Electricity doesn’t always stay in-line and at times can be too noisy. When Nikola Tesla convinced the world that alternating current was the future, electrical engineering was in its infancy. Over 130 years later we know a bit more now, including the often overlooked area of power quality. Ampcontrol Business Development Manager – Energy Solutions unpacks how businesses can address issues with power quality.
In alternating current systems, the way different devices consume electricity can have an effect on the system and cause major issues if it’s not properly managed. This variation in demand is influenced by the electrical characteristics of the load, and how they interact with the supplied voltage and current. In a simplistic example, some motors may want an electrical current ahead of the voltage, whilst LED lights may like voltage ahead of current. To balance the relationship between the alternating current and alternating voltage, reactive power is needed. Think of it as energy that needs to put the system back inline.
High requirements for reactive power make a power system less efficient, and ultimately cost money for the additional energy and equipment maintenance. The measurement of the reactive power vs the active power of a system is called the power factor. A poor power factor means more power is being wasted rather than used productively, which can strain both the network and equipment. Improving this balance is one of the key goals of power quality management.
To combat power factor problems, electrical engineers have developed power factor correction solutions to re-align power systems, in a way that is cost effective and saves end users actual money. These solutions often involve the use of capacitors or other corrective devices that help restore balance and improve system efficiency.
However, power factor isn't the only challenge when it comes to maintaining power quality. Another key issue stems from the choice of alternating current (AC) as our electricity transport system. Many devices require direct current (DC) power to function, so include a small converter to turn AC into DC.
At a simple level, this is done by chopping up the AC power and arranging it as DC. The chopping process is done at high frequency so the recreation of a DC power source is not too lumpy, but smooth.
But the process of chopping up the power can get electrically noisy, especially when there are lots of devices all chopping on the same system. Just like a primary school band, it doesn’t take long before the rhythm gets out of sync and starts destroying the show.
DC Converter harmonics can cause power spikes in electrical systems, creating frequent circuit tripping events and potentially causing damage. In recent years these harmonic distortions have become more pronounced with the introduction of solar and battery inverters, used to turn DC back into AC.
These modern technologies, while essential for renewable energy integration, introduce new layers of complexity to the electrical system and further highlight the importance of managing power quality. The tricky part of harmonic issues is that the load conditions may alter the amount, type and severity of the issues. Harmonic filters have been developed to combat this problem, with a variety of static, dynamic and hybrid capabilities available. These filters work by targeting specific frequencies of distortion, actively or passively smoothing out the electrical noise before it causes disruptions. These types of filters are now standard on large renewable projects as well as critical in many industrial sites, keeping our electricity system less noisy and ready to power the future.
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