Effects of power quality issues on living and working environment

Power quality has an easily noticeable affect all the elements living and working environments. Issues with PQ can affect with all the elements that affect human comfort: temperature, light and noise.

Interruptions of power have the most obvious effect on work and living: there is little human activity that doesn't depend on electrical power being available. Work has to very nearly stop for the duration of the interruption, at least until the secondary power sources come online. Quality of life drops dramatically: there is no lighting available, few people have gas cooking equipment, no consumer electronics, few public services remain, and life very nearly comes to a standstill. Sudden interruptions can damage some more sensitive equipment, particularly electronics, making even return to normal difficult.

A voltage dip is not as dramatic, but can still cause trouble to both businesses and homes. Some devices can handle lowered voltage, by using some or other type of voltage regulation, or simply by being insensitive. Lights, particularly LEDs however, often won’t work.

Large machines or other production equipment will not work, in particular some feedback loop circuits tend to fail.

Voltage swell rarely causes severe problems in the short term. It is possible to overstress sensitive components or insulation, lose data due to switching errors, etc., but these are all more in the domain of transients. Devices might heat more and in the long term, their life expectancy will be shorter. Effect on immediate living comfort is usually very small. Few machines will change the ambient temperature to any notable degree due to higher operating voltage.

Flicker is among the most serious power quality issues in terms of its effect on everyday life. It manifests as flickering of light that causes medical issues like headaches, migraines and even epilepsy. From a safety perspective, flickering lights distort the view of rotating items and things on conveyor belts, making them appear slower or even still. In the workplace, it lowers productivity and makes some light-dependent jobs, like photography, almost impossible.

Distortion or harmonic content is less of an issue in terms of quality of life. Most everyday appliances handle them with no noticeable change. Some may become louder or cause unexpected sounds. Rectifiers can give high-pitched squeal. Transformers may become louder and vibrate more. The effect of harmonics is hidden, but quite serious – deformation of mains voltage can overstress the neutral wire in three phase system, disturb signal systems or electronic regulators, lif the operating temperature, llower efficiency and cause resonance. Depending on the location and ventilation, the heat can become considerable.

Power factor means essentially having more energy in transmission than the load is using. It causes extra stress, heating and aging, while the system has to be slightly oversized to accommodate the power. In extreme cases, the heat can be considerable and affect human productivity, but this is a rare.

Distortion or harmonic content is less of an issue in terms of living quality. Most everyday appliances handle them with no noticeable change. Some may become louder or cause unexpected sounds. Rectifiers can give high-pitched squeal. Transformers may become louder and vibrate more. The effect of harmonics is hidden, but quite serious – deformation of mains voltage can overstress the neutral wire in three phase system, disturb the signal systems or electronic regulators, lifting the operating temperature, lowered efficiency, and resonance. Depending on the location and ventilation, the heat can become considerable.