Supply authorities require a system Power Factor (PF) greater than 0.8 because reducing the PF leads to higher transmission losses, resulting in unnecessary consumption of resources and increased production costs, ultimately causing electricity price surges.
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5.1.3: Explain why Supply authorities require the system PF to be greater than 0.8 The supply authorities require the system PF to be greater than 0.8 as the reduction in the power factor will lead to higher transmission losses. Transmission refers to the supply of electricity from the source to the users. The loss of energy, while transmission from one place to another, can lead to unnecessary consumption of resources for electricity production. It will in turn increases the cost of production which eventually leads to surge in electricity prices. Therefore, it is required by the Supply authorities that the system PF should be greater than 0.8. The PF refers to power factor which the ratio of real power flowing the load to the apparent power in the circuit. The power factor should be high. The high power factor indicates that transmission is efficient. The PF value of 1 is considered that ideal which is generally not achieved due to various factors such as the distance of transmission or the material used for the transmission. Power factor also refers to the cosine angle between the vtg and the current. The ratio of active power and apparent power, the low power factor shows that there is more current within the line in compare to the actual current.