The UK’s energy landscape is evolving rapidly, with our electrical networks facing new and complex challenges. The strain on the country’s ageing grid is growing, driven by ambitious targets like building 1.5 million homes over the next five years, alongside the rise of low-carbon technologies. From electric vehicle charging points to the upcoming ban on gas boilers in new builds, these changes are putting immense pressure on the infrastructure that powers our everyday lives.
At VisNet, we’ve been watching these shifts closely. We understand that simply expanding the grid isn’t enough. To keep pace with the future, we need to make our networks smarter and more resilient. That’s where ALVIN® Reclose² comes in—an innovation born from our commitment to enhancing network reliability.
The Challenge: Ageing Infrastructure and Intermittent Faults
Traditionally, low-voltage (LV) networks have relied on fuses for protection. But as many DNOs have experienced, fuses have their limitations, particularly when it comes to the intermittent faults that plague older cable networks. These faults often lead to repeated fuse operations, which not only disrupt supply but also increase operational costs and frustrate customers.
With these challenges in mind, we developed ALVIN® Reclose²—a tool designed to transform how LV networks are managed by focusing on one key goal: reducing downtime and improving network efficiency.
A Smarter Approach: ‘Self-Healing’ Networks
ALVIN® Reclose² offers a major shift in how we think about fault management. Instead of relying on manual intervention, this intelligent device can automatically restore power, transforming the network into a “self-healing” system. By tackling up to 80% of intermittent faults remotely and in real time, operators can avoid unnecessary site visits, dramatically improving Customer Minutes Lost and even initial Customer Interruptions, to deliver a more reliable service to their customers.
Moreover, the solution’s unique SafeON® technology tests the network condition remotely prior to reclosing, ensuring power can be safely restored without risking further damage or compromising safety. This feature, combined with its arc-free switching capability, not only improves safety but also extends the lifetime of network assets by reducing stress during supply restoration.
Insights from the Field: LV Networks Are Not as Quiet as We Think
Recent findings from the Foresight project, recorded over 35,000 events relating to pre-fault activity and quality of supply issues, demonstrating that LV networks are far from the quiet backwaters they were once thought to be.
ALVIN® Reclose² also addresses several common misconceptions about LV networks. For instance, while it’s often assumed that most LV cable faults are single phase, our data shows that faults causing supply interruptions are mostly multiphase. ALVIN® Reclose²’s sophisticated design accounts for this, ensuring comprehensive protection across all phases.
Preparing for the Future of Energy
As we face the dual challenges of rapid housing growth and the transition to low-carbon technologies, network operators need tools that can help them manage their networks more efficiently and respond quickly to issues. ALVIN® Reclose² provides exactly that, offering a cost-effective solution that can be easily retrofitted to existing LV boards.
We have arrived at a huge opportunity to build stronger, more resilient networks that can meet the evolving needs of our communities. At VisNet, we’re excited to be part of this journey, providing innovative solutions like ALVIN® Reclose to shape the energy landscape of tomorrow.
To find out more about how ALVIN® Reclose² can help you enhance the reliability and efficiency of your LV networks, please click here.
