Beyond the Elements: Electrical Safety in Solar and Water/Wastewater

How the ChekVolt is Revolutionizing Electrical Safety in Solar, Water/Wastewater, and Beyond

The ChekVolt is significantly impacting electrical safety and efficiency, notably in the Water/Wastewater and Solar sectors. This detailed exploration showcases how ChekVolt addresses industry-specific challenges, streamlining Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures and ensuring adherence to stringent safety standards.

Water/Wastewater treatment faces a critical balance between the need for continuous operation and the challenge of maintenance on legacy equipment. This can lead to downtime with significant implications, including potential water loss for communities. ChekVolt offers a solution by enabling facilities to maintain operations and ensure personnel safety during routine or emergency maintenance.

In the Solar Energy sector, we'll discuss Invenergy's application that highlights the drive for better electrical safety and operational efficiency. Incorporating ChekVolt has become a pivotal part of Invenergy's strategy to optimize safety in sustainable energy solutions and has led to significant improvements in safety, productivity, and regulatory compliance.

Solving Water/Wastewater Industry Challenges

The Water/Wastewater sector, reliant on aging infrastructure and critical for public health, often grapples with ensuring uninterrupted operations while maintaining stringent safety protocols. The introduction of ChekVolt offers a dual solution: dramatically reducing maintenance downtime and enhancing worker safety.

• Reduced LOTO Times: Traditional LOTO procedures can extend beyond an hour, heavily impacting operational efficiency. ChekVolt reduces this to mere minutes, significantly cutting down maintenance downtime.
• Enhanced Safety: Directly reducing the risk of electrical exposure, ChekVolt enables safe, external absence of voltage testing, safeguarding employees against potential hazards and ensuring compliance with NFPA 70E and OSHA standards.
• Streamlined Maintenance: By allowing a single technician to perform voltage tests safely, ChekVolt minimizes labor costs and simplifies operational processes.

In one particular ChekVolt use case, two personnel had to coordinate a visit to each lift station and perform LOTO testing as well as reset the station. This was usually a 1-hour time frame reduced to a mere 5 minutes. Cost savings were quickly realized as the ChekVolt essentially pays for itself after just 2-3 procedures. More importantly, when using the ChekVolt, the risk of exposure to energy was mitigated. 

Illuminating Solutions for Solar Operations

In collaboration with Invenergy, Grace Technologies has brought the transformative power of ChekVolt to the renewable energy sector. As solar farms sprawl across vast areas, maintaining operational efficiency while ensuring worker safety presents a unique set of challenges.

• Operational Efficiency: ChekVolt's implementation in utility-scale solar inverters has streamlined the LOTO process, allowing for swift and safe maintenance without extensive downtime.
• User-Friendly Installation: Praised for its simplicity, ChekVolt can be installed without disrupting solar site operations, even accommodating installations at night to minimize impact.
• Safety and Compliance: Meeting the stringent requirements of OSHA and NFPA 70E, ChekVolt provides a safer environment for maintenance personnel, mitigating the risk of electrical hazards.

The appeal of the ChekVolt lies in its test points rated for 1000 VAC, UL/IP rating for outdoor use, and non-fused design with high-impedance resistors. The ChekVolt significantly reduced LOTO procedure times, saving approximately 2 hours per inverter. Downtime to equipment not directly involved in maintenance was also minimized.

Broader Impact and Industry Applications

While the focus here is on Water/Wastewater and Solar industries, ChekVolt's utility spans various sectors. Its ability to enhance safety protocols, ensure regulatory compliance, and improve operational efficiency makes it a valuable asset across any industry employing electrical systems. Here's why you should implement ChekVolt in your operations:

• Adherence to Safety Standards: ChekVolt is engineered to surpass the requirements of electrical safety standards, providing a reliable method for verifying the absence of hazardous voltage.
• Operational Advantages: The significant reduction in LOTO procedure times translates into improved productivity and operational efficiency.
• Versatile Solution: ChekVolt's benefits are not confined to a specific industry; its application across diverse sectors underscores its versatility as a solution for enhancing electrical safety.

For industries like Water/Wastewater and Solar, where safety and uptime are critical, ChekVolt offers a robust solution, setting new standards for electrical safety and operational excellence. Explore the potential of ChekVolt in your operations and embrace a future where safety and productivity go hand in hand.

Start Your Journey to Enhanced Electrical Safety

Integrating ChekVolt into your electrical safety protocols not only aligns with the highest safety standards but also marks a significant step towards safer, smarter, and more productive maintenance practices. Request a ChekVolt sample today to experience firsthand the operational and safety benefits it brings to your industry.