verkkovirtatekijää

Verkkovirtatekijää is a Finnish term that translates to "power factor" in English. It is a dimensionless quantity that describes how effectively electrical power is being used in a circuit. Specifically, it is the ratio of real power (measured in watts, W) to apparent power (measured in volt-amperes, VA). Real power is the power that actually does useful work, while apparent power is the total power that the circuit appears to draw.

A power factor of 1 indicates that all the apparent power is being used as real power, meaning the circuit is operating at maximum efficiency. A power factor less than 1 signifies that some of the apparent power is reactive power, which is exchanged between the source and the load but does not perform any useful work. This reactive power can be inductive (e.g., from motors or transformers) or capacitive (e.g., from capacitors).

Low power factors can lead to several disadvantages. They increase the current drawn from the power supply for a given amount of real power, which can cause overheating of cables and equipment, and necessitate larger, more expensive infrastructure. Utilities often penalize industrial and commercial customers with low power factors through higher electricity bills because it increases their transmission and distribution losses.

To improve the power factor, capacitors can be installed in circuits with inductive loads to counteract the reactive power. This process is known as power factor correction. Maintaining a power factor close to 1 is desirable for efficient operation of electrical systems and for minimizing energy costs.