What Is Driving The Power Factor Correction Market?
he use of power factor correction (PFC) in power supplies got a boost in 2001, when the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard 61000-3-2 went into effect in Europe. This specification required new electronic equipment consuming more than 75W to meet certain standards for harmonic content, which basically required the use of PFC. Britain, Japan and China soon adopted similar standards, and any company selling equipment into these regions needed to meet these requirements. Power factor correction can often add cost, and it often does not directly benefit the end user. However, it does provide benefits to the power/utility supplier. Whether this power savings benefit trickles down to consumers and other users is unknown, although such a benefit could be a second-order advantage to companies looking for value to incorporate PFC into their products. Otherwise, the current primary driver for PFC adoption is government regulations. Such government regulations can lead to wid
