Power factor is a percentage that compares real power to apparent power in a system. Real power is the energy required for work, while apparent power is the power flowing through the system. Other factors, such as backward movement of power, affect the flow of power and efficiency of the system. A high power factor is more efficient, and electricity companies use it to determine rates for large customers.
Power factor is a quantity, expressed as a percentage, that shows the real power of a system compared to its apparent power. Real power is the capacity of the circuit at any given time during actual use, and apparent power is the actual power flowing through the system. The power factor is a comparative value; higher power factor systems require smaller amounts of distributed power, while lower power factor systems require more. This value comes into play when finding electricity rates and looking for electrical problems in machinery.
The two portions that make up a power factor are measurements of effective power flow. Real power measures the energy actually required for the work being done to take place. For example, a circuit requires a specific amount of electricity to perform an activity; that amount is real power. Apparent power is the power flowing through the system. Since real power flows but is combined with other factors in the circuit, apparent power is always greater than real power.
It is the other factors of the apparent power that have the real effect on the power. These factors are all that affect the flow of power through the system and are almost always negative. A common influence on apparent power is the backward movement of power, called moving towards the source. This process increases the power in the circuit, but the increase is unusable energy. Other common factors include charges and discharges from the coil, environmental influences, and incorrectly drawn energy.
The result of these various power types and influences on the system is the power factor. This value shows the relative efficiency of the device’s power system. A high power factor means that there are relatively few things interrupting the flow of energy, while a low factor means that the apparent power is interrupted. Since it’s virtually impossible to eliminate all distorting influences, a factor of 100% isn’t really possible. Similarly, a factor of 0% means no power is flowing, another impossibility in an active system.
The value is often used as a comparison between electrical systems. Two systems that operate the same way with the same power requirement can have different factors. If a system has a higher factor, then the lower system has a problem in the electrical system or power delivery method.
Electricity companies often use power factor to determine electricity rates for large customers. Companies that have a high factor are likely to receive price discounts and incentives due to their efficient use of available resources. Low factor companies are often blamed more as an impetus to improve their machinery and infrastructure.
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