Power Factor Correction Calculator

What is the Power Factor Correction Calculator?

Low power factor means higher current, bigger cables and, for HT and LT industrial consumers in India, penalties or lost incentives on the electricity bill. Power factor correction with capacitors supplies the reactive power locally.

Enter the load, existing and target power factor to get the kVAR required, the nearest standard bank and the current reduction.

How to use the Power Factor Correction Calculator

1. Active Load (kW) (sample: 100)
2. Existing Power Factor (sample: 0.75)
3. Target Power Factor (sample: 0.95)
4. Line Voltage (V) (sample: 415)
5. Frequency (Hz) (sample: 50)
6. Press Size the Capacitor Bank (results also refresh as you type). The result card shows the Capacitor Bank Required, along with Nearest standard bank (5 kVAR steps), Capacitance per phase (delta), Apparent power before → after and Line current before → after.

Formula used

kVAR = kW × (tan φ₁ − tan φ₂)

• φ₁, φ₂ = cos⁻¹ of the existing and target power factors
• Capacitance per phase (delta) = kVAR × 1,000 ÷ (3 × 2πf × V²)

Avoid over-correction to a leading power factor; use automatic power factor controllers for varying loads.

Worked example

These are the sample values already filled in the calculator above, and the result it returns for them:

Tips for using the Power Factor Correction Calculator

• Many Indian utilities reward power factor above 0.95 and penalise it below 0.9 for commercial and industrial tariffs.
• Use detuned reactors with capacitors where drives and inverters create harmonics.