Poor power quality is a huge cost, both to the consumer and to the provider. We carry out power quality measurements and analyses Do you have problems with the quality or continuity of your power supply? Maybe you pay penalties for reactive energy or for power overruns? Have you installed a photovoltaic system and the amount of energy you buy from the grid has not dropped? Have you been getting higher electricity bills recently? Request a professional audit with a solution customised to the problem.
Why perform a power quality measurement and analysis with PowerOn?
Having your energy quality measured and analysed can be a great success. PowerOn guarantees:
- a comprehensive analysis of your needs,
- a solution adapted to your requirements and budget,
- control of power quality parameters,
- identification of causes of recurring faults and equipment breakdowns,
- selection of reactive power compensation devices and filtering of higher harmonics,
- verification of sources of disturbances and their direction.
Main benefits of power quality measurement and analysis:
- Energy savings
- Monitoring of consumption
- Direct projection of signal energy on a time-frequency plane,
- Archiving data obtained from multiple measurement points in a database,
- Creation of indicators for the analysis of voltage sinks and spikes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does the measurement look like?
It is designed to monitor the power quality standards defined in the Energy Law. It is used to carry out local and time-based measurement and recording of single and three-phase grid parameters. Using the communication interface and dedicated software, a preview of the current measurements is available and it is possible to view the recorded quantities, including the date and time of recording, and to produce reports in the form of tables and graphs.
PARAMETERS MEASURED:
– phase and phase-to-phase voltages and voltage asymmetry,
– phase currents and neutral current calculation,
– cosine and tangent, for each phase and three-phase,
– frequency,
– harmonics, their content and power factor for each harmonic and THD (for voltages and currents), K-factor for a transformer,
– power (active, reactive, apparent, modular, distorted) four-quadrant, per phase and three-phase,
– four quadrant energy (active, reactive).
Do we interfere with the grid?
There is no interference with the grid.
Do we need to get permission from the power industry
The consent of the power industry is not required.
HOW DO YOU RECOGNISE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY POOR POWER QUALITY?
- failure of a light source,
- failure or malfunction of electronic/energy-electronic equipment,
- additional charges for reactive energy,
- heating or damage to cables or equipment working in the network,
- problems with metering or control systems,
- the transformer generates high noise levels,
- damage to capacitor bank systems (burning of capacitors, sticking contacts in contactors).
What does the report look like?
*The collection of data alone does not lead to energy savings. Only actions carried out based on the collected data can result in savings for the company.
Only actions carried out based on the collected data can result in savings for the company.
*One of the most important functions of a consumption monitoring and control system is to prevent sudden increases in energy consumption. If the meter reading suddenly increases even though it has not changed its mode of operation, this could indicate, for example, that the heating has been left on or the hot water tap has been turned on overnight.
*Planning your energy consumption over time and considering possible changes (e.g. temperature, number of people in the room, etc.) allows you to identify unusual situations and unexpected increases in consumption. It is important to identify all factors influencing energy consumption before drawing conclusions.
*If you find unexpected increased energy consumption, e.g. outside working hours, make a list of actions to eliminate such situations. A good solution could be to automatically switch off computers in the office at the end of each day or to change the programmer settings of the heating system.
*An office building is characterised by a ‘baseline consumption’ of energy that takes place even when the building is not in use. Equipment that needs to run constantly, i.e. fridges, refrigerated vending machines, routers, servers and hot water storage tanks, are responsible for the baseline consumption. Other factors often unnecessarily increase this consumption, e.g. if computers are not switched off overnight, lights or heating are left on.
*The baseline consumption can be shown in a bar graph such as the one below. It indicates how much energy is consumed outside working hours, e.g. on weekends or holidays. This data can be used to reduce energy losses and to control progress in this area.
Step 1: Selection of the appropriate network analyser
Step 2: Measurement configuration
Step 3: Analyser installation
Step 4: Data recording
Step 5: Data analysis and reporting
How long does a measurement last?
The length of the measurement depends on the type of analysis to be carried out, and can take 30 minutes or even up to 2 weeks. The amount of time depends on the type of company and the objective being pursued.
What equipment do you use?
We carry out voltage quality measurements using instruments (analysers) that allow us to assess the magnitude of disturbances in voltages and currents at various points in the power supply network, with reference to the requirements of the standards. If we are making power quality measurements for our own use, it is sufficient for us to use a network analyser of class S. We can also use instruments of this class if we are making measurements in terms of the IEE 519 standard, which defines the limits of higher harmonics generated by eclectic energy receivers.
If, on the other hand, we are measuring to resolve a dispute with an electricity supplier, then we must use a class A instrument, i.e. one that complies with the EN61000 standard. Such devices usually have the possibility to implement limits related to the values of given voltage and current parameter according to the EN50160 standard. Many instruments also have the possibility to implement their own limits, which can be entered directly in the analyser or in the configuration software. The scope of object measurements includes:
→ voltage fluctuations
→ voltage dips and surges
→ voltage distortion
→ voltage asymmetry
→ long term nuisance index
flicker,
→ grid frequency.
