Why is power draw measured in WATTS ( which is volts multiplied by amperage ) but power production or power sources are measured in VA ( volt amps ). Are they not identical? What’s the reason for the difference.
In: Engineering
If you have a purely resistive load, the instantaneous current is directly proportional to the voltage, and apparent power (VA) would be equal to real power(watts).
If you have a purely reactive load, real power is zero, the energy stored by the component just gets put back into the grid. The current is still flowing though, so it still puts a burden on the generation and transmission equipment.
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