Recent trends in the industrial energy sector showcase power factor as one of the biggest issues facing commercial and industrial enterprises today. So, what is power factor? How does power factor correction in Australia work and is it actually worth the investment? Here’s some insight from power quality audit specialists.
What is Power Factor?
This is the ratio between the energy your facility uses (real power), the power pulled to create magnetic fields (reactive power), and the apparent power (real + reactive power) that is consumed by the AC electrical network. Essentially, it is a ratio that measures how efficiently electrical power is converted into useful output within your facility. The better your power factor (the closer it is to 1), the more efficient it is. The further from 1, the more wastage is occurring. For most facilities, reducing wastage makes a significant, positive impact on operating costs. A power quality audit is the most effective way of determining your facility’s power factor.
How Does Power Factor Correction Work?
First, it is important to note that a power factor of 1 is almost impossible to maintain, simply because there are constant variations in supply and demand, grid instability and many other factors that contribute to a poor power factor. As a result, power factor correction in Australia and around the world aims to get as close to 1 as possible, usually delivering a power factor of 0.8 or higher.
Once a power quality audit has been performed, a power factor correction system can be designed and installed. Leading providers will custom-design your solution to fit your facility’s requirements. This system is at its core a capacitor that acts as a reactive current generator, actively measuring and offsetting non-working power used by inductive loads, and improving the power factor in real time.
This has the effect of lowering energy bills by eliminating utility penalties for poor power factor, reducing power losses and thereby improving energy efficiency, increasing the capacity of the current, improving the voltage supplied to equipment on the network, and protecting equipment from overheating due to voltage oversupply.
Know Your Power Factor – Get a Power Quality Audit Today from Specialists in Power Factor Correction in Australia
For over 30 years, Quality Energy has been providing commercial and industrial clients across Australia with custom, comprehensive power quality solutions. We work with you from the start of your project to completion and beyond, providing power quality audits, custom designing and installing solutions, and maintaining systems after sales. Contact us today to find out more about professional power factor correction in Australia.
Quality Energy 