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Q & A of the Day – Looking at sports lighting, how do I calculate the volt drop?

Published: 25 October 2013 Category: Q&A

This question concerns floodlights for a football pitch, and how to calculate the voltage drop. It has been answered by SELECT (Theme - Lighting):

Q & A of the Day – Looking at sports lighting, how do I calculate the volt drop?

This Q & A is one of thousands posted in our Technical Expertise area, and answered on a daily basis by our Voltimum Experts.

Question: I have been asked to submit a quote to install floodlights on a football pitch. The designer has specified 12 x 2kW sports floodlights. I need to calculate the load and volt drop to determine the cable size. How, therefore, do I calculate the volt drop on such 2kW two-phase sports lighting?

Answer: Firstly, you have not given enough information, such as cable lengths etc.

However, you must calculate the total load and determine the current to be carried. Refer to BS 7671: 2008 Appendix 4 for further details. Check the volts drop from tables, then check that the volts drop does not exceed this value.

Note the equation: Vd = mV x Ib x length divided by 1000.

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