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threwrfawaytoday at 3:53 AM1 replyview on HN

If you're large enough your connection to the grid is a negotiation with an engineering team.

The utility will force you to put equipment to correct for power factor (massive capacitor bank), resistive load, etc.

The utility also charges commercial users for apparent power (includes reactive power, or that sloshes around setting up a steady state), as opposed to just real power charged to residential users.

EDIT: in case your wondering, yes resistor loads is just glorified bunch of short circuits and a fan.


Replies

onionisafruittoday at 3:59 AM

That’s interesting. For the rest of us I guess it’s just the law if large numbers that our air conditioners don’t cycle off at the same time

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