Characterization of Commercial LED Lamps for Power Quality Studies

Light emitting diode (LED) lamps exhibit nonlinear characteristics causing a negative influence on the power grid and on public health. High harmonic contents injected by LEDs as well as their sensitivity to voltage fluctuations in the network should be further examined. This article aims at achieving a better understanding of the characterization of commercial dimmable LED lamps and their impact on power quality (PQ) parameters. A testbed has been implemented as a platform to investigate the current and voltage quality issues by conducting various experimental tests that include PQ concerns such as harmonic analysis, voltage flickering, voltage sag, and voltage swell. The experimental setup allows the execution of light intensity, harmonic current contents, and voltage measurement of commercial LED lamps. Data processed using the MATLAB software tool have been used to analyze the results. The percent flicker is used to evaluate varying degrees of flickering happening in LED lighting networks. The effect of changing the light intensity for dimming purposes on the perceptibility of flicker has been studied and discussed as well. This article provides a solid reference for researchers working on the PQ improvement of LED lamps.