Electrical guy
Member
Voltz
How long is the cable run from the starter to the motor? If it is short it would not make any difference if the caps were ahead of the starter. Utilities bill for the max KVA demand during the month at about $5.00 per kva. It does not take much to save a lot of money. The the I2R saving are usually small unless the motor is use for many hours. Most designers place the caps at the motor. You need to make sure you don't have any VFD on the motors. Capacitors and VFD do not play well together.
Bob,
To keep excessive current build up and other problems from arising, should not the caps be placed at least 50 feet away (conductor length) from the VFD.