Electrical power is the lifeblood of the modern world. It is a precious resource which requires careful management; without it our IT systems would fail and we would be lost in the stone age.
The rapid development of the world’s economies and the expansion of commercial centres has led to an unprecedented demand on the system. New power stations are being commissioned at an alarming rate in order to keep up with demand, and yet power quality has never been subject to so many threats.
The problems are largely related to traditional mains borne disturbances, such as spikes, surges, brownouts and power cuts. However, to add to the situation a new phenomenon has emerged in recent years: ever increasing harmonic distortions.
Modern office buildings are filling up with sophisticated electrical and electronic equipment, much of which draws harmonic currents from its power supplies. These harmonic currents and the harmonic voltage distortion that they cause, can lead to unsafe and unreliable electrical power supplies. Operational difficulties are infrequent, but they can cause considerable disruption to the majority of organisations that rely on communications, process control or information technology.
Most large organisations are aware of the consequences to their business if power quality is not corrected and are taking measures to resolve this. Many have sought advice from power quality specialists such as TEC and Claude Lyons.