BasicPower

Basic Power is going to begin a series of webinars explaining the importance of Power Quality with regard to Energy Efficiency, Microgrids, Renewable Energy and operational efficiency.

Please join us for our first webinar on December 13th.

https://www.linkedin.com/events/thedevastatingeffectsofpoorpowe7134909386539307008/

Experiencing electrical issues at your site that are hard to identify? Breaker tripping, motors overheating, lamp drivers blowing out, unplanned equipment shut-offs, flicker, damage to circuit boards, excessive bearing wear?

Having system capacity issues and need to add more load without upscaling transformer and switchgear?
Thinking about installing EV chargers, a solar roof, or a large LED retrofit and worried about the impact of harmonics?

Basic Power, Inc. can provide you with a comprehensive diagnostic power quality audit of your facility with an expert electrical engineering assessment of how to solve your power quality issues, improve system efficiency, and reduce energy consumption.

We also custom manufacture harmonic filters, surge protection and power factor correction equipment at our certified UL508A panel shop in Baltimore.

Basic Power is your one stop resource for Power Quality audits and diagnostic analysis of our metered data to solve your complex PQ issues.
Our in-house Electrical Engineers perform ASHRAE and IEEE compliant testing using Dranetz utility-grade PQ meters and provide you, and your clients, with comprehensive reports and recommendations for appropriate remedial action to optimize efficiency and reduce costs in your facility.

The paradox of energy efficiency is that, in designing equipment that draws less power, electrical product manufacturers have utilized power electronics, variable speed motors and inverter technologies to achieve the desired energy savings. This approach utilizes energy more efficiently, but with a hidden cost.

These technologies distort the fundamental waveform of the utility supplied power with unwanted frequencies of current and voltages. These harmonics create additional heat and resistance in electrical circuits forcing them to draw more power than is necessary, degrading their performance and shortening their operational life. Increasing the number of energy efficient and smart technologies in a system decreases the overall power quality of that system unless the harmonic distortion is addressed.

Roof Top PV Solar systems, Geothermal, EV charging stations, heat-pumps, LED lighting and smart appliances all contribute to increasing levels of harmonics, the loss of power factor efficiency and an accelerating reduction of energy capacity within a facility and in the local distribution grid.

If we are to switch from gas and oil furnace heating systems to electric heat pumps, and from gasoline and diesel engines to electric vehicles, then we will need additional capacity in the low voltage distribution grid. Any energy capacity that cannot be utilized, because it is already taken up by harmonic currents or the reactive power requirements of inductive motor loads, means less energy available for productive work.

Without power quality optimization, diesel, biodiesel, and propane powered micro-grids, will consume more fuel, and produce more emissions, if the electrical loads they serve have harmonic content and poor power factors. In addition, voltage fluctuations and harmonics produced by the generator will negatively affect electronic equipment connected to the micro-grid.

Basic Power believes that opportunities for energy savings, through energy efficiency and energy conservation measures, cannot be maximized unless the quality of the electrical power flowing through all electrical equipment is optimized and all transient and persistent distortions of the energy supply are removed.

Our specialist electrical engineers conduct diagnostic power quality audits in microgrids, building integrated renewable energy systems, EV charging projects and energy conservation projects in educational, institutional, and industrial applications.
In addition, we manufacture static and dynamic power factor correction systems, passive shunt harmonic filters and surge protection systems to remedy power quality inefficiencies.

Basic Power partners with leading instrumentation and automation manufacturers to provide permanent metering and SCADA systems to help facility managers measure and control their energy usage, predictive maintenance needs and LEED aspirations.

Our 96kW regenerative NH Research Load Bank gives our electrical engineers the tool to emulate electrical loads like EV chargers and solar inverters as well as mirroring load profiles in 480V, 208V and 120/240V systems with the ability to add harmonic currents and voltages to test filter applications or alter PF to test reactive power compensation levels. We use this load bank to test diesel gensets for fuel consumption against variable loads and variable PQ scenarios and for fine tuning our products before shipping to the client's project site.

Basic Power's line assembly operation for UL 508A panel assembly in Baltimore.