This update from Custer Public Power District (CPPD) highlights significant advancements in their irrigation monitoring and management systems.
The CPPD has recognized that, since 1979, capacitors have been required on all electric irrigation motors, but due to limitations in resources, enforcement and monitoring have been challenging.
To address this, CPPD has implemented a new, advanced metering system that provides more accurate and reliable data. With the new system, CPPD conducted site visits and discovered that many irrigation systems had missing, unhooked, incorrectly sized, or non-functional capacitors.
According to April Gross, the customer service manager at CPPD, the company has been reaching out to customers for the past few years to emphasize the importance of these capacitors and the need for proper motor function.
The introduction of a power factor penalty next year will enforce this requirement more stringently, with potential penalties for farmers who fail to install capacitors. Custer’s load control program is in conjunction with Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) irrigation load control program.
Gross noted that billing will always be a year behind, so everyone is setting their peaks this year.
Gross also highlighted that the new metering data allows CPPD to better identify and address issues such as voltage problems and outages, sometimes even before customers are aware of them.
Capacitors also offer some benefits to producers by improving the performance of their equipment but helps with voltage and line loss on the entire Custer system.
The CCPD website offers tools like an irrigation rate calculator, power factor calculator, and access to a smart hub portal for customers to monitor their daily usage.
Alongside CPPD’s update, the Corn Growers tour featured presentations from seed dealers such as AgriGold, Becks, Dekalb, Hoegemeyer, Pioneer, and Renk. Each seed dealer highlighted different corn hybrids and provided insights into their new and upcoming corn varieties.
Also, DJI drones showed their AGRAS T50 model, which can hold 110lbs spread and spray 10.5 gallons of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides with precision and efficiency. The drone demonstration prompted discussions on safety, permits, maintenance, and costs.
Ethan Zoerb, president for Custer County Corn Growers Association and a member of the State Corn Growers board, noted that the tour was a valuable opportunity to learn about advancements in agriculture technology and practices.
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Capacitors help reduce wasted energy by keeping voltage and amperage in sync. When these two are out of sync, energy is wasted, leading to power quality issues. Excessive wasted energy can cause voltage problems, impacting the reliability of power on Custer Power lines.
Custer Public Power provided a graphic to help demonstrate the purpose of capacitors.
For those who missed the tour, the plot is located at the intersection of Drive 443 and Round Valley Road near 444 road. The field seed signs will remain up until harvest.
