We’re running a NEW series on Power Management. In Part 1, we gave an overview of what a power management system is. In Part 2, we dig into the benefits of improving power system performance using power management systems.
How does a power management system help your facility?
The newest power and energy management systems offer deep functionality to cover a range of important applications relevant to all types of facilities. In recent years, there have been significant advancements in power and energy analytic tools, while providing greater ease of use for facility teams. This means operations and facility teams can reveal and respond to opportunities and risks faster.
Here’s a brief look at the types of applications your team would typically use a power management system to address:
1. Electrical system health and efficiency.
Continuously monitoring whether the three phases of power are balanced on all parts of your distribution system will help you maximize efficiency, avoid overloads, and identify any potential faults in loads like motors. Monitoring for excessive neutral current can identify grounding problems and wasted energy. Power factor is another parameter that should be measured, since a low value indicates energy is being wasted. Since it can also incur a penalty on your utility bill, you may need to take corrective steps, such as installing a capacitor bank.
2. Capacity management.
Analyzing historical trends will help identify circuits that are more heavily loaded or, worse, at risk of tripping breakers due to overloading. This is especially vital when operating a critical facility with backup power systems, such as hospitals or data centers. You can also discover if you have extra, unused capacity in some circuits that can be used to address load balancing or to cost-effectively support dynamic environments where facility or process expansions are common.
3. Equipment monitoring.
Though some power quality problems can come from the utility grid, many come from within your own electrical distribution system. As facilities modernize to improve energy efficiency, the addition of LED lighting, VSDs, and automation equipment can produce harmonics. Identifying and mitigating excessive harmonic distortion can help you avoid problems for sensitive equipment and improve energy efficiency.
4. Power event analysis.
Electrical distribution networks regularly experience power disturbances that travel extremely quickly through the system and are short lived. Advanced power quality monitoring devices capture these disturbances at distributed points in your system, while power management analytics help you quickly follow the sequence of events to isolate and respond to root causes.
Only a purpose-built power management solution can capture, upload, and make sense of the electrical system data required to support these important applications. Generic SCADA, building management, and manufacturing software platforms do not have the analytic and visualization tools required. In my next post, we’ll look at the industry and technology trends that are influencing power management, and the choices you can make to ensure your power management solution is future ready.
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Schneider Electric offers extensive power management capabilities and solutions that help digitize your entire electrical infrastructure, connecting your facility teams to the data and insight they need to uncover risks to equipment and uptime, and to find opportunities to continuously improve system safety, reliability, efficiency, and sustainability. To learn more about EcoStruxure Power, check out Schneider’s website and eBrochure.
We are the largest distributors of Schneider Electric in South Africa. We have the best technical advice and product knowledge. CHAT to us for a Schneider solution for your facility!
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