Find answers to frequently asked questions about Merus Power, battery energy storage systems, power quality solutions, active harmonic filters, STATCOM, SVC, and more.
Merus Power is a Finnish technology company based in Ylöjärvi, Finland. We design and manufacture innovative battery energy storage systems (BESS) and power quality solutions using our in-house developed technology. Read more
What does Merus Power do?
Merus® ESS: A lithium-ion battery energy storage system with ultra-fast grid response, modular and arctic-ready design, tailored to applications like grid balancing, peak shaving, and frequency reserve access.
Power quality solutions: Including the Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter, Merus® HPQ-Hybrid Power Quality Compensator, Merus® STATCOM, and Merus® SVC, designed to reduce harmonics, improve power factor, and ensure grid code compliance in various applications.
What are Merus Power’s leading solutions, and how do they benefit customers?
Merus Power supports installations with commissioning, maintenance, spare parts, technical training, and power quality studies. Our Merus® Services ensure that customers receive maximum value and efficiency throughout their system’s lifespan.
What services does Merus Power offer across the product lifecycle?
Merus Power delivers Nordic excellence; scalable and modular systems with fast response times. All hardware and software are designed in-house, allowing high flexibility, reliability, and cybersecurity. Read more
What makes Merus Power unique in the market?
Merus Power is headquartered in Ylöjärvi, Finland. We operate globally and have delivered solutions to over 70 countries across industries, infrastructure, renewables, and utilities. We also have local offices in Germany and the United Arab Emirates.
Where does Merus Power operate?
Merus Power holds certifications for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001. Our products comply with standards such as IEEE 519, G5/5, and EN 50160, and our active filters are UL 508/CSA listed. Read more
What credentials and certifications does Merus Power have?
At Merus Power, we guide customers from initial power quality or energy storage needs assessment through business case design to turnkey delivery (EPC), integration, installation, and finally O&M and trading services.
How is a project typically handled from start to finish at Merus Power?
Visit our Contact Uspage to find the right person directly
Use the form at the end of each product page if you have product-specific questions
Reach out through our extensive partner network for local support in your country
How can I contact Merus Power?
Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter cancels harmonics and balances loads, improving power quality. It helps you comply with standards such as IEEE 519, G5/5, and EN 50160. It is scalable, modular, efficient, and easy to integrate into existing systems.
What does an active harmonic filter like Merus® A2 do?
Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter works much like noise-canceling headphones. It measures distorted current from non-linear loads and injects equal-but-opposite currents. This cancels the distortion, allowing only clean current to be drawn from the grid.
How does the Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter actually work?
By stabilizing voltage and reducing distortion, Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter prevents equipment trips, overheating, and malfunctions. The result is smoother production, less downtime, and longer equipment lifetime.
How can Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter improve my factory’s reliability?
By reducing system losses, avoiding overheating, and optimizing reactive power, Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter improves efficiency. That translates into lower electricity bills and reduced maintenance costs.
Will an active harmonic filter lower my energy costs?
Passive filters target specific frequencies and can cause issues such as leading power factor. Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter adapts dynamically to varying loads, providing long-term reliability, compliance, and broader coverage for your system.
How do active harmonic filters compare to passive filters?
Yes. Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filterhas a standby mode that turns off power electronics when compensation is not needed. This saves energy and extends the service life of the equipment.
Does Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter include energy-saving features?
Selectable mode: lets you choose which harmonics to cancel and includes load balancing.
All harmonics mode: cancels all harmonics and compensates reactive power in real time.
Harmonics-only mode: cancels harmonics but leaves reactive power untouched.
What operating modes are available for the Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter?
Yes. We have numerous Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter reference cases across various industries, including water and wastewater treatment, hospitals, and manufacturing. You can explore them here: Merus® A2 references
Are there real-life examples of savings thanks to Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter?
Yes. A single Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter or several modules in parallel can filter harmonics from multiple 6-pulse drives. This makes it a cost-efficient choice compared to upgrading every drive with active front-end technology.
Can one active harmonic filter handle multiple drives in my system?
Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter is flexible in placement. It can be installed at the main distribution board, at the point of common coupling, or close to specific sensitive equipment, depending on where you need the most improvement.
