California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE)

Electric power networks (utility, industrial facility, etc.) deliver power that was generated with sinusoidal voltage waveforms. When load currents are sinusoidal and in phase with the voltage, power networks operate at the peak efficiency, the maximum available capacity, and the greatest stability. However, most electronic loads draw non-sinusoidal currents and reactive currents, diminishing power-network efficiency, stability, and capacity. This coupled with rapid growth in power demand pushes the operating margin to the limit, often resulting in instability, inadvertent shut-down, and economic loss.

OCC, Inc. has developed OCC-APF products that cancel harmonics and reactive currents making “non-ideal” loads appear “ideal” to the power network. The OCC-APF is based on breakthrough technology featuring ~10x size reduction, ~5x weight reduction, and extremely rapid dynamic performance compared to typical. With small space requirement, low user interface burden, and high-reliability, OCC-APFs deliver system-wide benefits to facilities and utilities, potentially relieving congestion caused by reactive currents, reducing peak kVA demand, improving power-network efficiency, and raising the system reliability.

During this project period, OCC, Inc. performed field demonstration of a 480 Vac 50 Amp (~40 kVA) OCC-APF at the Santa Margarita Water District Monterey Villa pumping station to improve the power quality. The the installation of OCC-APF in the field has resulted in ~21 percent reduction in line kVA.

Electricity customers limited by capacity constraints in their existing facility transformer(s) or power distribution network can utilize the OCC-APF to relieve congestion caused by reactive current and enable load growth on the existing infrastructure. Customers who are faced with high penalties for poor power factor or are charged based on kVA rather than kW may also achieve cost savings and measurable return on investment through the use of an OCC-APF. An assessment of the facility capacity constraints and electricity rate structure can quickly lead to a determination of the measurable benefits of OCC-APF deployment.