APFC Panels

Automatic Power Factor Correction (APFC) Panels in Kenya

Panel Tech Systems manufactures Automatic Power Factor Correction (APFC) panels that help industrial and commercial facilities optimize their power factor, reduce electricity bills, and avoid Kenya Power penalties.

Why Power Factor Correction Matters

• Higher Electricity Bills — Kenya Power charges a surcharge for power factor below 0.90
• Increased Line Losses — Higher current causes more losses in cables and transformers
• Reduced Capacity — Transformers and cables carry reactive power instead of useful power
• Voltage Drops — Poor power factor causes voltage drops affecting equipment performance

How Our APFC Panels Work

Our APFC panels use intelligent microprocessor-based controllers that continuously monitor the power factor and automatically switch capacitor banks in and out as needed:

1. The APFC controller measures real-time power factor at the main bus
2. When power factor drops below the target (typically 0.95-0.99), the controller switches on capacitor stages
3. As load reduces, excess capacitor stages are automatically disconnected
4. The system maintains optimal power factor 24/7 without manual intervention

Panel Specifications

Our APFC panels are available in ratings from 50kVAR to 1000kVAR with 6 to 14 stages. All panels include heavy-duty capacitors rated for tropical conditions, capacitor duty contactors with pre-charging resistors, HRC fuse protection, detuning reactors for harmonic-rich environments, and digital power factor controllers with LCD display.