Why is Electric Power Quality Important?

For electrical systems to function correctly at their highest potential, which is now critical for modern society, they require a supply of electricity with various factors that certify its quality. These factors that contribute to your eclectic power quality include: 

• the continuity of energy
• a low harmonic content
• low transient voltage and currents 
• low variance in voltage magnitude 

For an electrical system to have high electrical power quality, it needs to be able to adequately consume the power being supplied to it. Therefore, when your power supply is assessed with a high-quality rating and no concerning issues, it is considered ‘clean energy’. For any business and household, energy management is vital for your general running costs. If you want to achieve lower energy usage and costs while maintaining a high output, your power quality must be assessed as part of your energy management strategy. 

As technology advances, electrical devices become more critical of electric power quality and network disturbances. If the power quality in your electrical systems is at a low and unbalanced standard, you may face a range of challenges. These include higher electricity bills, overloaded power systems, and increased rates of electrical infrastructure aging, which means more equipment maintenance and operational expenditure (OpEx). 

By ensuring high power quality in your electrical systems, your electrical equipment will run at optimal energy consumption. This will result in a lower electricity bill and consumption, creating an extended lifetime for your electrical equipment. If your electrical equipment continually runs on this optimised power output level, it can reduce the chances of breakdowns and overheating, which is especially common for IT equipment. 

Of course, it makes sense that when you spend less time on getting your equipment to work that there's more time for you to be productive. Without these electrical power quality issues and high power qualities being met, businesses can see an increase in efficiency.

Our fast technological progression has seen significant growth across all areas of society. However, while this offers more development and production opportunities, high-tech IT equipment and control units are much more sensitive to electrical disturbances. 

While most businesses will take the initiative to assess the power quality of their electrical systems, some will believe that these issues can be dealt with upon detection. Early identification is often an easy way to avoid problems but sometimes faults in your electric power quality aren't always noticeable. These problems can cause damage to circuits and other components, leading to failures like computer lockups and, worst of all, the loss of revenue and data. 

Most often, if you're experiencing a low power quality in your electrical system, this can fall into three broad categories:

• Harmonic voltage and currents - often introduced by common electrical devices which distort the AC wave and increase your power usage. 
• Poor power - this refers to excessive reactive power in your system which can lead to costly usage. 
• Voltage instability - unbalanced voltage from your network supply is detrimental to your electrical equipment performance. If your voltage is higher or lower than average, it can become detrimental to your system. 

Other power quality challenges can include sag/swells, spikes/transients, and under/over frequency, among others.