Power Quality (Flickers, Power Surges/Sags, Outages)
THE PROBLEM
Do I have a power quality problem?
Here’s a scenario: Your facility goes dark; a few seconds later the lights come back on (or momentarily flicker) and your high precision process shuts down. You mutter an expletive under your breath and blame the utility for a power outage.
This is not an outage; at least not according to the way utilities report outages. This is a power quality problem.
Power Quality Problems
Internal problems are typically the most prevalent; they are caused by large motors starting (power factor) or by harmonics caused by variable frequency drives(“VFDs”). These issues can be addressed with power conditioning equipment.
External problems are more complicated; they arise from a variety of sources, ranging from the VFD’s at the plant next door, to the rooftop solar in the subdivision that is fed from the same utility line as your plant. Solving these problems is time consuming to identify and expensive to solve.
It is difficult to find the root cause of power quality problems. If you are experiencing these momentary “blips” and shutdowns, schedule a free consultation with one of our energy experts here.