As part of the Active Response
project, Captec developed LinkMonitor and LinkSwitch technologies to provide continuous electrical monitoring and compact, high-speed switching within existing underground link boxes, improving network visibility and supporting future automated network reconfiguration while reducing reliance on major infrastructure upgrades.
The customer is a UK electricity distribution network operator serving more than eight million homes and businesses across London, the South East and East of England. The organisation invests in smarter network technologies to increase capacity and flexibility, improve reliability and long-term resilience, and support growing electricity demand
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Enquiring about: Active Response IoT Monitor & LinkBox Switch
The Challenges:
Electrification and growing EV charging demand required greater network visibility and more flexible use of existing infrastructure
The Active Response programme aimed to make better use of existing network capacity by dynamically redirecting electricity, reducing the need for major infrastructure upgrades
Underground link boxes installed decades earlier lacked operational monitoring, limiting insight into electrical performance
Continuous monitoring and high-speed automated switching had to be integrated within confined underground enclosures and withstand demanding conditions
The Solution
For Active Response, Captec adapted two complementary technologies for underground electricity link boxes: LinkMonitor and LinkSwitch
LinkMonitor measures voltage, current and power, securely transmitting operational data to the customer’s central systems
LinkSwitch reconfigures electrical connections in a fraction of a second while minimising electrical arcing
Both compact systems combine low-power electronics, embedded systems, communications and precision mechanical engineering for integration within existing link boxes
LinkSwitch was prototyped, tested and validated, demonstrating compact, high-speed switching for future automated network reconfiguration within severe physical constraints
Together, the technologies demonstrated how monitoring, secure data communications and precision mechanical switching could be integrated within existing link boxes, supporting greater network flexibility and utilisation with the potential to reduce reliance on major infrastructure upgrades
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Contact the Captec team today to see how we can support your next project.
