Problem

With limited harvesting time and a long term storage process, potato growers face a variety of electrical demands. The month of October is the height of activity at the potato plant. This is both harvest and preparation time for the potatoes to be shipped or stored for the remainder of the year.

With the increase in activity at the facility, the necessity for maximum power is essential. More than ever, the plant needs to run their HVAC coolers to keep the potatoes at a constant temperature during storage.

The location of the plant and facilities lies on the outer edge of the power grid. With multiple businesses running off the same grid line, the voltage distortion had been driven up and was causing the other businesses issues with their electrical power.

Solution

Two large active filters were ordered and put into place: 300 HP and 500 HP. During off seasons, the larger active filter can be shut down when the equipment is sitting idle. But during the busy peak season, the filter can be running to accommodate the increase in power usage.

As a result to adding the two active filters, the Utility company has approved the harmonic limits output from the facility, the potato farm has avoided penalties from the Utility company, and neighboring businesses are not impacted by harmonics caused by the potato plant.