SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

PowerUp has completed a battery-swapping energy pilot in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, backed by the UK’s Ayrton Fund.

The Doncaster-based start-up used its Battery Energy Distribution System to deliver electricity by transporting charged batteries to end users and returning depleted units for recharging.

The pilot was part of ZEBRAS, or Zero-carbon Energy Battery Resource-as-a-Service, one of six international demonstrator projects supported by more than £4.85 million in Ayrton Fund backing from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Under the model, batteries are charged at renewable energy hubs, loaded onto electric delivery vehicles and taken directly to homes, communities and businesses without dependable access to grid electricity. They are then swapped out and returned for recharging, creating what PowerUp described as a closed-loop service.

How It Works

The demonstration combined swappable lithium-ion batteries, renewable charging infrastructure, electric vehicles and an AI-based monitoring platform. The project was led by MEP Technologies and involved Nevadic, The Washing Machine Project, Skrum and PowerUp.

The initiative targets areas where diesel and petrol generators still fill gaps left by weak or absent electricity networks. These generators remain widely used across emerging economies despite fuel costs, air pollution and maintenance demands.

According to figures cited by PowerUp, around 1.5 billion people globally do not have reliable access to electricity. More than 25 million fossil fuel generators also remain in operation across emerging markets.

The Port Harcourt deployment offers an example of an alternative model in which electricity is moved physically rather than through fixed wires. The approach could appeal in remote areas, on constrained networks and in places where extending conventional grid infrastructure is too costly or too slow.

UK Backing

The project also reflects UK government support for clean energy systems that can be deployed outside Britain. The Ayrton Fund brings together official development assistance spending on clean energy research, development and demonstration across several government departments.

Founded in 2021, PowerUp focuses on off-grid energy delivery. It uses commercially available technology to move electricity from places where it can be generated and stored to places where supply is limited.

Its work to date has focused on construction sites, infrastructure operators and industrial users facing grid constraints, but the Nigeria pilot shows broader potential for community energy access.

David Collinson, Co-founder of PowerUp Off-Grid Services, said the project was designed to show that energy does not have to remain fixed to where it is generated.

He said: “The Ayrton Fund has enabled this project to demonstrate that energy does not have to remain fixed to where it is generated. By physically moving stored clean energy to where it is needed most, we can help support communities and businesses that cannot rely on traditional grid infrastructure. For decades, fuel has been physically delivered to places pipelines and wires cannot reach. We believe clean electricity must now do the same.”

The broader ZE-Gen programme is designed to test practical routes for reducing dependence on fossil fuel generation in underserved regions. The Nigeria demonstrator adds to evidence for battery-swapping systems as a possible way to supply power where conventional grid expansion is difficult.

Lily Beadle, Programme Director, ZE-Gen, said: “ZEBRAS highlights the strength of UK clean energy innovation and international collaboration, with British companies creating collaborative international partnerships to develop practical, scalable solutions that address real-world energy challenges while supporting the global transition to affordable, reliable and modern energy.”

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has launched an interoperable digital medicines management system that links medicines dispensing technology with the trust’s electronic patient record.

The system combines Omnicell automated dispensing cabinets and a robotic dispensing system with Oracle Health’s electronic patient record, giving clinicians access to medicines stock information within the patient record instead of across separate platforms.

Backed by NHS England as a first-of-type project, the rollout is described as the first implementation of this specific integration in England. Similar functionality has already been used in the United States.

Until now, clinicians at the trust had to move between different systems to prescribe, locate and dispense medicines. The new setup gives staff a live view of what is held on wards, what is available elsewhere in the hospital and what must be ordered from central pharmacy.

Workflow change

For nursing teams, the system is intended to reduce the need to switch between the electronic patient record, treatment rooms and dispensing cabinets during medication rounds. That should cut time spent away from bedsides and reduce unnecessary movement around wards.

Pharmacy teams are also expected to see changes in daily work. Only active and clinically verified orders can be selected through the system, a step designed to lower the risk of dispensing mistakes.

The platform also supports closed-loop medicines administration and barcode scanning. These features can help reduce delayed doses, omitted medicines and other errors, while improving audit trails around medicines handling.

Another change is in stock management. Real-time inventory data across the hospital is expected to help pharmacy teams monitor supply more closely and reduce medicine waste.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire is one of the largest acute teaching trusts in the UK, with more than 11,000 staff. It runs University Hospital in Coventry and the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby, and delivers services across the West Midlands.

Clinical input

Frontline nursing, pharmacy and digital clinical teams were involved in designing the system and its workflows. The co-design process aimed to ensure the technology fitted existing clinical practice rather than adding another layer of administration.

