Supraharmonics from power electronics converters

This paper summarizes the state of part of the discussions in CIGRE/CIRED/IEEE joined working group C4.24, especially where it concerns supraharmonics. There is an increasing interest from the international smart grid standard-setting community in knowledge about harmonics distortion in the frequency range 2 to 150 kHz, referred to as supraharmonics. The paper presents measurements of waveform distortion from several illustrative installations and loads. The reduction of emission in the lower-frequency ranges appears to result in an increase in supraharmonic emission by equipment. Power electronics has emerged as a ubiquitous technology, which plays a critical role in almost any areas. Power electronics converter is an important source of waveform distortion, but, as stated in this paper, power electronics can also be the key to mitigate distortion, when the proper technology is employed.