Commercial renewable energy specialist EvoEnergy has invested in Trimble’s ProDesign, SingleCable and Protect electrical design software for use on the increasingly large and complex projects it is undertaking as the business develops.
EvoEnergy provides end-to-end services for renewable energy solutions within commercial and industrial sites, from consultancy and design to installation, monitoring and maintenance. Established in 2007 as a primarily domestic solar photovoltaic (PV) installer, EvoEnergy has evolved to be one of the biggest solar PV contractors in the industrial and commercial sector. The specialist electrical contractor also offers electric vehicle (EV) charging and battery storage design and installation, as well as the required high- and low-voltage infrastructure and smart grid installations.
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Why EvoEnergy upgraded to Trimble Electrical Designer 2D
The benefits of Trimble Electrical Designer 2D
Why EvoEnergy upgraded to Trimble Electrical Designer 2D
EvoEnergy, a ProDesign product user since 2018, identified the need to upgrade to Trimble Electrical Designer 2D subscriptions. The team recognised the more advanced features and improved flexibility available as part of this latest, subscription-based version of the ProDesign products, was a better fit for their business. Â
The Trimble Electrical Designer 2D software that EvoEngery uses includes ProDesign, Protect and SingleCable. These are leading 2D electrical design and calculation solutions that allow BS 7671 compliant electrical system designs to be created simply and easily using integrated manufacturer-approved component data.
Paul Lukehurst, Principal Engineer at EvoEnergy explained: “In recent years we had been using more of ProDesign’s capabilities as the projects we undertook became larger and more complex. We felt that the time was right to move to the newest version of the software, which would also provide our engineers with access to features such as the Arc Flash calculations. This enables precise and quick calculation of arc flash boundaries.”
For EvoEnergy, an additional benefit of moving to the latest ProDesign subscription offering is access to premium features and capabilities. Also, in contrast to perpetual and pooled licencing, this type of software model allows far greater flexibility, enabling easy remote working as the user can simply log in via the web for guaranteed access to their software tools. It also makes it far simpler for businesses to meet evolving needs, as they can easily purchase additional licences as and when required.
The benefits of Trimble Electrical Designer 2D
Paul described how EvoEnergy uses the software: “We utilise ProDesign for projects of every size, both new developments and retrofits. With many of our projects involving refurbishing or expanding existing electrical networks, it is sometimes necessary to undertake an analysis of the current installation beforehand. ProDesign makes this process simple as recreating the network in the software is quick, efficient and accurate. We can then carry out the same checks and evaluation that we do with the new elements of the system.”
The use of SingleCable in addition to ProDesign and Protect allows EvoEnergy to carry out simple cable sizing in a streamlined way where required.
The EvoEnergy team has also undertaken training with Trimble. Paul added: “The training has been very useful and allowed us to get the most out of the software’s capabilities. For those of us who use ProDesign most extensively, Trimble has provided several rounds of training focusing on specific aspects and requirements.”Â
ProDesign has a range of benefits for electrical engineers beyond the simple and intuitive design process. The comprehensive database of product data within ProDesign, with a live-link to Luckins, contains the UK’s largest range of manufacturer-approved fuses, circuit-breakers and relays, protective devices and a comprehensive selection of cables and manufacturer-specific busbar ranges.
Another advantage is the ability to quickly identify an issue with a design or existing installation using the integrated manufacturer approved content. At the calculate step, ProDesign automatically performs a number of checks and highlights any errors in the design, with additional information provided about the nature of the issue.
Paul concluded: “ProDesign provides us with a highly credible and widely recognised way of presenting our electrical designs and calculations. As a trusted electrical design platform, it gives customers and others involved in the project confidence in the design.”
Download the full case study here.
To find out more about EvoEnergy visit: www.evoenergy.co.uk. For more information about ProDesign and the latest subscription packages visit: https://mep.trimble.com/en-GB/products/prodesign.