Professor Tracey Brigstock, Chief Nursing Officer, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: “For our nursing teams, this new system means they can begin a medication round knowing exactly where medicines are, how to obtain them, and that the process is both efficient and safe. For patients, it reduces delays and builds safety into every step of the medicines pathway.”

Hardeep Bagga, Director of Pharmacy, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: “We had great systems in place, but they weren’t talking to each other. This was the missing piece we needed to solve to truly achieve end-to-end digital medicines management.”

The trust’s digital nursing leadership framed the work as a practical effort to remove friction from ward processes. A central issue was how often staff had to leave one system and log into another while trying to complete routine medicines tasks.

Candice McGrane, Digital Lead for Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs and Deputy CNIO, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: “Co-design with frontline teams was essential. Our focus was ensuring this integration reduced system hopping, supported safer decision-making, and genuinely gave time back to nurses, rather than adding complexity. This has been about getting the workflow right for staff and patients.”

Wider interest

The project is likely to draw attention from other NHS organisations looking to connect prescribing, stock visibility and medicines administration more closely. Many trusts have introduced digital records and automated dispensing tools, but interoperability between those systems remains uneven.

For technology suppliers, the launch offers a reference point for similar projects in England. Omnicell said the integrated model creates a single live view of medicines availability inside clinical workflows.

Ed Platt, Senior Commercial Director UK & Ireland, Omnicell, said: “This implementation demonstrates the real value of interoperability when it is clinically led. By integrating Omnicell automation with the Oracle Health EPR, UHCW now has a single, real-time view of medicines availability embedded directly into clinical workflows. As an NHS England-sponsored first-of-type programme, it provides a scalable and repeatable blueprint for other trusts seeking to unlock the full value of their digital infrastructure.”

Westcoast has become an official Intel Processor Distribution Partner, expanding the UK distributor’s existing relationship with Intel.

Under the agreement, Westcoast will distribute Intel Core Ultra processors, including desktop chips in the Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus Series. The range available through its channel includes the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus.

The move adds processors to Westcoast’s broader Intel offering, giving resellers, system builders and integrators a single source for Intel-based PC components and systems. It also comes as demand rises for PCs designed for artificial intelligence workloads.

Westcoast already works with Intel across devices and technology products. Adding processor distribution widens its components line-up as it looks to serve partners involved in custom PC builds, upgrades and systems aimed at business users, creators and gamers.

Partners sourcing Intel processors through Westcoast will also be able to use its logistics, finance and supply chain services, which are intended to help channel partners manage fulfilment and respond to customer demand.

Mike Botto, Components Director, Westcoast, said: “Westcoast has worked closely with Intel across devices and technology solutions for many years, and the introduction of Intel processor distribution marks an important expansion of that relationship. By bringing Intel Core Ultra processors into our components portfolio, we’re giving resellers, system builders and integrators a simpler way to source complete Intel-powered solutions through one trusted distribution partner.”

Channel route

The agreement gives Intel another distribution route into the UK channel for its latest desktop processor range. For Westcoast, it strengthens a business that supplies hardware, software and services to partners across the market.

Westcoast is part of ALSO Holding, which describes itself as Europe’s largest technology provider. The parent group says it operates in 31 European countries and reaches additional markets through platform-as-a-service partners, with access to more than 140,000 resellers and products from more than 800 vendors.

That scale matters in a distribution market where vendors are seeking broader reach while resellers want fewer suppliers and simpler procurement. Adding processors to an existing vendor relationship can help distributors package more of a build through one account, particularly as buyers refresh fleets and consider newer PC specifications.

Intel described the appointment as a way to widen channel access to its latest Core Ultra processor line. The chipmaker has been pushing Core Ultra as part of a broader PC refresh cycle tied to AI features and updated performance requirements.

Luke Atkins, UK Distribution Business Manager, Intel, said: “Westcoast’s appointment as an official Intel Processor Distribution Partner gives the UK channel another strong route to access the latest Intel Core Ultra processor technology. Together, Intel and Westcoast are helping partners build high-performance, AI-ready systems that meet the needs of modern businesses, creators and gamers.”

Portfolio shift

The addition of processors also reflects how distributors are adjusting their portfolios as channel partners ask for more complete product stacks. Rather than sourcing separate elements of a PC build from different wholesalers, resellers can increasingly combine devices, components and related services through a smaller number of suppliers.

For Westcoast, the agreement deepens an established vendor relationship while giving it a larger role in the components segment. The move also opens up opportunities around custom builds, upgrade projects and desktop systems intended for more demanding workloads.

Westcoast supplies a wide range of technology products and services in the UK market, while ALSO’s wider business spans hardware, software, cloud subscriptions and digital platforms in areas including cybersecurity, virtualisation and artificial intelligence. The parent group’s main shareholder is Droege Group, an investment and consulting firm operating in 30 countries.