Commercial Power System Design

Commercial power systems are typically much larger than residential ones. In such large systems, electrical designs are often studied for load flow and short-circuit fault levels.

Electricity moves from the power company’s transmission lines to a transformer that adjusts the high voltage for distribution. Wires transfer this power to a building’s meter and panel board.

Energy Efficiency

Commercial buildings use a lot of energy to operate their HVAC systems and lighting, but they also have an opportunity to reduce their energy consumption through efficiency upgrades and onsite renewable power generation. These changes can have both financial and environmental benefits.

After leaving a power grid, electricity goes to a building through wires that connect to a panel board, usually located in the garage or basement of a home or in a utility closet in a commercial property. The panel has a main service breaker that provides the energy to a series of branch circuits that feed appliances, convenience outlets and lights. A branch circuit can serve just one appliance or many, like lights or computers. These circuits are protected by miniature circuit breakers rather than fuses, which can be reset by the occupants and have RCDs (residual current devices) built in for safety reasons.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Most large commercial buildings have control technology to manage their energy use, but they often don’t optimize those controls. A new analysis from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory finds that Commercial Power System combining a package of efficiency measures could save inefficient buildings between 30% and 59% of their energy use.

Safety

Power system components are designed to ensure that equipment is not damaged during a failure. One of the most common protective devices is a fuse that, when current through it exceeds a certain threshold, will melt and break the circuit. This is a simple and effective way to interrupt the current flowing through a circuit, however, fuses must be replaced after they function, which can prove problematic if they are at a remote site or a spare fuse is not available.

A more sophisticated protection device is a commercial uninterruptible power supply, which is capable of protecting data and electronic equipment in the event of an interruption in the electrical current. These UPS systems also act as power conditioners, preventing surges, dips, noise, distortion and other problems from damaging sensitive electronics and the data they contain.

The electrical current that runs through a commercial power system begins at utility poles on the street and is transmitted through transformers that convert the voltage from 4.5 to 13.2 kilovolts into various lower voltages for use in facilities and homes. Power is then delivered to the main switchgear of a facility and from there, to sub panels located throughout the facility and finally to actual devices, lights and receptacles.

Power quality surveys must be conducted to identify the types of power quality problems and the extent to which they affect a given load. Once the issues have been identified, targeted mitigation techniques can be implemented.

Reliability

A commercial power system needs to work reliably for a long time, under all kinds of conditions. To have a high level of reliability, it must have the right balance of equipment and operating practices, environmental controls, and maintenance schedules. It must also include the right tools for monitoring and diagnosing faults in critical devices.

In a power-sensitive “New Electric World,” the consequences of unreliable power can be very costly: Equipment may be damaged, data corrupted or lost, and productivity can be compromised. In addition to the cost of OPEX and the impact on customers’ bottom lines, unreliable power can result in costly regulatory penalties for utilities.

Depending on the severity and duration, a power interruption can cause loss of business continuity, disruption of operations, or even complete facility failure. It can be momentary or sustained, caused by weather or utility equipment problems. Momentary interruptions can damage computer and other electronically controlled equipment, whereas sustained outages typically require contingency plans for orderly and expeditious equipment and process shutdown and restart.

While the grid’s reliability is currently very good, the threat of growing storm activity and an aging infrastructure means that utilities are under pressure to improve their performance. Adding power quality metrics to their performance-based rate (PBR) structures is one way they can increase the value of their services by rewarding and incentivizing innovations that boost reliability and resilience.

Maintenance

Many people don’t think of electricity as being dangerous, but it can be if not maintained correctly. The same is true for commercial power systems – even small problems can be costly if not caught early and addressed promptly.

Regular inspections, testing, and equipment replacement help reduce unplanned shutdowns and ensure that all equipment is operating properly. ITI’s substation maintenance services can help businesses keep their power on without the risk of expensive breakdowns and lost productivity.

The first step in an electrical maintenance plan is to conduct a survey of the equipment inside your facility. Depending on the type of equipment, you may need to remove the panel’s dead front in order to Commercial Power System examine the wiring and circuits. This will give you an idea of whether your equipment is single or three-phase, as well as how many positive or line bus bars it has.

A comprehensive survey will also allow you to identify any potential hazards and risks, such as over-voltages, voltage drops, and harmonic distortions. These can cause equipment damage, data corruption, and computer-controlled equipment malfunctions.

Once a survey has been conducted, the next step is to perform a load balance. This will ensure that all loads are evenly distributed, and that no one load is putting too much strain on the transformer. You can also use this opportunity to swap out fuses for larger ones, and to switch heavy load types (like the ice machine) around to make the system more balanced.