Patent ID: 8164314

Claim:
A distributed capacitor bank controller for power factor correction of a power system, the distributed capacitor bank controller comprising a first distributed meter, a second distributed meter, a programmable logic controller and a communications pathway, wherein: the first and second distributed meters are operable to provide a power factor value, a current value, a voltage value, and a load value; the communications pathway couples the first and second distributed meters to the programmable logic controller; and the programmable logic controller is operable to: receive the power factor value, the current value, the voltage value and the load value from the first and second distributed meters; determine an average power factor value and a current unbalance value; automatically add a capacitor step of a capacitor bank to the power system when: the voltage value is below a high voltage set-point, the current unbalance value is below a current unbalance set-point, and the voltage value is below a low voltage set-point; or the voltage value is above the low voltage set-point, the average power factor value is below a low power factor set-point, and the load value is above a load set-point; and automatically remove a capacitor step of the capacitor bank from the power system when: the voltage value is above the high voltage set-point; the current unbalance value is above the current unbalance set-point; or the voltage value is above the low voltage set-point and the average power factor value is above the low power factor set-point and above a high power factor set-point.