Reactive power is a concept used by engineers to describe the
loss of power in a system arising from the production of
electric and magnetic fields. Although reactive loads such as
inductors and capacitors dissipate no power, they drop voltage
and draw current, which creates the impression that they
actually do. This "imaginary power" or "phantom power" is called
reactive power. It is measured in a unit called Volt-Amps-
Reactive (VAR). The actual amount of power being used, or
dissipated, is called true power, and is measured in the unit of
watts. The combination of reactive power and true power is
called apparent power, and it is the product of a circuit's
voltage and current. Apparent power is measured in the unit of
Volt-Amps (VA). Devices which store energy by virtue of a
magnetic field produced by a flow of current are said to absorb
reactive power; those which store energy by virtue of electric
fields are said to generate reactive power. Reactive power is
significant because it must be provided and main