Reactive Power Compensation – What Is It and How Does It Affect Your Energy Bills?

Most consumers powering homes, farms, and businesses with energy from photovoltaics are unaware of the additional costs incurred due to reactive power present in their home or business installations. If, while analyzing your electricity bill, you found another, incomprehensible item with an amount due, this article is for you. Check what reactive energy is, what makes it necessary, how it can affect electricity charges, and why reactive power compensation at home is essential.

Higher Electricity Bill – What Causes It?

A well-designed and properly executed photovoltaic installation guarantees measurable savings for anyone who decides to build their own solar power plant. However, there may be situations where, after installing solar panels on the roof or ground, the costs associated with energy distribution increase. The factor responsible for this is not damaged or improperly functioning panels, but rather reactive energy, which is necessary for the proper operation of the installation.

What Is Reactive Energy?

Reactive power compensation, which helps reduce consumption costs, focuses on energy that is not used for the operation of electrical devices. Reactive energy is divided into consumed (inductive) and returned (capacitive). The first is consumed by devices that utilize the phenomenon of induction: induction cookers, transformers, or LED lighting. Capacitive energy is returned to the grid – however, this does not mean it is free.

When Does Reactive Power Appear on the Bill?

In an electrical circuit, there are always three types of energy: active, reactive, and apparent. Active power is converted into useful work – it is therefore essential for the proper functioning of electrical devices. Reactive power, on the other hand, is the energy that occurs between the energy source and its receiver. Apparent power is the vector sum of active and reactive energy.

It is a mistake to think that charges for reactive power apply only to large companies and households using high-power installations. Such a charge can appear on the bill of any prosumer – it often relates to, for example, changing the energy supplier, adopting a new billing method, or replacing the meter after installing photovoltaic panels.

Charges resulting from exceeding the limits of reactive power consumption can account for up to 1/3 of the total value of the electricity bill. However, these expenses can be avoided – an effective method to reduce charges is efficient reactive power compensation in the home or business.

See also: Will photovoltaics heat the house?

Compensating Reactive Power as a Way to Lower Bills

If, after carefully analyzing your electricity bills, you notice an increase in charges due to excessive transmission of reactive energy, take action to limit it. The simplest solution is to invest in a reactive power compensator, which is a special device used to balance the reactive energy consumed by electrical devices (loads) with energy of the same or similar value, but in the opposite direction.

It is worth adding that compensating inductive energy is done using special capacitors, while compensating capacitive reactive power requires the use of devices known as compensating chokes. The result of this process is the elimination of the need to transmit reactive power from the producer to the consumer, which helps reduce costs associated with energy distribution.

Reactive Power – Why Is Its Limitation Necessary?

Transmitting large amounts of reactive energy is not only a problem of high electricity bills but also limits the capacity of electrical networks and creates additional losses of active energy. Compensating reactive power lowers energy charges because it prevents exceeding limits, which energy suppliers use to compensate for losses in transformers and receiving devices.

Reactive Power Compensation – Leave It to the Specialists

Both the design and execution of the photovoltaic installation and the system enabling reactive power compensation should be entrusted to experts who will tailor the parameters of the necessary devices and their functionality to the specifics of the system and the investor's needs. It is estimated that a properly selected reactive power compensator is an investment that can pay off within just 1 year from its installation, and the payback period will be shorter the higher the subsidies to bills generated by reactive energy.

However, it is important to realize that in order for capacitive or inductive reactive power compensation to be possible, the budget must include not only the purchase of the device itself but also its installation and any potential service. Therefore, it is worth comparing several offers and choosing the solution best suited to your needs.

Do you want to lower your electricity bills? Are you considering installing a photovoltaic system or do you already have panels and are interested in reactive power compensation in your home, business, or farm? Contact us and see what we can offer you.