Scientific American Supplement, No. 1178, June 25, 1898Various
History
Scientific American Supplement, No. 1178, June 25, 1898
Various
Science -- Periodicals
Before leaving this question of interest and its effect upon cost, I
would draw your attention to the fact that while interest is by far
the most important factor of cost, it is a constantly reducing amount
per unit of maximum output in practically every central station
system. When a system is first installed, it is the rule to make large
enough investment in real estate and buildings to take care of many
times the output obtained in the first year or so of operation. As a
rule, the generating plant from the boilers to the switchboard is
designed with only sufficient surplus to last a year or so. In the
case of the distributing system the same course is followed as in the
case of real estate and buildings, with a view to minimizing the
ultimate investment. Mains are laid along each block facing, feeders
are put in having a capacity far beyond the necessity of the moment;
consequently interest cost is very high when a plant first starts,
except, as I have stated, in the case of the machinery forming the
generating plant itself. As the business increases from, year to year,
the item of interest per unit of maximum output consequently will
constantly decrease, owing to the fact that each additional unit of
output following an increase of connected load increases the divisor
by which the total interest is divided. The result is from year to
year the interest cost of each additional unit of maximum output is a
constantly reducing amount, and consequently the average interest cost
of each unit of maximum output should, in a well regulated plant, grow
less from year to year until the minimum interest cost per unit is
reached. This minimum interest cost is reached when the capacity of
the whole system and the total units of output at maximum load are
identical, although of course it will always be necessary to have a
certain margin of capacity over possible output, as a factor of
safety.
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