What could possibly prompt Eskom or any power distribution companies to look into issues of unbalanced power networks? Could it be the threat of legal proceedings?
I understood that a representative from Eskom was notified about potential network imbalances at the Modderbee municipal substation, but it might have been disregarded as unlikely. However, since I was not present, I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information I received indirectly.
The secondary reason for publishing this article is my effort to reach out to someone who professes to have extensive knowledge about Eskom’s power quality. I did not just send one email, but two. Despite being successfully delivered, the first email went unanswered, and the second was “deleted without being read,” as per the notification I received in my email account.
Consider the recent increase in reported issues with cables and transformers, and then draw your own conclusions: Are Eskom and other power suppliers aware of the network imbalances? Moreover, do they implement sufficient checks to identify these issues in the networks? From what I’ve observed, it doesn’t seem so. They seem to ignore any alerts related to network imbalances.
A question that often arises is: who benefits from the extra costs that customers incur due to unbalanced network voltage conditions? Let us explore this. Customers need a specific amount of electrical power, also known as real power, to perform certain tasks. However, the unbalanced network conditions result in a significant increase in inefficient powers, leading to a rise in apparent power. As customers’ bills are mainly calculated based on this apparent power, they end up paying more for these inefficient powers. On the generation side, power must be produced to also compensate for the losses. Each unit generated carries a profit margin. Hence, the more units produced, the higher the profits. It is crucial to remember that all power plants, whether they are coal-fired, nuclear, or renewable, do not operate as non-profit organizations.
It’s also important to note that network imbalances are not easily noticeable in power supplies. For example, in Linden, people might believe the power supply is working properly by examining the phase-to-neutral voltages. Likewise, in Modderbee, officials from Eskom and the electricity department might view the network as free of issues when they see that the phase-to-phase voltages are stable.
If you think that living in a different part of the world protects you from unbalanced network conditions, it may be beneficial to reevaluate that belief. As highlighted in this document, you might be completely oblivious to such events.