TABLE OF CONTENTS Power electronics and power quality are irrevocably linked together as we strive to advance both broad areas. With the dramatic increases over the last 20 years in energy conversion systems utilizing power electronic devices, we have seen the emergence of "power quality" as a major field of power engineering. The power electronic technology has played a major role in creating "power quality," and simple control algorithm modifications to this same technology can often play an equally dominant role in enhancing overall quality of electrical energy available to end-users.
Power electronics has given us, as a industrial society, a plethora of new ways to manufacture products, provide services, and utilize energy. From a power quality impact viewpoint, applications such as
Switched-mode power supplies,
DC arc furnaces,
Electronic fluorescent lamp ballasts,
Adjustable speed drives, and
Flexible ac transmission components.
are often cause for concern. From the viewpoint of a utility supply system, these converter-based systems can lead to operational and life expectancy problems for other equipment, possibly not owned or operated by the same party. It was from this initial perspective that the field of power quality emerged.
In most cases, the same devices and systems that create power quality problems can also be used to solve power quality problems. "Problem solving" applications such as
Active harmonic filters,
Static and adaptive var compensators, and
Uninterruptable power supplies.
all utilize the same switching device technology...
