The implementation of correct reactive power measurement is long overdue

The scope of this study is two fold: first, it advocates the recognition of the 60/50 Hz, positive-sequence reactive power as the significant reactive power component of apparent power. This nonactive component must be monitored in the same way that the 60/50 Hz active power is monitored under nonsinusoidal conditions. Secondly, this paper documents the fact that instrumentation used today for reactive power measurement is marred by a significant difference between the indicated reactive power and the correct 60/50 Hz reactive power. Regrettably, such instrumentation is still favored by many utilities, instrumentation manufacturers and supervisors of energy markets. This paper documents a wide spectrum of situations that shed light on the discrepancies between the correct value of the reactive power and the measured value.