Assessing network compliance for power quality performance

IEC standards suggest that a network is compliant if 95% of the sites are compliant. In many cases it is only practical to measure the PQ parameters of some of the sites in a network and to use statistical analysis. The paper examines the minimum number of monitored sites needed to demonstrate compliance with a prescribed degree of confidence - e.g. at the 95% confidence level. Analysis is made of samples extracted randomly from sites included in the Australian Long Term National PQ Survey. The required number of sites is found to vary with the PQ disturbance of concern and is largest with voltage unbalance. In all cases the number exceeds that proposed in CEER guidelines.