Where should I install an active harmonic filter in my facility?
Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter reacts in microseconds. This ensures stable operation even with rapidly changing or sensitive loads such as welding equipment, elevators, cranes, and medical devices.
How fast does Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter react to disturbances?
No. Since the Merus A2-Active Harmonic Filter is connected in parallel with your loads, your processes continue to run even if the filter is offline. This makes it more reliable than active front-end drives, where a single fault can cause the system to stop.
What happens if the active harmonic filter fails? Will my production stop?
Absolutely. Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter is specifically designed for facilities where Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) are prevalent, such as water and wastewater treatment plants, HVAC systems, industrial factories, and hospitals. It keeps THDi under control and ensures your system stays within power quality standards.
Is Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter suitable for VFD-heavy processes?
Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter is smaller, more efficient, and more reliable. Unlike Active Front-end Drives, an active harmonic filter fault will not stop your processes. Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter is also more cost-effective because a single filter can cover multiple drives.
How does Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter compare to Active Front-End (AFE) drives?
In simple terms, topology is the way semiconductors are arranged inside the active harmonic filter to generate the compensation current. The two main topologies in the market are 2-level and 3-level NPC (Neutral Point Clamped) topologies. The number of voltage levels determines how precisely the filter can shape its output and the amount of stress the semiconductors experience. More levels mean lower voltage stress, less heat, and better performance.
What does “topology” mean in an active harmonic filter?
Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter is built with advanced 3-level NPC topology, which is superior to older 2-level designs. It delivers faster reaction and better harmonic filtering, with lower heat losses, smaller components, and higher power density. The 3-level design also creates a cleaner output waveform with less ripple and lower noise, ensuring more efficient and reliable performance.
Why does Merus® A2-Active Harmonic Filter use 3-level NPC inverter topology?
Merus® ESS is Merus Power’s high-power, fast-reacting battery energy storage system (BESS), designed and manufactured in Finland by Merus Power. It combines advanced lithium-ion technology with Merus Power’s in-house engineered Power Conversion System (PCS), Energy Management System (EMS), and control software.
Merus® ESS has a modular and scalable structure, Arctic-grade durability, and high safety and cybersecurity standards. Merus Power offers the Merus® ESS as a turnkey delivery, covering everything from design and engineering to installation, commissioning, and long-term service.
What is Merus® ESS?
Battery storage systems are the fastest-responding assets on the grid, capable of delivering full power in under a second. This makes them essential for handling sudden fluctuations in supply or demand and preventing blackouts. They allow renewable energy, such as wind and solar, to be stored during periods of surplus and released when generation drops. This improves grid stability, enables the reliable use of more clean energy, reduces peak demand costs, and avoids the need for expensive backup plants or overbuilding of generation capacity.
Merus® ESS delivers these capabilities with exceptional speed and reliability. It reacts in less than 0.1 seconds to grid events, providing critical frequency regulation and storing excess power when production is high so it can be used when demand increases or renewable generation falls. This fast response strengthens grid reliability, reduces reliance on carbon-intensive backup power, and maximizes the value of renewable energy investments.
Why are battery energy storage systems useful?
Merus® ESS integrates seamlessly with different technologies, such as microgrids, wind, solar, and hydropower plants. It smooths out fluctuations in renewable output, provides black start capability, enhances power quality, and supports frequency regulation.
How do energy storage systems integrate with different technologies?
Merus® ESS discharges electricity when the grid needs it, for example, during periods of renewable energy production gaps, peak demand, or sudden frequency deviations. In microgrids, it buffers renewable power and releases it during demand peaks or outages, ensuring reliability and market participation.
When and how is the stored electricity used?
Merus® ESS achieves system efficiencies of 95–98%. Its in-house engineered Power Conversion System (PCS), Energy Management System (EMS), and optimized outdoor design all contribute to reliable and efficient operation.
Are energy storage systems efficient?
Merus® ESS is designed with strong safety features. It is Arctic-grade, capable of operating in –40 °C conditions, and is built for resilience in coastal and snowy climates. It also meets stringent cybersecurity and physical safety standards, with cooperation from local fire departments and authorities.
