Electrical Contracting News (ECN) June 2016 | Page 44
SPECIAL FEATURE
RENEWABLES & SUSTAINABILITY
Identifying how voltage
optimisation can help
specific sites
VO provides savings on a variety of
loads but not all equipment will consume
less energy. The greatest savings come
from inductive loads such as lighting
and motors, especially if motors are not
always loaded at 100 per cent of their
capacity. A building, which has fixed
speed devices such as air-handling
units, multi stage compressors (i.e.
chillers), pumps and standard switchstart fluorescent fittings, will achieve
high savings.
Some loads such as VSDs will also see
savings but at reduced levels and some
loads will yield zero savings but will benefit
in other ways. It is important to understand
the electrical loading characteristics of
your site and to remember that no two
sites are the same.
in a way in which ensures that all sites
receive between 216V and 253V.
The average voltage delivered in the
UK is actually 242V. This excess energy
is still factored into a building’s energy
bills despite the fact that it offers no
benefit to the business and can actually
be detrimental to equipment.
VO technology ensures that
companies only pay for the energy
that they need. In addition, it filters
out harmonics, transients and phase
voltages to give a smoother power
supply and extends the life of equipment.
With no moving parts, VO systems
require no maintenance or monitoring
and operate effectively for many years
without replacement. They also have
a payback for the planet, by cutting
energy consumption; greenhouse
gas emissions are reduced, enabling
companies to make a positive
environmental contribution.
Conclusion
VO systems work to address the
issue of wasted energy that exists
as a result of an imbalance between
a building’s incoming supply and its
usage. Voltage is generally supplied to
a site at a considerably higher level than
the optimal amount of 220V required
by modern electrical equipment. This
is because utility companies cannot
precisely target voltage over varying
distances and simply transmit power
VO is a transformer
based system.
Dr Alex Mardapittas is managing
director of Powerstar and has held
this position for over 15 years. A
professional engineer with experience
in both software and hardware systems,
Alex has designed a number of energy
saving systems, including Powerstar,
HotelStar, AirStar, AutoStar, MotorStar
and LightStar.
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