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What is unity power factor and why does it matter?

April 26, 2017Factor power Unity

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What is unity power factor and why does it matter?

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When AC induction motors draw current from the power lines, the sine wave pattern of the current lags the voltage. This relationship between current and voltage can be calculated through trigonometry and expressed as a number called power factor. When the power factor is one (1.00), this means that the voltage and current pattern are in sync. A poor power factor (e.g. .65) requires the utility to generate more current than the load actually needs to do its work. The utility may assess the customer a charge for this poor power factor or require the installation of power factor correction equipment. Phase Perfect always operates at near unity power factor (.99, slightly leading), so that the utility does not see the poor power factor of induction motors being operated by Phase Perfect. Rotary phase converters can actually make the power factor worse, resulting in inefficient operation and extra charges.