Are energy storage systems safe?
Merus® ESS provides businesses with multiple advantages: lower energy costs through peak shaving, new income from frequency reserve markets, enhanced power quality, and reduced equipment wear. It also enables smoother integration of renewables, strengthening sustainability strategies.
What benefits do energy storage bring to businesses?
Yes, it is. Merus® ESS in Valkeakoski, Finland, is the first grid-forming (GFM) battery energy storage system (BESS) in the Nordic region. It meets Fingrid’s grid-forming requirements, provides black start capability, and has successfully passed demanding simulation and site tests. Read more
Is Merus Power’s grid-forming battery energy storage system the first of its kind in the Nordics?
Power quality means a stable, clean, and sinusoidal voltage waveform within regulated limits. Poor power quality can damage equipment, shorten its lifetime, cause unplanned downtime, reduce efficiency, and even lead to penalties from grid code violations.
What is power quality, and why does it matter for my business?
Typical signs are damaged or failing equipment, nuisance trips, overheating, flickering lights, low power factor, or voltage imbalance. Many countries have standards such as IEEE 519, G5/5, or EN 50160. If you are out of compliance, you risk fines or restrictions.
How can I tell if I have a power quality problem?
The main causes are non-linear loads such as Variable Frequency Drives (VFD), LED lighting, EV chargers, and data centers. Renewable energy sources and decentralized grids also introduce harmonics and fluctuations.
Merus® HPQ hybrid systems that combine harmonic filtering with reactive power compensation and load balancing.
Merus® SVC and Merus® STATCOM systems that provide large-scale reactive power and voltage control.
What solutions does Merus Power offer for power quality issues?
Yes. Merus Power’s solutions are scalable and modular, allowing for expansion as your load or processes change.
Can Merus systems grow with my needs?
Yes. Merus Power offers free engineering calculators for power quality and battery energy storage applications. These tools help estimate harmonic distortion, active filter sizing, BESS performance, and system efficiency during the early stages of project planning.
Does Merus Power have tools that help me understand my needs?
A STATCOM, or Static Synchronous Compensator, is a power electronics-based device that provides fast voltage support, reactive power compensation, harmonic filtering, and load balancing. Merus® STATCOM is designed to deliver all these functions reliably, even in the most demanding industrial environments.
What is a STATCOM and what does it do?
STATCOMs are widely used in heavy industry, for example, in steel plants with Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF), Ladle Furnaces (LF), and rolling mills. They are also valuable in mines and remote grids powered by diesel, hydropower, or hybrid sources.
Where are STATCOM systems typically used?
Merus® STATCOM stabilizes voltage, reduces flicker, improves productivity, and lowers energy use. Typical benefits include a 7–10 % increase in productivity, reduced electrode consumption in furnaces, fewer nuisance trips, lower maintenance costs, and longer equipment life.
How does a STATCOM benefit my operations?
Merus® STATCOM has a modular structure using independent modules that can be paralleled to scale up power. A central control and protection system manages the modules, filter banks, and monitoring. Each module has its own protection and cooling, which means one module failing does not stop the rest of the system.
How is a Merus® STATCOM built?
Yes. Merus® STATCOM can be connected to Merus® MERUSCOPE™, Merus Power’s cloud-based monitoring service. This allows you to track performance, receive alerts, and analyze historical data.
Can I monitor Merus® STATCOM remotely?
Merus® STATCOM systems range from just a few MVAr for smaller plants to more than 100 MVAr for large industrial applications.
How large can Merus® STATCOM systems be?
Both are used for reactive power compensation. Merus® SVC is a cost-effective, thyristor-based solution for high-power applications between 4 and 250 MVAr. Merus® STATCOM, on the other hand, is faster and more effective for voltage support and harmonic mitigation, especially with rapidly changing loads.
How does a STATCOM compare with an SVC?
An SVC, or static var compensator, is a thyristor-based system that provides fast reactive power compensation and dynamic voltage support. Merus® SVC helps industrial plants and utilities keep voltages stable, reduce flicker, and meet grid code requirements.
