Dirty Power

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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
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret 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 IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.