Are we really using our energy efficiently?
In recent years, we’ve seen a push to improve how efficiently we use our energy. But, is this proliferation of energy saving programs and incentives really helping to alleviate the energy crisis we’re facing. If it is, is it enough? Is buying energy saving lights and appliances really going help us decrease the number of generating facilities we require to provide us with the energy we need now and in the future? Should we be confident that our politicians really understand how to fix our current and future energy situation?
I suppose we could take the position that every little bit helps. I can’t deny that no matter how much or how little we save, it is better than doing nothing! But we have to question if the organizations and authorities providing these incentives are taking the best approach to solving our energy problems.
How is it that we can expect someone without experience or understanding in technical arena of electricity to make competent decisions about the future of energy in North America? This is where the root of our problem begins. Hopefully someone, somewhere with the ability to influence policy will stumble across this article and begin to think about the effectiveness of our current position towards reducing energy demand.
In power distribution there are two key terms used to measure our demand for energy. The first is KVA (kilovolt-amperes), which is used to express the total amount of power being generated and provided to the consumer. The second is KW (kilowatts), which is used to express the amount of power the consumer converts in to work. The ratio between these two terms is known as Power Factor and is directly related to the amount of KVAR or reactive power in the electrical system. This Reactive power (KVAR) produces no work and is only used to provide the magnetic field used to power many types of equipment. Since it produces no work, it can be considered as wasted energy. As the difference between the energy we are given and the energy we are using for something useful becomes larger, we increase the amount of wasted energy.
This is where the term efficiency comes in. If efficiency is defined by the utilization of a commodity in the best possible manner while providing the least amount of waste, then we need to consider bringing these two values (KVA and KW closer together). A simple decrease in productive energy (KW) does not necessarily improve the efficiency of the electrical system.
Consider the following:
A facility requires 800KW of productive power to operate. In order to get this productive power the generator is required to provide 1000KVA of total power. This means that the facility is only 80% efficient, or we can say it has a power factor of 80%.
Out of this 1000KVA of total power, 20% is being wasted by producing no work at all. If we improve the level of efficiency (power factor) to 95%, the generator is only required to provide 842KVA of total power to get the same amount of productive work (KW). The result of this is an additional 158KW of potential power to distribute elsewhere.
It is the understanding of this very concept that we need to understand in order to improve our energy situation and to answer our question about the effectiveness of these programs. Power Factor will provide us with a real measure of how efficiently we are using our energy right now and will allow us to compare how well these incentives are working to improve our efficiency.
Although brief and only meant as an introduction, I sincerely hope that this article will bring new light to how we view and manage this serious energy problem we face not only for today, but for our future.
Article Source: http://www.bestglobalwarmingarticles.com