What is an SVC, and what does it do?
Yes. Merus® STATCOM is modular and scalable. You can easily add modules as your power demand increases.
Can a Merus® STATCOM be expanded later?
Yes, we have several reference cases featured on our website, as well as numerous others that we have completed over the years. Merus® STATCOM has been successfully applied in industries such as steel plants, foundries, metallurgical plants, and mining operations. You can read more about these cases here
Do you have real-life examples of Merus® STATCOM use?
An SVC, or Static Var Compensator, is a thyristor-based system that provides fast reactive power compensation and dynamic voltage control. Merus® SVC helps stabilize grid voltage, reduce flicker, and improve power quality in industrial and utility networks.
What is an SVC, and what does it do?
SVCs are commonly used in heavy industry, such as steel plants with Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) or Ladle Furnaces (LF), mining operations, and large industrial facilities. They are also widely applied in transmission and distribution grids where strong and reliable voltage control is required.
Where are SVC systems typically used?
Merus® SVC improves voltage stability, reduces flicker, and supports higher production efficiency. Benefits typically include fewer process interruptions, improved power quality, compliance with grid code, reduced equipment stress, and better overall system reliability.
How does a Merus® SVC benefit my operations?
Merus® SVC consists of thyristor-controlled reactors and capacitor banks, combined with advanced control and protection systems. All Merus solutions are designed and manufactured in-house using proprietary technology, ensuring full control over quality and performance. The systems are made in Europe, with production based in Finland, and are engineered to deliver reliable operation in demanding environments.
How is a Merus® SVC built?
Yes. Each Merus® SVC is designed based on the customer’s network characteristics, load profile, and performance requirements to ensure optimal results.
Can a Merus® SVC be customized for my application?
Merus® SVC responds dynamically to voltage fluctuations within milliseconds. While not as fast as a STATCOM, it provides sufficiently rapid response for most high-power industrial and grid applications.
How fast does an SVC respond to changes in the network?
Merus® SVC systems typically range from around 4 MVAr up to 250 MVAr, making them well-suited for large-scale industrial processes and utility-level applications.
How large can Merus® SVC systems be?
Yes. For many high-power applications, Merus® SVC provides an excellent balance between performance and investment cost. It is often the preferred choice when a very fast response is not the primary requirement.
Is an SVC a cost-effective solution?
Yes. Merus® SVC can be connected to Merus® MERUSCOPE™, allowing remote monitoring, performance tracking, and access to historical data and alarms.
Can I monitor Merus® SVC remotely?
Yes. Merus® SVC supports compliance with grid codes by stabilizing voltage, controlling reactive power, and improving overall power quality.
Can a Merus® SVC help meet grid code requirements?
Both solutions provide reactive power compensation and voltage control. Merus® SVC is a cost-effective solution for high-power applications with relatively stable load variations. Merus® STATCOM offers faster response and better performance withhighly dynamic or rapidly fluctuating loads.
How does a Merus® SVC compare with a STATCOM?
Yes, Merus Power has delivered SVC solutions to a wide range of industrial and utility customers. Reference cases are available on our website and demonstrate successful applications in demanding environments.
Do you have real-life examples of Merus® SVC use?
Merus Power sizing tools help estimate key parameters for power-quality and battery-energy-storage applications. They provide a fast and practical starting point for system sizing and project planning.
What can you calculate with Merus Power’s sizing tools?
Our tools are intended for electrical engineers, consultants, system integrators, utilities, EPC companies, and industrial facility owners. They simplify preliminary calculations and support more informed technical decisions.
Who are Merus Power’s sizing tools designed for?
Our calculators provide reliable engineering estimates based on the information you enter. For final equipment selection and compliance verification, detailed measurements and system studies are recommended.
How accurate are Merus Power’s calculator results?
Yes. All Merus Power engineering calculators are free to use and designed to support engineers, consultants, and industrial users during the early stages of project planning.
Are Merus Power’s engineering calculators free to use?
No. The calculators are designed to support preliminary analysis and project planning. Professional measurements and engineering studies are still required for detailed system design and compliance assessment.
Can Merus Power’s calculators replace power quality measurements?
