Power Quality for Commercial and Industrial Customers with a Focus on Energy-Efficiency (EE) Technologies

With the onslaught of high-efficiency technologies, due to their sophistication and use of semiconductors, the need for reliable surge protection exists more than ever before. The reason is that the susceptibility of some older technologies to surges was much lower (their surge immunity was higher) as compared with the new equipment. VFD, electronic ballasts, compact fluorescent (or LED) bulbs, use less energy but their overall purpose would be defeated if you have to keep replacing them. How long did that those new electronic ballasts last? My guess is probably not as long as the magnetic ones you swapped out to save power. So protection installed at the AC service panel is necessary to keep high-efficiency equipment functioning properly and saving you money for years to come.

Good point Radar. The term power surge could mean ten different things, like a transient (which is what a surge protector protects against), an AC voltage surge, an inrush current surge, etc. To answer your question, some manufacturers actually use surge protection components in their designs, but for EMC compliance (keeping the AC power line clean from anomolies generated by the device itself), but these low energy components actually can become the Achilles heel of the component.if surge protection at the service panel is not employed. The reason is that these components are chosen to simply satisfy the EMC standard and not necessarily the surge environment that they ultimately will reside in.

Yes, use of terminology in power quality can be misleading. "Power surge" is one of those terms often used when referring to anything that causes the lights to blink. When consumers purchase equipment whether it's for residential or business use expect it to work in their electrical environment. Electrical disturbances such as voltage sags, surges and distortion frequently occur even during non-thunderstorm activities and can damage or cause equipment to malfunction. What may appear to be random damage to a piece of equipment may actually be the result of long-term electrical disturbances occurring that don't cause immediate equipment failure until the equipment can no longer tolerate them. Manufacturers are increasing their use of TVSSs (surge protective devices). However, not all product designers know what size to use, where to locate them, or how to protect them in the circuit. Research continues to tell us that there are still many cases of mis-applied TVSS. It's worthwhile to ask the manufacturer questions about surge protection or seek the advice of an expert to determine what the protection levels really are.