A unit ordered for a coastal plant and the same unit installed at 2,500 m are not the same machine in service, even when the nameplate reads identically. Air density falls with height, and thinner air does two jobs less well: it carries heat away from the windings, and it insulates. This article explains what physically changes at height - cooling capacity and dielectric strength - how the altitude correction factor is applied, either by reducing the permissible temperature rise or by raising the insulation requirement, and what should be confirmed on the enquiry: the real site elevation, the reference conditions behind the quoted rating, whether the kVA figure is the sea-level or the corrected value, and the ventilation design at the corrected load.
READ MORE Oct 13, 2026