Which quantity represents energy storage in inductors and capacitors (not real power)?

Which quantity represents energy storage in inductors and capacitors (not real power)?

• A. Real power
• B. Apparent power
• C. Reactive power
• D. Efficiency

Answer: (C)

Reactive power explains energy storage in inductors and capacitors. In AC, energy moves into the magnetic field of an inductor or the electric field of a capacitor during part of the cycle and then returns to the source, so no net energy is consumed over time. The rate of that energy exchange is reactive power, measured in volt-ampere reactive (VAR). It depends on the phase difference between voltage and current: inductors cause current to lag and add positive reactive power, while capacitors cause current to lead and contribute negative reactive power. Real power, by contrast, is the average energy actually dissipated (like heat or resistance), and apparent power combines real and reactive components as S = √(P² + Q²). Efficiency is not a measure of this energy exchange.

Reactive power explains energy storage in inductors and capacitors. In AC, energy moves into the magnetic field of an inductor or the electric field of a capacitor during part of the cycle and then returns to the source, so no net energy is consumed over time. The rate of that energy exchange is reactive power, measured in volt-ampere reactive (VAR). It depends on the phase difference between voltage and current: inductors cause current to lag and add positive reactive power, while capacitors cause current to lead and contribute negative reactive power. Real power, by contrast, is the average energy actually dissipated (like heat or resistance), and apparent power combines real and reactive components as S = √(P² + Q²). Efficiency is not a measure of this energy exchange.