Eli5 – what is MVAR (Reactive Power)

Question

Why do we need it / measure it ?

Thanks

In: 1

Answer 1

The classic example is a beer, apparently power is the whole glass, real power is the beer and VARs are the head.

I prefer to think of it like water. If electricity is water, the wires as pipes and reactive elements as tanks (capacitors and inductors) . It is like the water in the tanks and pipes, when you turn on the system everything has to fill up before the water gets to its destination.