Experimental characterization of CFL bulbs for power quality assessment

This paper presents the results of a systematic set of voltage and current transient measurements aimed at characterizing the electrical behavior of a typical energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulb. The considered device represents a well-known example of a number of nonlinear loads that are now massively used in any house or office building and that are contributing to the degradation of the power quality due to highly distorted current absorptions. The comparison between measured data and the predictions obtained by means of a simplified SPICE equivalent of the device under test concludes the work.