What the heck is Power Quality?
Power Quality is the relationship between the electrical system and the loads (such as your computer) connected to it, and how they affect each other. Your computer right now is grabbing rapid pulses of current from the power line, so it can store it in a capacitor as DC and dribble it out to its loads. The trouble is, although computers don’t draw much current, all computers on the same circuit want it at exactly the same time. This can lead to real trouble, causing heating in wires, connectors, and fuses, as well as other problems. Electrical systems have provided the power for industry, commerce, and daily living for over a hundred years. But, electrical systems were designed for motors and light bulbs. Electronic equipment has characteristics the electrical system was not designed to handle. Motor drives, electronic ballasts, computers, and other office equipment place stresses on our distribution systems often leading to data loss, equipment errors, and occasionally, to electrical
