Got a small manufacturing client on Duke Energy Ohio (formerly Cincinnati Gas & Electric) getting power factor penalties that make no sense. They're running mostly LED lighting and modern VFDs but getting penalized for 0.78 lagging PF. Our power quality analyzer shows consistent 0.92-0.94 during operating hours. Something's not adding up here. The monthly penalty is only $85 but it's the principle of the thing.
Cincinnati Gas & Electric PF measurement seems way off
Cecilia, those VFDs might be the culprit even if they're modern. We had similar issues with Entergy customers in New Orleans. The VFDs can create harmonics that affect PF measurement depending on how the utility meter calculates it. Some meters use true power factor while others use displacement power factor. LED drivers can also contribute to harmonic distortion.
Juan, that makes sense. The client does have about 15 VFDs controlling various pumps and fans. I'll need to look at harmonic content more carefully. For $85/month it might not be worth installing harmonic filters, but good to understand what's happening. Thanks for the insight.