If you’re a financial, energy, or sustainability manager, you may be tasked with helping your organisation meet its sustainability commitments. These decarbonisation goals often prioritise a reduction in the company’s energy-related emissions. While there are many effective ways to achieve this, identifying and addressing power quality problems from the start can significantly improve your projects’ environmental and financial success. So, how do you address the hidden risks of ‘dirty power’ – otherwise known as poor power quality? 

Let’s explore some real-world scenarios that demonstrate how poor power quality can impact your operations, and practical solutions you can adopt that can save you money and carbon.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Be in the know by conducting a power quality audit

When we ask customers if they have a power quality problem, the most common answer is no. That’s because the most challenging aspect of power quality is that problems are often hidden and go unnoticed, sometimes for many months or years.

If you own a vehicle but don’t have it regularly serviced, hidden problems can arise and may cause it to run inefficiently, ultimately wasting fuel. It may also become unreliable, and its lifespan may be significantly shortened. So, from a sustainability perspective, an unchecked vehicle could be wasting fuel and carbon. Additionally, if you need to replace the vehicle early in its life, you’re wasting the materials that went into manufacturing it.

If it’s getting hot in there, it’s time to address the issue

While walking by the electrical switchgear at a customer site, we noticed a lot of heat radiating from the equipment. So much so that it warmed the whole room. Hot equipment is wasted heat, which means the equipment and the HVAC system are wasting energy, carbon, and money trying to keep the room cool.

Improving power quality enhances performance of renewable generation assets

Sometimes, renewable energy systems can cause a power quality issue.
One of our university clients has a remote research station on one of the Great Barrier Reef islands. The client hired a contractor to install a solar power system to replace electricity supplied by diesel generators, but they began experiencing motor problems.

Fortunately, the client had already engaged us to set up automated power quality reporting at the site. This system helped identify that the solar power inverters generated a DC power offset that was causing energy loss and overheating of motors. A solution to the problem is being further investigated; however, this highlights the importance of performing PQ analysis during the installation and operation of such projects.

Looking to scale up? Rule out poor power factor to save you money and emissions

If you are operating a sizable industrial site, running many motors can cause low “power factor,” making power factor penalties a significant part of your utility bill.

This type of power quality issue also wastes energy and, in turn, causes additional emissions. By using power factor correction technology, you can optimise your power usage and reduce power losses. This translates into energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions. For example, for a facility with an average total load of 3800 kW, the PowerLogic PFC solution from Schneider Electric can reduce your carbon impact by 3.6 MtCO2 – that’s 150 kg/kVAR – over the lifespan of the equipment.

Low power factor also wastes a portion of the power distribution system capacity. One of our customers makes timber roof trusses and needed another manufacturing machine to take advantage of a building boom. However, the local utility told them this would require an expensive power network upgrade to provide enough capacity.

We helped them identify the need for power factor correction equipment. This installation freed up enough power capacity to accommodate the new machine, allowing them to double their output without waiting or paying for the utility upgrade. They now also save money on their utility bills by avoiding power factor penalties.

For more information about power quality mitigation, including how Hexeis can help tailor a solution for your business, contact our team today.

At Hexeis, we can help you see the bigger picture and understand all the impacts dirty power has on your facilities, operations, and decarbonisation goals, as well as provide practical advice on greenfield or brownfield projects and help consultants write design guides. Our team can also help you justify power quality and sustainability investments to your executives and get the most from your sustainability efforts.

This article has been adapted from a blog post written in partnership with Schneider Electric and Hexeis General Manager, Conrad van Rooyen, as part of their EcoXpert Partner Program. As an EcoXpert Partner, we are committed to digitising and electrifying our world for a more sustainable future. Click here to read the original article.