The effects of supply harmonics on the performance of compact fluorescent lamps

A performance evaluation of ten compact fluorescent lighting systems operated with sinusoidal and distorted voltage waveform conditions is described. The lamps are provided with either an electronic ballast, a magnetic core ballast, or a magnetic core ballast with a power factor correction circuit. The test results show that the electrical performance of the lamps for both sinusoidal and distorted voltage waveform operation is related to the type of ballast used. The operating cost of these lamps is calculated and compared to the cost of operating a conventional 60 W incandescent lamp