Power factor correction equipment can be used to bring low power factor installations closer to a power factor of 1.0.
Power factor correction involves using capacitors that have opposite characteristics to inductive loads, and cancel out the inductive currents. By sensing inductive loads and automatically substituting an equal but opposite amount of capacitive load, power factor correction equipment improves the power factor of a site to typically within 1-2% of the optimum. Power factor correction equipment is installed in the switchboard, and does not affect the operation of other equipment within a building.
The most common technical obstacle to implementing power factor correction is simply a lack of available space in the building switchboard and/or switchroom to install power factor correction equipment.