A review of the new CENELEC standard EN 50160

The Standard BS EN50160 on voltage characteristics of electricity supplied by public LV and MV distribution systems, which was produced by CENELEC as a result of the commission\´s request, addresses the socio/economic concern of the EC, that electricity consumers across the Community should be getting a "fair deal" in terms of the quality and continuity of their electricity supply. There is also implicit in this a relationship to the general provisions of consumers protection legislation that any product placed on the market should be appropriate for its intended use and that a supplier of goods or services should use his best endeavours to ensure that the delivered product is of marketable quality. This new standard should be considered effectively to define this marketable quality. The philosophy of the standard, voltage characteristics with limit values and indicative values, measurement requirements, and application of the standard are discussed by the authors