Electrical loss reduction
Cutting and reusing losses in electrical equipment.
Recovery and reuse · Shared heat and everyday recovery · No. 139
- Recovery and reuse
- Waste energy: Electrical losses
A transformer that is 99% efficient still wastes about 24 MWh a year just by being switched on.
Chart: Illustration: Electrical loss reduction
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Every transformer, cable and motor turns a sliver of electricity into heat. Motor systems used 53% of the world's electricity in 2023, about 13,462 TWh, so small percentages add up.
Three things to know
- Transformer oil leaves at only about 33-43 C, so a heat pump is needed to feed a 75 C heat network.
- Under kVAh billing, a plant at power factor 0.75 pays for about 20% more energy than at 0.90.
- UK study: transformer heat cut operating emissions about 79.5% against gas boilers and 13.3% against air-source heat pumps.
The journey
- 1 Grid powerFlows through transformers, cables and motors
- 2 LossesResistance, magnetic and reactive current heating
- 3 AvoidLow-loss transformers, power factor correction, filters
- 4 RecoverHeat pumps reuse warm transformer oil
- 5 RegenerateBidirectional drives return braking energy