Dirty Power

What Does Dirty Power Mean?

The term “dirty power” refers to the existence of various anomalies in power delivery. The term is commonly used for the delivery of electrical power through the electrical grid, where different uses by different customers upstream can influence the eventual delivery to a particular customer.

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Techopedia Explains Dirty Power

Different types of abnormalities cause dirty power. One is in the form of power spikes and surges, or excessive line noise. Others involve low power, where inductive loads connected to the system decrease the amount of actual power delivered. Other problems include voltage sag, often caused by ground falls or other issues, and harmonics that multiply signals. The overall solution to dirty power is to put in place correctional infrastructure that enforces consistent and clean power delivery. In other words, dirty power solutions rely on things like transformer and line controls, whole-house power regulator systems and surge protectors.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…