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The Business of
Ontario Agriculture
Better Farming
January 2017
HOW
IT
WORKS
F
arm owner/operators have
strived to be self-sufficient in
many facets of the rural lifestyle.
They produced their own meat, milk,
and eggs.
As a young farm boy, I remember
milking cows and gathering eggs. I
fed cows, pigs, chickens, and yes –
even the horses. Fortunately or
unfortunately, those days are long
gone.
When hydro came to the farm, at a
very reasonable cost, it made many
tasks easier.
Unfortunately, the cost of electrical
energy has now increased to unrealis-
tic levels. We are charged not only for
the electrical energy we use, but the
rate varies by time of day. We are also
charged for delivery.
Fast forward to present
My Hydro One billing is classified as
“residential-low density.” This classifi-
cation, which applies to most Ontario
farms, means we are subjected to the
highest level of delivery charges,
which also includes a charge for line
losses on our monthly electrical
consumption. In other words, that
charge is for the electrical energy that
is lost between the point of genera-
tion and our “remote” farm location.
All electrical conductors have
some resistance to current flow. If you
remember your high school physics
classes, you will know that: power (P)
in watts is created by current flow (I)
in amperes across a voltage difference
(V). The formula is P = V x I.
In addition: one ampere (I)
flowing across a resistance of one
ohm (R) will produce or require a
voltage (V) of one volt. This is usually
written as V = I x R.
This information should explain
why electrical energy is transmitted
at a very high voltage to minimize
transmission line losses by keeping
the current value (I) as low as
practical.
Electrical power is generated at a
relatively low voltage. Transformers
are used to increase the voltage to
300,000 – 500,000 V for transmission
along the tower lines.
At transformer stations that
voltage is reduced to 27.6 kV. (A kV is
1,000 volts.) The voltage is further
reduced at a local distribution station
within a few kilometers of your farm
and is then reduced again by the
transformer at the farm to 120/240
volts.
Power losses do occur between the
generation facilities and our points of
use on the farm. In the August
edition of
Better Farming
, I talked
about efficient use of electrical energy
as well as shifting usage to off-peak
periods whenever possible and
practical.
The hydro bill that I have in front
of me for Sept. 14 to Oct. 14 shows
that we averaged 35 kWh per day,
with 25 kWh being off-peak.
Time-of-use metering by smart meters like this one has put many
meter readers out of a job. But do these smart meters report
potential line problems – such as floating insulators
– and maintain customer contact?
Farmers always striving for self-sufficiency
Rural Ontarians are concerned about the mounting price of hydro and associated delivery charges.
Consider some of the alternative sources of energy you may be able to use in your operation.
by RALPHWINFIELD