A New Electronic Device for Analysing the Impact of Non-Linear Loads in the Electrical Power Measurement for Billing Purposes

The impact of non-linear loads in electrical systems is a subject that has been of concern of the scientific community for quite some time. More recently, in addition to the aspects associated to power quality, billing concerns also became part of the agenda of the professionals that actuate on in this important area. In this context, this work presents an electronic device, named as Dimmer Flex, which makes it easier to explore the impact of electronic switching on the electrical current that feeds a linear load. By means of the prototype presented at this paper it is possible to analyze the impacts of the switching in the measurement, and consequently, in the energy billing, considering any pre-specified capacitive or inductive power factor value. Once this is a relatively new subject, additional research is still required for deepening the conclusions and results, which could, in turn, lead to the revision of current methods used for the purpose of measurement and billing of electrical power.