Initial results of the harmonic measurement campaign on the French low-voltage networks

For the last 15 years, EDF has implemented a policy to improve the electric power quality. This policy was first oriented towards long and short supply interruptions and supply voltage variations, which entailed substantial investments on the MV and LV networks. Among the other parameters of power quality, harmonic levels have become an essential factor, because they increase due to the growth in nonlinear loads. They must however be kept within the compatibility levels to enable all the equipment energized by the public networks to function satisfactorily. EDF decided to launch a campaign to measure the harmonics on the French LV networks in order to assess the current situation and its development. In this paper, we describe: the physical phenomena; the standardization and regulation context; the reasons and objectives of the measurement campaign; the measurement campaign itself; the initial results; and the prospects