Summer 2026 Powerline Magazine

The concerns above can be ad- dressed by enhancing standby power system capabilities to allow for the following: • Shorter load-disconnect durations (shortening length of power blips during transfer) • Customizable exercise schedules that can easily be adjusted by the owner

• Timed load control coordinated with equipment essential to a facility’s operation (as depicted in Figure 1.) The concept of coordinating process equipment with transfer controls is not new. In fact, it is very common in high-rise buildings to coordinate elevator controls with the transfer

scheme. This is to prevent elevator doors from closing when a transfer test is pending, so that riders cannot get stuck in an elevator that suddenly shuts down. l

Gen 2

Gen 1

Transfer Scheme

Gen Main

Utility Main

CP

Main Switchboard

Lighting Panel

Refrigeration Unit

Controls

Figure 1 – simplified depiction of a transfer system coordination scheme with downstream equipment. The transfer control panel “CP” will signal to the refrig- eration unit controller that a transfer test is pending. This can allow for a graceful shutdown of the unit prior to a transfer occurring. Note that this coordinated shutdown will not affect other loads in the power system, such as lighting. This strategy can be used to minimize the burden of routine transfer tests on facility operations.

POWERLINE Summer 2026 | 19

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