Stand wiring at the NEC used to be a very time-consuming and sometimes frustrating task. Now, thanks to a new SCADA based system, power supplies to exhibition stands can be configured remotely, reducing labour costs and improving overall energy efficiency at the site Until recently, providing power to the tens of thousands of stands built every year at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) was a complicated, time-consuming and labour intensive process involving thousands of metres of temporary cables being installed by an army of electricians. That has now changed, thanks to a fully automated control system designed and installed by Gloucestershire-based Severn Controls. Severn proposed controlling the entire power supply via a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system using bespoke software that would provide greater flexibility and allow many more functions.to be automated. The system will eventually allow the NEC to switch power on and off, allocate single or 3-phase current, limit supplies and monitor power consumption. Indeed, the new electrical infrastructure, called 'Plug & Play', started to provide power to NEC exhibitions earlier this year, and is part of the centre's ￡40m venue improvement programme.
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