to 50 or 60 degrees Celsius.”
At yet another extreme, Power Solutions has supplied power plants for arctic regions where temperatures reach minus 50 degrees Celsius. These widely different environments pose challenges that call for different solutions, but Power Solutions has developed a unique genset that works everywhere – with a DEIF controller which can handle the punishment, and which has the flexibility to be reconfigured quickly for new applications.
Power Solutions N.V.
Founded: 2006
Headquarters: Wijnegem (Antwerp), Belgium; offices in France
Activities: specialty power rental and MW-scale IPP (independent power production) solutions worldwide
Employees: 48 in Belgium and France, plus around 150 on temporary IPP sites worldwide
Easy to handle for onsite technicians
“One of the biggest advantages of the DEIF AGC-4 automatic genset controller, which we are using now, is that it is enormously flexible,” explains Ivan Meeus. “It can handle all kinds of applications. With a simple activation of a digital input, it changes the programme, which makes it easy for us. Sometimes we run base load, we move to another site, we have to run in island mode, then we go into power management or load-dependent start. All these things are included in this module, and it's easy to handle for operators who are not always high-level technicians. The AGC-4 can be handled by an operator just by setting some switches.”
The AGC-4 combines this user friendliness with application security: The controller is programmed to give the operator easy access to the tasks he or she needs to handle. To access more delicate operations that require application knowledge, it is necessary to enter a password.
"If something goes wrong and the site is down, I need answers and solutions now. For this support, I can rely on DEIF."
Technical Director Ivan Meeus, Power Solutions
Quality, support, flexibility – and a pleasant atmosphere
The robust performance of the DEIF controllers makes them suitable for all operating environments that Power Solutions need to deal with, and their high quality is one of three reasons why Ivan Meeus prefers to work with DEIF.
“The main reason I work with this company is the quality of their materials,” he says. “It's a main point. It's high standard quality. A second point is the support I receive from DEIF in case we have problems on site. And third is the flexibility of the module.”
In addition to appreciating the quality, support, and flexibility, Ivan Meeus quite simply likes working with DEIF because of the general atmosphere.
“I'm always impressed with the atmosphere that I notice at the company,” he says. “It's quite positive, the way the people are handled by management and the way the staff react to customers like us. It’s friendly and professional. I have a good feeling if I talk about or consider DEIF.”
Watch the recorded webinar and learn about AGC-4 Mk II and what's in it for you
Open for joint evolution
While Power Solutions has been using the AGC-4 for years, the company is currently considering an upgrade to the DEIF iE 250 intelligent energy controller. The device takes flexibility to a new level with features such as one hardware variant for all applications, flexible Modbus tables, Custom Logic, and a user interface that can be customised to show anything the user requires – and hide anything that is not relevant. These features and the powerful processor of the new controller will support future growth at Power Solutions by helping the company adapt to new challenges in a rapidly changing world. Similarly, Ivan Meeus hints that his company and DEIF could work together on a gradual evolution towards using cleaner power sources.
“At the moment, we are using only diesel-driven generators,” explains Ivan Meeus. “But considering the future and the pollution with diesel generators, we are looking into other energy sources like gas and hydrogen. For Power Solutions, new energy sources are still a blank sheet, and any support is welcome. If DEIF sees an opportunity to work with Power Solutions in a certain branch or on a certain energy source, hydrogen or battery packs, we are more than interested in working together. Seeing the relationship that Power Solutions and DEIF already have since the beginning of Power Solutions, we are definitely open for it.”
Automatic genset controller AGC-4 Mk II
- Automatic Mains Failure sequence
- Multi-master Power Management
- Power Management Core (32dg)
- Power Management Extended (>32dg)
- RMB Transformer maintenance with up to 32 gensets
- PLC
- Engine CANbus
- Din rail mount
- Flexible Hardware
- Additional CANbus based I/O (9 x CIO modules)
- Redundant controller
- Redundant CANbus for Power mamangement
- N+X configuration
- Close Before Excitation / Run-up synchronization from 6 seconds
- DEIF digital AVR DVC550 support
- Multi purpose PID´s
- Gridcode compiant with: VDE AR-N 4110/4105 (Medium voltage, Germany, VDE AR-N 4105 (low voltage, Germany, EN 50549-1:2019 (Europe), ENA EREC G99 (United Kingdom)
- Touch Screen Supported (TDU107)
- Tier4 final/stage5
- Emulation for easy training and FAT
- Hybrid EMS support (1)
- Heavy consumer (via ALC-4)
- Fuel optimisation
- Fully compatible with AGC 150 and ASC-4
- TÜV pending and UL approved