Introductory chapter: effects of power quality problems on energy efficiency of power systems

Abstract

Today, due to limited fossil energy resources and environmental concerns, efficient use of energy in electrical power systems and wide employment of renewable energy-based power generation units have become important. To provide high energy efficiency in power systems, significant advancements made to smartgrid concept. In addition to that, the energy-efficient design and control of the power system equipment are provided thanks to the advancements in material science and power electronics. However, today, with the widespread use of modern generation units and loads in power systems, there has been an increase in power quality (PQ) problems that have an adverse impact on losses. Among the PQ problems, especially harmonic distortion and imbalance events, have become factors that significantly worsen energy efficiency. This introductory chapter of the book provides a concise overview of both problems, including definitions, commonly recognized metrics, and main standards. Additionally, the losses and efficiency of some power system equipment are evaluated in relation to harmonic distortion and imbalance. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.