The Ark improves power factor, however it does not bring it to unity. Improvements in Power Factor from The Ark are typically in the range of 1-5%.
Power Factor Correction equipment utilises capacitor banks for the single purpose of optimising your installation’s power factor. This achieves financial savings by reducing your KVA demand and hence maximum demand charges. In States where electricity is measured on the basis of KVA (i.e. where there is effectively a penalty for poor power factor), it also reduces the energy costs you are charged. In states where electricity is billed in KWH, there is no such penalty for poor power factor and so these particular savings are not achieved. PFC equipment typically has a 1-year warranty and a working lifespan of between 1 and 20 years depending upon site conditions and whether it is correctly and regularly maintained.
The Ark technology, in contrast, works by optimising multiple aspects of your installation. It provides voltage reduction (with negligible internal losses) and improvements in power factor, harmonics filtering and 3-phase voltage balancing. The net effect of The Ark's operation is a reduction in your energy consumption, delivering savings regardless of how your electricity is billed. It also reduces your maximum demand and hence creates savings on reduced maximum demand charges. The Ark has a 10-year warranty and a projected working lifespan of 30+ years and is a 'set and forget' installation.
In fact, The Ark typically works very well at sites where there is Power Factor Correction (PFC) equipment installed.
When PFC is installed, it increases the voltage at that site by up to 7%. This increased voltage can often create issues for the equipment and lighting within the premises.
The increased voltage from the PFC equipment provides a basis for The Ark to achieve even further savings for the client. The Ark can be installed to optimise the voltage, enabling a reduction in KWH and thus a direct reduction in electricity costs - allowing very significant overall savings to be achieved.
When we install The Ark on the same switchboard (or 'upstream') of PFC equipment, we ensure that the rated capacity of The Ark is sufficient to cover the electricity load if the PFC equipment were to be de-commissioned or not functioning properly. This is important given the comparatively short lifespan of PFC equipment and its higher maintenance requirements, compared to The Ark. |
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