võimufaktor

Võimufaktor, often translated as "power factor," is a measure of how effectively electrical power is being used in an alternating current (AC) circuit. 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 performs useful work, such as heating or running a motor, while apparent power is the total power delivered by the source.

The power factor ranges from 0 to 1. A power factor of 1 means that all the apparent power is being converted into real power, indicating maximum efficiency. A power factor less than 1 signifies that some of the power is being wasted as reactive power, which is necessary to establish and maintain magnetic fields in inductive loads like motors and transformers, or electric fields in capacitive loads.

Low power factor can lead to several disadvantages. Electrical utilities often penalize industrial and commercial customers with low power factors because it requires them to supply more current than necessary to deliver the same amount of real power. This increased current can lead to higher energy losses in transmission lines and requires larger, more expensive electrical equipment. To improve power factor, devices like capacitors are often installed to counteract the inductive reactive power.