Page 26 - MRWATODAYWinter2021final

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Commercial Power

Factor Billing Impact

Power factor penalties can be expensive.

Paul Hoeschen, MRWA Energy Efficiency Specialist
Commercial Power Factor Billing Impact. Minnesota Power is an Allete Company.

Power factor penalties can be expesive. According to Minnesota Power:
What is power factor?
What is power factor?
 Power factor is how efficiently power is being used in a system.
• Power factor is how efficiently power is being used in a system.
 Real power is the measured kilowatts (kW) a utility bills demand for. This is the energy that is actually
performing the work (Resistive loads).
• Real power is the measured kilowatts (kW) a utility bills demand for. This is the energy that is
 Reactive power is the measured kilov
actually performing the work (Resistive loads).olt-amperes reactive (kVAR) that is the non-working power
caused by the magnetizing current required to operate devices (inductive loads).
• Reactive power is the measured kilovolt-amperes reactive (kVAR) that is the non-working power
 Apparent power measured in kilovolt-amperes (kVA) is the true amount of power being used.
caused by the magnetizing current required to operate devices (inductive loads).
• Apparent power measured in kilovolt-amperes (kVA) is the true amount of power being used.
The power triangle

(Courtesy U.S. Dept. of Energy)
• As indicated in the illustration, as a power factor becomes lower (more kVAR) the horse is
pushed further off to the side of the tracks. This causes the horse (utility generation) to work
 As indicated in the illustration, as a power factor becomes lower (more kVAR) the horse is pushed
harder while still only producing the same amount of work (pulling the cart down the track).
further off to the side of the tracks. This causes the horse (utility generation) to work harder while still
only producing the same amount of work (pulling the cart down the track).
• The low power factor causes the entire system of both generation and delivery to become
inefficient.
 The low power factor causes the entire system of both generation and delivery to become inefficient.

26 MRWA TODAY S WINTER 2021 Source: https://www.mnpower.com/CustomerService/PowerFactorBilling