The flow of reactive energy has important technical and economic implications. Indeed, for the same active power P, it is necessary to supply all the more apparent power, and thus current, that the reactive power is important.

Thus, the circulation of reactive energy on the distribution networks leads, due to a higher inrush current :

• overloads at the level of the transformers,
• heating of the power cables,
• additional losses,
• significant voltage drops.

For these reasons, it is necessary to produce reactive energy as close as possible to the loads, to avoid it being called on the public network. This is called ”
reactive energy compensation
“

To encourage this and to avoid overcalibrating its network, the energy distributor financially penalizes reactive energy consumers above a certain threshold. In Morocco, for example, below a power factor of 0.8, the customer must pay penalties. The billing system is designed in such a way that, in order to optimize his bill, the customer is even encouraged to reach and maintain a cos phi of 1, allowing him to reduce the power subscribed to the distributor, and thus reduce the monthly fees related to this power.

Choice of compensation type:

The choice of the type of compensation is crucial. Not only does it affect the economic return on investment, but it can also have significant financial consequences when done incorrectly, such as malfunctioning of the compensation solution (overcompensation, undercompensation, etc.) or failure to reach the target power factor, or even dramatic consequences in case of high harmonic pollution: fire, explosion, etc.

This is why we advise you to call on the services of real experts in the field, capable of sizing the solution as accurately as possible, taking into account the existing phenomena in your installation or future phenomena (harmonic pollution, resonance phenomena, amplification factor, etc.)