GREECE SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

Abstract:- The energy efficiency of the compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) is the main motivation of the promotion policies to replace the tungsten filament bulbs with them. However, their high harmonic content was always a problem for the power quality of the networks, especially the ones with a considerable share of other non linear loads (computers, TVs, electronic devices etc). That problem cannot be neglected in cases of installations with high lighting load (office buildings, educational facilities, hotels etc). In that case the replacement of incandescent lamps by CFLs may cause problems to the power quality. This paper presents an analysis of the low voltage network of a typical electrical installation of a hotel, where lighting is one of the main loads. The complete network is simulated (up to the transformer) using the impedance network model. The CFLs are simulated using their electrical characteristics (active and reactive power, power factor, harmonic content etc) that have been measured in the Laboratory of Photometry of NTUA. The contribution of CFLs to the total load of the network is determined under different scenarios for the scale of replacement of incandescent lamps. For each scenario, the total harmonic distortion (THD) is calculated at each busbar of the network and then it is compared to the respective THD before the replacement. As expected, some scenarios give a non-negligible harmonic distortion although it is always below the upper limits (IEC, IEEE). However, some scenarios (large-scale replacement) may not be realized due to their high harmonic content that will b