What is Apparent Power(KVA), Active Power (KW) and Reactive Power (KVAr)

Apparent Power (KVA - Kilo Volt Ampere):

            Think of apparent power like the rating on a power supply. It tells us how much power the supply can deliver. We use KVA to rate things like transformers, generators, and UPS systems. It's also sometimes called imaginary power.

           To find out how much actual power (KW - Kilowatts) we're using in a circuit, we can multiply the apparent power (KVA) by something called the power factor.

Apparent power (KVA) = Actual power (KW) + Imaginary power (KVAr)

Active Power (KW - Kilowatts):

         Active power is the real power used in an AC circuit. It's measured in KW. You get it by multiplying the apparent power (KVA) by something called the power factor.

 Imagine it like this: If you have a bunch of electrical devices running in your home, active power is the actual power they use. If you only have devices like light bulbs that use power directly without any special tricks, the power factor is 1, and the apparent power becomes equal to active power.

Active power (KW) = Apparent power (KVA) x Power factor

Reactive Power (KVAr)

         Reactive power is a bit like imaginary power. It's the part of apparent power that doesn't do any useful work. Instead, it bounces back and forth between the power source and the load.

Imagine you have some special electrical components like inductors or capacitors in your circuit. They cause this reactive power. This bouncing back and forth doesn't provide energy to your devices but draws more current from the power source, causing extra heat loss in the wires.

     To reduce reactive power, you can increase the power factor (reduce the phase angle). One way to do this is by adding capacitors to your circuit.