Patent ID: 7002321

Claim:
A power factor correction apparatus for power factor correcting an electrical installation including a power line having coupled thereto a load drawing AC electrical power including a potentially variable level of reactive power, said apparatus comprising: (a) power sensor circuitry coupled to said power line and operative to detect an electrical parameter of electrical power drawn by said load which indicates a level of reactive power drawn by said load, said power sensor circuitry including a power measurement integrated circuit coupled to said power line; (b) a plurality of reactance elements; (c) switching circuitry controllable to couple said reactance elements to said power line individually or in selected combinations; and (d) a controller interfaced to said power sensor circuitry and said switching circuitry and operative, in response to said level of reactive power indicated by said electrical parameter, to cause said switching circuitry to couple an appropriate combination of said reactance elements to said power line to thereby minimize said level of reactive power indicated by said electrical parameter.