The Innovation Zone is back, providing a showcase for some of the most promising companies nurtured by the Energy Innovation Centre to demonstrate what they can do for utilities.

Working in collaboration with Utility Week, last year saw the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) bring the Innovation Zone to Utility Week Live for the first time – and it’s back again for 2016. At the heart of the exhibition, the Innovation Zone will showcase the latest game-changing innovations and solutions for the gas and electricity industries from the EIC’s up-and-coming innovator community.

Ten companies that are set to shake-up the sector with their forward thinking technologies will be at the stand, along with the EIC team. These companies, along with many others in EIC’s innovator community, represent the future of the energy industry – it’s not to be missed. The Innovation Zone will be located within the Network area of the event, which is dedicated to showcasing solutions and providing insight and intelligence for the gas, electricity and heat industries.

For more information about the event, visit: utilityweeklive.co.uk

Innovator profiles

CSD Sealing Systems

CSD Sealing Systems has specialised in the supply of technically advanced cable transits, flexible pipe penetrations and cable duct seals in the UK for more than 20 years.

The Rise Rapid duct sealing system is a multi-cable and pipe transit sealing system designed specifically for sealing cable ducts and building entries against flood and gas ingress.

It comprises only two components, Nofirno rubber multi sleeves, used to separate cables and provide a backing for a silicone Nofirno sealant. The system can be used in any sized or shaped opening but there is a range of standard duct kits available to suit the most popular sized ducts.

OptoSci

OptoSci has more than two decades’ experience designing and producing optoelectronic systems for the international education, research, industrial and environmental sensing markets.

At Utility Week Live it will be showcasing its OptoMole mobile methane detection/monitoring system. This has been developed to aid the gas distribution networks to use laser and fibre optic technology to quickly locate leaks from underground gas mains.

Smart Compliance

The Smart Compliance carbon monoxide system differs from other CO detectors because it records all CO detected, not just the concentrations that would trigger an alarm, and reports continuously to a central portal via SMS. This patented technology offers a leap forward in public safety, and provides landlords with real-time information and complete evidence of compliance with legislative requirements and duty of care recommendations.

At Utility Week Live, you can meet the developers, discuss the logistics and costs of deploying it, and be watch the system in operation.

Pollywood

With the support of the EIC and Northern Powergrid, Pollywood has developed a composite wooden pole that provides the strength and durability required of a power pole without the need of an after treatment, critical with the use of creosote set to be banned in the near future.

Pollywood and Northern Powergrid share the objective to create a carbon neutral product, which may even be carbon negative, when the EU standards for managing sustainable forests is taken into account. For each tree used, several high strength poles are produced and two or three new trees are planted in its place.

Stonehaven Technology

Stonehaven Technology is an enterprise application software development company with three products in the utility sector.

Its civil asset risk management programme, developed in collaboration with Electricity North West, enables companies to prioritise asset management and mitigate security risks, abstractions and vandalism.

The flood risk management software provides an understanding of enduring flood risks and integrates live data sources, including flood alerts, weather observations and river gauges.

The machine-to-machine software integrates data observations from devices with a range of programmable parameters. Use of this system has resulted in the arrest and conviction of metal thieves.

Roadmender

Roadmender Asphalt is a mobile process producing premium quality hot-mix asphalt for pot-hole patching and utility reinstatements in all-weather conditions.

While the finished mix is no different to regular asphalt that can be collected from a plant, the Roadmender process delivers operating efficiencies, performance benefits and cost savings.

With Roadmender Asphalt, utilities can now make their own durable, long-lasting asphalt hot-mix in just the quantity they need, at the correct temperature for ideal compaction, directly at the job site.

Stickyworld

Stickyworld offers engagement teams a simple, secure, cloud-based solution that scales to suit their needs, and integrates with face-to-face engagement. Stickyworld enables a more interactive presentation and explanation of projects.

Network staff can create online rooms for discussing every stage of a project, regardless of scale and location. A simple customer relationship management system makes it easy to manage stakeholder lists and invite the right groups at the right time to get involved.

Documents, maps, videos, plans and virtual tours can be published to invite discussion, whilst automatic reporting makes it easy to evidence engagement to industry regulators.

Cactus Industrial

At Cactus Industrial, we understand the importance of achieving high standards of surface preparation to ensure the longevity of any high performance industrial coatings and repair composites.

Our mission is to identify innovative ideas and unique surface preparation techniques supported by leading composite and coatings solutions to overcome issues with corrosion and bring them to the attention of the industrial market.

Open Grid Systems

Open Grid Systems is a software and engineering services company providing a variety of programmes to utilities, based around its Cimphony, GridView and Grid Reporter software.

Since its inception, the company has participated in data interoperability tests with its Cimphony suite of data management applications.

Open Grid’s mobile workforce tool, GridView, is a multi-platform application capable of storing fully detailed network models for offline access, as well as real-time overlays.

Grid Reporter is a smartphone app providing customers with a way of reporting power outages and equipment damage via the camera on their phones.

CNIguard

CNIguard’s Sensorcore technology is a smart sensoring platform with multi-purpose security and safety applications to monitor and protect critical infrastructure and key resources. The system has been designed, tested, and approved to deliver early warning of impending infrastructure failure, helping utilities to limit disruption to customers while ensuring the highest level of performance in the most hostile operating environments.

The Energy ­Innovation Centre

The EIC supports the UK’s gas, electricity and renewables sectors by helping them to discover novel technologies and ideas that meet the challenges of the industry. The networks need to adapt and change in order to transition to the RIIO regulatory framework and a low carbon energy future. That’s where the EIC comes in.

Since its launch in 2008, the EIC has been connecting innovators with the energy networks to help enable the transformation required in the sector. The EIC helps its innovation community to attract support from the large energy network operators that can help propel their technologies to the next stage. This not only creates opportunities for innovators but gives the energy networks access to innovative products that can benefit customers, the supply chain and industry.

The EIC’s collaborative model bridges the gap between an industry with a clear innovation ambition and over 1,500 innovators – many of them small and medium-sized businesses – with the technologies that can help develop this ambition into a reality.