Description:
Vail has installed harmonic filters which mitigate the negative effects of harmonic distortion. Harmonic distortion can be thought of as energy use that does no useful work. For ski areas, the greatest sources of harmonic distortion are large, direct current (DC) drives and alternating current (AC) adjustable speed drives used to power lifts and snow making systems. Although harmonics filtering requires a significant capital investment, the payback is reasonable for ski areas with power factor charges imposed by their utility. In addition, load shedding is used to more efficiently run lifts. The practice of load shedding reduces the maximum demand on a meter over a utility billing cycle (typically 1 month). Depending on the rate structure for lifts, there may be an added incentive to reduce the peak demand coincident to the utility peak demand levels (coincident peak shaving). For these ski resorts, load shedding is accomplished by running lifts off back generators during peak demand periods.

Resort Web Site

Resort Contact: Luke Cartin

Silver Eagle Award - Energy Conservation/Clean Energy
2004 (WINNER)