Customer Impacts of Power Quality, Reliability and Cost

Over the past three decades the proliferation of technologies such as personal computers, computer controlled systems, and variable frequency drives and advancement of power electronics has changed the consumers´ susceptibility to problems with power reliability and quality and the associated cost. Consumers in rural areas have made use of these technologies in many ways that are similar to their urban counterparts. The mix of industries and the load density found in urban areas, however, differs significantly from that found in rural areas. For example, major industries associated with rural areas are mining and agriculture and the feeder load density is lower. This paper will examine the impacts of power reliability and quality and the associated costs to rural customers, beginning with an examination of the technological changes in rural customers along with changes in the types of rural industries in recent decades. It will then look at how the generic susceptibility to power quality and reliability has changed as a result. Special attention will be given to the reliability indices