Comparison of Time-Based Non-Active Power Definitions for Active Filtering

 Many definitions have been formulated to characterize non-active power for nonsinusoidal waveforms in electrical systems, and no single, universally valid power theory has been adopted as a standard for non-active power. Most of the non-active power theories formulated thus far have had a particular type of compensation in mind, which has influenced the conventions used in the development of the definitions. Because nonsinusoidal loads are expected to continue to proliferate throughout electrical distribution systems, nonactive power theories will only grow in importance for applications such as non-active power compensation, harmonic load identification, voltage distortion mitigation, and metering. This paper presents a comprehensive technical survey of the published literature on the topic and briefly outlines the salient points of each of the different theories as well as each one’s applicability to active power filtering.