Power Quality and Your Business

When businesses wonder if solar is right for them, some of their first questions are, “Will solar affect my power quality?” and “Will solar be able to handle my high voltage equipment?” Fortunately, the answers are easy: a solar array won’t change the power quality or voltage levels your facility receives. In fact, the only change you’ll notice from installing solar array is a lower electric bill!

This works because at the end of the day, the power quality your business receives is dictated by the grid. Under heavy loads, some of your power may come from the grid to assist in meeting the needs of your facility. Installing a solar array doesn’t change your building’s power quality as the inverters automatically match the sine wave and voltage provided by the grid.

Whether the power you use comes from the utility or your solar array, it first comes through your master service panel at your service voltage level of 208V to 480V and then gets regulated to match your equipment’s voltage and amperage needs. Technical Due Diligence for Solar Plants may include:

• Analysis of the permitting documentation and licenses;
• Grid connection;
• Local code compliance review;
• End of warranty asset inspections;
• Calculation of energy production, yield, system efficiency, performance index, inverter efficiency characterization, etc.;

If it’s a sunny Sunday and your solar array is putting out more power than your facility needs, that power gets exported to your utility. If you are running a late-night shift and your solar array is not meeting your facilities power needs, then you automatically draw the power you need from the utility. Regardless of which machines are operating and your power needs at any moment, the power first comes through your master service panel at your service voltage level.

So if you are tired of paying high utility bills to power your business’s high voltage machinery, get in touch with us and see what solar can do for you.