About us

We regularly collaborate with other faculties, including the School of Chemistry, School of Mathematics and NOCS, as well as industries such as National Grid, Network Rail, and other key players of the sector. 

Our team publishes extensively in refereed journals and have a strong presence in key conferences of the field. We have also organised in the past a few such events, such as the 2007 9th IEEE International Conference on Solid Dielectrics in Winchester and the 2015 IEEE Electrical Insulation Conference in Seattle.

Our activities

We provide a range of commercial testing activities, certified to ISO9001:2015 (Quality), ISO14001:2015 (Environmental) and ISO 45001:2018 (Health and Safety) under the scope 'Development, product type testing and consultancy services related to high voltage plant and accessories'.

We test to a range of ISO, BS EN and ASTM standards relating to high voltage plant, accessories, and phenomena. We also develop bespoke testing within the same remit in line with the scope and capabilities.

For more details, see Facilities and Commercial Testing. 

The Laboratory is named in commemoration of Tony Davies, Professor of Electrical Power Engineering. Tony Davies joined the University of Southampton in 1978 as Pirelli Lecturer, at a time that high voltage research was conducted in the ‘cables hut’. 

The Laboratory moved to its current site in 1991 and was extended in 2002 with a second hall and an additional materials/measurements laboratory. In recognition of his enormous personal contribution to the establishment of a world-class high voltage facility, the laboratory was renamed to Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory in 2004.