Size the capacitor bank needed to raise power factor to a target value.
The capacitor must supply the difference between present and target reactive power. Converting kVAR to capacitance depends on frequency and the square of voltage, so the same kVAR needs far less capacitance at higher voltage. Over-correcting into a leading power factor is also penalised and can cause resonance with harmonics, so correction is normally targeted at about 0.95.
Power Factor Correction
Q_c = P (tan φ₁ − tan φ₂); C = Q_c ÷ (2π f V²)
Q_c = P (tan φ₁ − tan φ₂); C = Q_c ÷ (2π f V²) The capacitor must supply the difference between present and target reactive power. Converting kVAR to capacitance depends on frequency and the square of voltage, so the same kVAR needs far less capacitance at higher voltage.
Over-correcting into a leading power factor is also penalised and can cause resonance with harmonics, so correction is normally targeted at about 0.95.
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Real power, Present power factor, Target power factor, System voltage, Annual charge per kVA of capacity. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.