Power Quality Analysis

Identify problems before they start 

Poor power quality can lead to business interruptions costs thousands, tens of thousands or millions of dollars per event. A single power quality event lasting less than one second can cost a semiconductor chip manufacturer millions of dollars. 

Motors, appliances, controls and electronics that fail suddenly or prematurely, randomly malfunction or regularly or seem to run excessively hot are all possible signs of power quality problems.  

The power company can’t help 

Electric utility companies will and can do very little to help you with power quality problems. The utility’s responsibility is usually to provide electricity within a range of voltage levels and without excessive unbalance or harmonics. Beyond these very broad limits, the utility will cannot accept any responsibility because of all the possible variables in the supply of electricity. 

Visible issues mask bigger problems 

When your business experiences electricity-related problems with no clear explanation or resolution, call us to discuss a power quality audit.  Frequently the visible problems caused by power quality are far surpassed by the unseen damage occurring to motors and electronics.   

How we identify issues 

A power quality survey would typically involve checking some or most of the following power issues: 

• Frequency variations 
• Chronic or random undervoltage 
• Chronic or random overvoltage  
• Voltage sags (Dip) 
• Voltage swells (Surge) 
• Transient overvoltage (Impulse) 
• Flicker 
• Short interruptions  
• Voltage unbalance 
• Harmonic voltages 
• High-order harmonics 
• Inter-harmonics 
• Inrush current 

Additional utility costs 

Frequently utilities charge for power quality issues that a business generates through the use of motors or electronics.  

The Reactive Power(KVAR) Charge is a charge for “non-working” power, or power that has to be made up due to inefficiencies at the customer’s load source. The level of inefficiency is called the power factor and is expressed as a percentage. For example, a power factor of 70 percent means of the total current supplied, only 70 percent is actually doing work; the remaining 30 percent is non-working, or reactive, power that must be made up by the utility. 

The bottom line is that power quality is a two-way street.  If your facility is back-feeding the grid with reactive power, you may be paying charges you’re not aware of.