By Marina Mahdar

National Standards Development Section

SIRIM Berhad

THE Technical Committee on Power Quality which is managed by SIRIM Berhad is developing a Malaysian Standard on recommended practices in monitoring electric power quality. The standard explains the background of power quality phenomena, how it can happen, the monitoring procedures, measurement instruments for monitoring, application techniques for secured data collection and test equipment connection as well as the result interpretation in monitoring power quality.

Power Quality can be briefed as below:

“Any power problem manifested in voltage, current or frequency deviations that results in failure or mis-operation of customer operation”.

 The purpose of the standard is to direct the end users in proper monitoring and data interpretation of electromagnetic phenomena that cause power quality problems. It will also provide regulators and power utilities the guidelines on how to evaluate and regulate the quality of power supply. The standard will also guide suppliers and customers, on their responsibilities in maintaining good quality of power supply.

 The Malaysian Standard will be beneficial to the regulatory body to formulate power quality standards for the Malaysian Electricity Supply Industry. It could help the power utilities and customers to see who should solve power quality problems and to set up the mechanism for the implementation of the ‘premium power’ concept whereby a customer can be offered different tariff rates for his/her power quality needs.

 In conjunction with the development of the standard, Tenaga Nasional Berhad Research Sdn Bhd (TNBR) conducted a Power Quality Survey and Formulation of Power Quality Standards for the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI), from May 1999 to August 2001. All power quality parameters that had been monitored during the survey, such as voltage sags, voltage unbalance, harmonics distortion, system frequency and voltage swell, were taken into considerations in the development of the standard.

 The Malaysian Standard on Recommended Practices in Monitoring Electric Power Quality is awaiting publication. - Editor