Editing Compact fluorescent lamp (section)

===Power factor===
[[File:CFL Positive power.png|thumb|right |Voltage and current for a 120 V 60 Hz 30-watt compact fluorescent lamp. Because the current is heavily distorted, the [[power factor]] of this lamp is only 0.61. The lamp takes 29 watts, but 39 [[volt-ampere]]s due to this distortion.]]
The input stage of a CFL is a rectifier, which presents a non-linear load to the power supply and introduces [[harmonic distortion]] on the current drawn from the supply.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Ph. N. |last=Korovesis |title=Influence of Large-Scale Installation of Energy Saving Lamps on the Line Voltage Distortion of a Weak Network Supplied by Photovoltaic Station |journal=IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=1787–1793 |year=2004 |doi=10.1109/TPWRD.2004.835432 |s2cid=19975088 |display-authors=etal}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first1=J. |last1=Cunill-Solà |first2=M. |last2=Salichs |title=Study and Characterization of Waveforms from Low-Watt (<25 W) Compact Fluorescent Lamps with Electronic Ballasts |journal=IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=2305–2311 |year=2007 |doi=10.1109/TPWRD.2007.899551 |s2cid=11439733}}</ref> The use of CFLs in homes has no appreciable effect on [[power quality]], but significant quantities of them in a large facility can have an adverse effect. The [[power factor]] of CFLs does not significantly affect their energy-saving benefits for individual consumers, but their use in large numbers, such as in commercial applications or across millions of homes in a distribution system, could require infrastructure upgrades. In such cases, CFLs with low (below 30 percent) [[Harmonics (electrical power)|total harmonic distortion]] (THD) and power factors greater than 0.9 should be selected.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mge.com/business/saving/madison/pa_2.html |title=Compact Fluorescent Lamps |publisher=Mge.com |access-date=2012-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314091500/http://www.mge.com/business/saving/madison/pa_2.html |archive-date=2012-03-14 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Anibal T. De Almeida: ''[http://www.homeenergy.org/archive/hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/93/931113.html Understanding Power Quality] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726153320/http://www.homeenergy.org/archive/hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/93/931113.html |date=2011-07-26 }}'', ''Home Energy Magazine''</ref><ref>{{Cite report |url=http://www.energy.ca.gov/2007_energypolicy/documents/2007-06-19_workshop/comments/1-Fernstrom_PGE_Residential-Lighting-Improvement-Opportunities.pdf |title=Residential Lighting Improvement Opportunities |last=Fernstrom |first=Gary B. |date=June 19, 2007 |publisher=[[California Energy Commission]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723091715/http://www.energy.ca.gov/2007_energypolicy/documents/2007-06-19_workshop/comments/1-Fernstrom_PGE_Residential-Lighting-Improvement-Opportunities.pdf |archive-date=July 23, 2012 |quote=Joint Committee Workshop on Policies to Improve Residential Lighting Efficiency in California}}</ref>