Compatibility Part 5: Who shares the responsibility for compatibility and reliability testing? (MAGAZINE)

Responsibility for compatibility and reliability testing shares a three-legged stool. Utilities, end users, and manufacturers share the responsibility. Fig. 1 shows the relationship between the location of the disturbance, the number of disturbances and people affected and their respective area of responsibility.

Utilities were the first to realize that they are responsible for the disturbances that occur on their power systems – transmission and distribution. Many events affect the operation of the power system – vehicle accidents, contractors digging holes, and thunderstorms to name a few. Even though the utility did nothing to cause these events, their customers still end up experiencing some type of voltage problem that might only have caused their lights to blink or might have caused an over-voltage condition that burned up many electronic ballasts or other electronic loads.

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This article was published in the April/May 2011 issue of LEDs Magazine. To read the full version of this article, please visit our magazine page, where you can download FREE electronic PDF versions of all issues of LEDs Magazine. you can also request a print copy of LEDs Magazine (available by paid subscription) and sign up for our free weekly email newsletter.