In an
electrical
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
or
electronic circuit
An electronic circuit is composed of individual electronic components, such as resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductors and diodes, connected by conductive wires or Conductive trace, traces through which electric current can flow. It is a t ...
or
power system part of the energy in play is dissipated by unwanted effects, including energy lost by unwanted
heating of resistive components (electricity is also used for the
intention of heating, which is not a loss), the effect of
parasitic elements (
resistance,
capacitance
Capacitance is the ability of an object to store electric charge. It is measured by the change in charge in response to a difference in electric potential, expressed as the ratio of those quantities. Commonly recognized are two closely related ...
, and
inductance
Inductance is the tendency of an electrical conductor to oppose a change in the electric current flowing through it. The electric current produces a magnetic field around the conductor. The magnetic field strength depends on the magnitude of the ...
),
skin effect
In electromagnetism, skin effect is the tendency of an alternating current, alternating electric current (AC) to become distributed within a Conductor (material), conductor such that the current density is largest near the surface of the conduc ...
,
losses in the windings and cores of transformers due to resistive heating and magnetic losses caused by
eddy currents,
hysteresis
Hysteresis is the dependence of the state of a system on its history. For example, a magnet may have more than one possible magnetic moment in a given magnetic field, depending on how the field changed in the past. Plots of a single component of ...
,
unwanted
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...
,
dielectric loss,
corona discharge, and other effects. There are also losses during
electric power transmission
Electric power transmission is the bulk movement of electrical energy from a generating site, such as a power plant, to an electrical substation. The interconnected lines that facilitate this movement form a ''transmission network''. This is ...
.
In addition to these losses of energy, there may be non-technical loss of revenue and profit, leading to electrical energy generated not being paid for, primarily due to theft. These losses include
meter
The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
tampering and bypassing, arranged false meter readings, faulty meters, and un-metered supply. Non-technical losses are reported to account for up to 40% of the total electricity distributed in some countries.
Technical and human errors in meter readings, data processing and billing may occur,
and may lead to either over-charging
or under-charging.
Parasitic losses in electricity production
With regard to
electricity production, "parasitic loss" it is any of the loads or devices powered by the generator, not contributing to net electric yield. It is found by subtracting productive yield from gross yield:
:
where:
* GY is gross electric yield (the output of the generator);
* PY is productive yield (the electricity which is made available to external electric loads)
* PL is parasitic load.
See also
*
Electric power transmission
Electric power transmission is the bulk movement of electrical energy from a generating site, such as a power plant, to an electrical substation. The interconnected lines that facilitate this movement form a ''transmission network''. This is ...
*
Standby power
Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, ghost load, or leaking electricity, refers to how certain electronic and electrical appliances consume electricity while they are not actively in use, but which are still ...
*
Leakage (electronics)
References
Electric power
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