Renewed Awareness Power disturbances have not had a major impact in the Philippines until recently.

For decades, power quality was not a worry because it had no effect on most loads connected to the electric distribution system. When a power disturbance affected the normal operation of the electrical equipment, the problems encountered were frequently dismissed as random events or simply endured as inevitable unreliability of the electrical system. The inferior quality of the affected electrical device was also used as an excuse. The attitude, then, was that the problems were not to be addressed until some failures have occurred, or until the cost of failure has really become a burden. The electronic revolution has changed all these. It is not that utilities delivered power of better quality then; in fact, most electric power utilities are supplying as good or even better quality of power now. Rather, modern equipment like the microprocessor- and power electronic-based loads being used today have stimulated the rise of a whole new issue: the "purity" of power or its being free from disturbances. The electric power supply is now found to be too "coarse" for the discriminating "taste" of the modern equipment'. Many failed to anticipate the complications that would arise from the incompatibility between the highly sensitive microprocessor-controlled equipment and the electric power being supplied. The proliferation of state-of-the-art electrical equipment in industrial plants or commercial installations and the highly competitive business climate has prompted a renewed awareness on the impact of power quality disturbances on these systems. Power disturbances, which had no significant effect on the operation of electric machinery in the past, can no longer be tolerated because of the heightened sensitivity to voltage distortion of solid-state devices and microprocessor-controlled power equipment. Unnecessary tripping of some equipment would have greater consequences when these sensitive equipment are connected in extensive networks and automated processes. The use of high-efficiency, adjustable-speed motor drives and installation of shunt capacitors for power factor correction to reduce energy losses has resulted in increased harmonic levels, raising concerns about the future impact on system capabilities. All these translate into costs or loss of revenue the result being of operation stoppages or disruptions in the production schedules. Thus, the ultimate reason for the deepening concern on power quality is its implication on the economic viability of the business enterprise. Electromagnetic Compatibility Pow e r qualit y addr esses pr oblem s t hat deal wit h elec t r om agnet ic c om pat ibilit y . Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is defined as the ability of a device, equipment, or system to function satisfactorily in its electromagnetic environment without introducing intolerable electromagnetic disturbances to anything in that environment2. Simply put, an electrical device, which is part of an electrical system, should be able to function properly and perform its intended task satisfactorily without causing the other electrical equipment within the electrical system, or the electrical system itself to malfunction. It follows from the above definition that electrical equipment may or may not function properly in a given electromagnetic environment; the proper functioning of the equipment would depend

D. Daniel Sabin and Ashok Sundaram, "Quality Enhances", IEEE Spectrum, Volume 33, Number 2, February 1996.
1

IEEE Std 1159-1995: IEEE Recommended Practice for Monitoring Electric Power Quality, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.: New York, USA, c. 1995
2