Electical Contractor

Inadequate investment in the power grid transmission network remains the Achilles’ heel of the nation’s electric system, according to an engineer who specializes in utility policy at the University of Illinois (UI).

Many of the 5th generation power quality monitors can continuously calculate several thousand parameters (more than most users know what to do with or really need). Another parameter has been added—rapid-voltage change—that also can describe what happens when the lights blink.

Recently, a PQ consulting expert sent me some interesting data from a facility he monitored. The data was the result of periodic PQ monitoring that is conducted at the facility’s service entrance.

Since the first power quality monitor was introduced by Dranetz Engineering Laboratories in 1975, there have been a lot of changes in the instruments that monitor electric distribution systems and the loads powered from the distribution systems within a facility or substation.

A new breed of technician continues to emerge from the electrical contracting ranks with an eye on maintenance and power quality (PQ). Of course, there have always been power quality specialists, but the discipline continues to evolve.

Reading through some electrical engineering textbooks written in the 1930s, the term “frequency” is used to describe what is now referred to as the “fundamental electric power frequency,” also known as 60 Hertz (Hz) in North America and some other parts of the world.

Distributed generation (DG) is the process of generating electricity at or near the point of use. Examples include solar energy and wind-powered systems as well as natural gas fueled technologies.

Keeping the voltage and currents balanced in a facility is not just a power quality concern, it can also affect energy consumption and equipment life, especially with electric motors.

Home of the NCAA Division I football and basketball Orangemen and the country’s fifth-largest indoor stadium, Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome has been a pressing concern for school officials for several years. The concern comes with good reason.