NoTrespassing
Elite Member
The company I work for recently received a notice from our power company regarding protection of equipment running on 3 phase power. It seems the Illinois general assembly passed an act called Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA). This requires our power company to implement "Voltage Optimization" (VO). It says the following;
What is Voltage Optimization?
It has long been a common practice for Ameren Illinois to set voltage levels at the substation on the upper end of the allowable range to ensure appropriate voltage levels are maintained for all customers. With today's technology, including cost effective sensors, controls and communication systems, we can maintain consistent voltage levels at the lower end of the allowable range throughout the entire circuit. This helps ensure our customers use only the energy they need. In turn, we have a cleaner and more efficient energy system.
Ameren Illinois has started an aggressive plan to optimize voltage on more then 1,000 circuits by 2025. Each of these VO controlled circuits will be monitored and regulated to keep all customers at the lower end of the allowable voltage range. Under the Illinois Commerce Commission approved plan, we are targeted to achieve an annual cumulative savings of 1.5% by 2025 for our entire system. An independent third party organization will measure and verify our results.
Three phase customers have the responsibility to protect their equipment against single phasing and voltage changes.
We have about 8 machines that run on 3 phase power. In the 24 years that we've been at this location we've only had a problem one time about 18 years ago. One of the legs dropped and it fried one of our motors that happened to be running at the time. I'm a little concerned that the changes being made may lead to more problems than we've had in the past. I'm planning to talk to our electrical contractor the next time he's in the building, usually he's replacing ballasts on ancient light fixture here.
Does anyone have any thoughts on actions we should take given our circumstances?
What is Voltage Optimization?
It has long been a common practice for Ameren Illinois to set voltage levels at the substation on the upper end of the allowable range to ensure appropriate voltage levels are maintained for all customers. With today's technology, including cost effective sensors, controls and communication systems, we can maintain consistent voltage levels at the lower end of the allowable range throughout the entire circuit. This helps ensure our customers use only the energy they need. In turn, we have a cleaner and more efficient energy system.
Ameren Illinois has started an aggressive plan to optimize voltage on more then 1,000 circuits by 2025. Each of these VO controlled circuits will be monitored and regulated to keep all customers at the lower end of the allowable voltage range. Under the Illinois Commerce Commission approved plan, we are targeted to achieve an annual cumulative savings of 1.5% by 2025 for our entire system. An independent third party organization will measure and verify our results.
Three phase customers have the responsibility to protect their equipment against single phasing and voltage changes.
We have about 8 machines that run on 3 phase power. In the 24 years that we've been at this location we've only had a problem one time about 18 years ago. One of the legs dropped and it fried one of our motors that happened to be running at the time. I'm a little concerned that the changes being made may lead to more problems than we've had in the past. I'm planning to talk to our electrical contractor the next time he's in the building, usually he's replacing ballasts on ancient light fixture here.
Does anyone have any thoughts on actions we should take given our circumstances?
