Technical and non-technical juxtaposition of domestic lighting bulbs of the Australian market

Abstract

Different non-linear (power electronic-based) loads are connected to residential supply feeders, among which light bulbs such as light emitting diodes and compact fluorescent lamps are one of them. These single-phase loads inject harmonic currents and draw reactive power because of their power electronic and ballast circuits. Due to an increase in the emergence of different types of lamps, mainly because of their better luminous efficacy, the accumulated impact of thousands of them can be adverse to utility's power quality. Thus, a detailed study is conducted to evaluate these lamps from different manufacturers and with different ratings. They are evaluated from power quality perspectives such as current harmonics, total harmonic distortion, as well as non-power quality factors such as power factor and non-fundamental components of apparent power, which are important criteria for utilities. Alongside non-technical criteria such as the cost, luminous efficacy, and lifespan are also analyzed.