The sharing of responsibility between the supplier and the consumer for harmonic voltage distortion: A case study

The aim of this research paper is to demonstrate the application of a proposed procedure for the sharing of responsibility between the supplier and the consumer for the actual harmonic voltage distortion at a given point of common coupling (PCC). The methodology is based on the analysis of measured voltage and current signals at the PCC and on information related to the harmonic impedances involved in the process. Both the supply and the load impedances are considered and an approach for coupling these with a consumer representative load is presented. The method is applied to a real commercial installation containing a combination of linear and nonlinear components fed by a pre-distorted 13.8 kV busbar. The result emphasizes the consistence of the approach in identifying the individual contributions of the supplier and the consumer. By finding the supply and load harmonic contributions, it is possible to achieve fairer cost sharing when mitigation procedures are needed to reduce voltage distortion to admissible legislation limits.