Tehokerroinhyödyllinen

Tehokerroinhyödyllinen is a Finnish term that translates to "power factor beneficial" or "useful power factor." It describes a situation where the power factor of an electrical load is close to unity (1), meaning that the real power (measured in watts) is being effectively utilized. A high power factor indicates that the electrical system is operating efficiently, with minimal wasted reactive power.

In alternating current (AC) circuits, power is divided into real power and reactive power. Real power is the power that performs useful work, such as running a motor or lighting a bulb. Reactive power, on the other hand, is necessary for the operation of inductive and capacitive loads, like motors and transformers, but it does not perform any useful work. It is stored and released by these components. The power factor is the ratio of real power to apparent power (the vector sum of real and reactive power), and it is represented by the cosine of the phase angle between voltage and current.

A low power factor, meaning a power factor significantly less than 1, can lead to several inefficiencies. These include increased current in the power lines, which results in higher resistive losses (heat) and requires larger conductors and equipment. Utilities often penalize industrial and commercial customers with low power factors because it increases their costs associated with supplying power. Therefore, achieving a "tehokerroinhyödyllinen" state is desirable for minimizing energy waste and reducing operational expenses. Techniques like adding power factor correction capacitors are employed to improve the power factor of inductive loads, bringing them closer to unity.