What is Power Quality?
Power Quality, abbreviated as PQ, is a collective term for the quality of electrical energy. Just as power can be described as the combination of current and voltage, Power Quality can be described as the quality of current and voltage. Clean power is no longer something that can be taken for granted, while at the same time the importance of clean power continues to increase. Poor current and voltage quality, also referred to as dirty power, leads to poor Power Quality, and poor Power Quality almost always results in significant (and often unforeseen) costs.
Measuring Power Quality
Years ago, Energiedirect ran a commercial showing an elderly couple smelling a socket because the power was no longer good. Of course, voltage quality cannot be smelled, but it can be measured. Dirty power can, for example, slow down your business processes due to machine failures, without you knowing the cause. In addition, the lifespan of equipment can be reduced when it is supplied with poor Power Quality. By gaining insight into your Power Quality, you can prevent unnecessary costs and downtime.
Contact us
Are you experiencing issues with machine failures, or would you like to gain (preventive) insight into the Power Quality of your business? Then get in touch with us and discover how we can provide insight into your Power Quality and, if necessary, improve it, as we did, for example, in a hospital by solving problems with medical equipment.
Factors causing poor Power Quality.
Poor Power Quality is often caused by multiple factors, two of which are briefly explained below. Through a temporary or permanent measurement, our specialists can provide insight into your Power Quality and, more importantly, offer a solution for clean power within your organisation.
Harmonics
Harmonics are distortions in electrical current or voltage caused by, among other things, computers, led lighting, EV charging, renewable energy generation and frequency converters. Due to the current energy transition, harmonics are becoming increasingly common. They distort the ideal sinusoidal waveform of the voltage, which can lead to overheating of equipment, increased load on cables, higher energy consumption and malfunctions in electronic devices. Harmonics are measured in multiples of the fundamental frequency (50 Hz or 60 Hz) and negatively affect Power Quality. Controlling harmonics is essential for a reliable and efficient power supply. Read more about harmonics.
Voltage sags and surges
Voltage sags cause direct costs in practice. A voltage sag is a short moment when the voltage suddenly drops, while a voltage surge is an increase in voltage. A sag or surge can be caused by various phenomena in the public grid or your own installation. Most voltage sags and surges are caused by switching large loads such as motors or compressors on or off. Because voltage sags and surges often go unnoticed, they can silently lead to the failure of critical processes, cause quality issues or trigger protection systems. Read more about voltage sags.
Why measure Power Quality?
Gaining insight into the Power Quality of your business is essential to ensure reliable and efficient operations. Poor Power Quality can lead to disturbances and accelerated wear of your equipment without you being aware of it. This results in costly repairs and production losses, which can negatively impact your business performance. With a clear understanding of your Power Quality, you gain much better insight into the causes of failures and downtime.
Power Quality in data centres and hospitals
Clean power is also important outside the industrial sector. Consider, for example, data centres, what happens if critical websites become unavailable due to server failures? Or hospitals, where failures in medical equipment can lead to long waiting times or even put lives at risk.
Additional energy consumption
In addition to the consequences mentioned above, poor Power Quality also leads to additional (unnecessary) energy consumption, for example due to reactive power. By applying reactive power compensation, the supplied energy is used much more efficiently, resulting in lower energy costs. A clear understanding of your Power Quality will therefore always work to your advantage.
Poor Power Quality leads to:
- a higher risk of equipment failure
- higher maintenance costs
- reduced equipment lifespan
- increased energy consumption
- loss of warranties
- risk of fines or claims
How to solve Power Quality problems?
Solving Power Quality problems is essential for ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of your equipment. Our specialists have in-depth knowledge and experience in the field of Power Quality. We understand the complexity of, among other things, harmonics, voltage sags and flicker. We measure your Power Quality using advanced Janitza Power Quality analysers and analyse the measurement data with our analysis software to determine where the (potential) issues are located.
Solving Power Quality problems
Once we have insight into your Power Quality, we are able to offer targeted solutions, such as an active dynamic filter. An active dynamic filter continuously measures the waveform of the current and injects a counter-current to compensate for the distorted components. This principle can be compared to noise cancelling in headphones. By using an active dynamic filter, disturbances, maintenance costs and unplanned downtime are reduced, energy consumption decreases and the lifespan of your equipment is extended.
Insight into your Power Quality
Even if you are not yet experiencing any issues, gaining insight into your Power Quality is important. Monitoring Power Quality helps you proactively identify potential problems before they escalate and cause serious damage. Feel free to contact us and discover how we can support you in measuring, monitoring and improving your Power Quality.
