Power factor correction

As a rule, as power distribution system load grows, the system power factor usually declines. Load growth and a decrease in power factor leads to

1. Voltage regulation problems;

2. Increased system losses;

3. Power factor penalties in wholesale power contracts; and

4. Reduced system capacity.

Capacitors offer a means of improving system power factor and helping to correct the above conditions by reducing the reactive kilovar load carried by the utility system. For optimum performance and avoidance of these undesirable conditions, prudent utility planners attempt to maintain as high a power factor as economically practical. To gain optimum performance and advantage, power factor correction capacitors need to be effectively sized, efficiently located, and utilized on power circuits at times appropriate to the system’s load cycle.

Jawad Sirewal 09:25, 26 March 2010 (UTC)