Power Factor Correction

Power factor is the ratio between the useful (true) power (kW) to the total (apparent) power (kVA) consumed by an item of a.c. electrical equipment or a complete electrical installation. It is a measure of how efficiently electrical power is converted into useful work output.

The process of increasing the power factor without altering the voltage or current to the original load is known as power factor correction.

Alternatively, power factor correction may be viewed as the addition of a reactive element ( usually a capacitor) in parallel with load in order to make the power factor closer to unity.