This article is mainly about the introduction of 80 PLUS certification, and focuses on the detailed description of the role of 80 PLUS certification.
80 PLUS certificationThe 80 PLUS program is a national energy-saving cash reward program issued by the U.S. Energy Agency and implemented by Ecos Consulting. Initially, in order to reduce energy consumption, system vendors were encouraged to select and use power supplies with full load, 50% load, and 20% load efficiency above 80% and a PF value greater than 0.9 under rated load conditions when producing desktops or servers. The U.S. government pays out of its own pockets. For those who meet the above requirements, a desktop computer will be rewarded $5 for each system, and a server will be rewarded $10 for each system.
Energy conservation and environmental protection are now being promoted all over the world. Most energy conservation and environmental protection are carried out from two aspects: one is to find new energy, and the other is to improve the utilization of existing energy to reduce the current waste of resources and the impact on the environment. In response to the current low utilization rate of resources, the U.S. Energy Planning Administration has made 80PLUS certification specifications for PC power supplies to improve the conversion efficiency of power supplies and avoid unnecessary waste of resources.
In the past, when purchasing a power supply, most of us would weigh the weight of the power supply or look at the internal workmanship of the power supply through the heat dissipation holes, and then look at the power supply's rated power wattage and whether it has obtained 3C China compulsory certification. Now When we buy a power supply, we should also check whether the 80PLUS certification standard is marked on the nameplate of the power supply, because this certification is directly related to your electricity expenses.
China's compulsory certification, which was implemented on May 1, 2002, listed PFC design as a necessary standard, which is also considered from the perspective of energy saving. PFC is divided into active PFC design and passive PFC design. Compared with passive PFC, active PFC has higher conversion efficiency, but about 30% of the power conversion is still wasted. Therefore, many high-end power supplies and foreign power supplies have an 80PLUS certification. I believe that many friends who have not paid much attention to or did not pay attention to foreign power supplies are not very clear about the specific content of this certification. In addition, although many domestic power supplies have not obtained this certification, it is believed that 80PLUS will be a direction for the development of domestic power supplies.
advantage
The program was first implemented in 2003 and was officially included in the Energy Star 4.0 standard specification in 2007. As of today, 80Plus has become one of the most stringent power-saving specifications recognized. Ordinary consumers can also get the following benefits from 80Plus certification:
1. Reduce energy consumption and save electricity expenses;
2. Reduce computer heat, thereby reducing heat dissipation support;
3. Enhance the reliability of the computer and reduce the cost of computer maintenance;
development of
The 80PLUS certification standard is not static. With the technological advancement of major manufacturers, the efficiency of many products has been greatly improved. Therefore, the 80PLUS certification standard has been following the pace of technology to improve its own certification standards.
From July 2007 to June 2008, personal computers must meet Energy Star requirements, that is to say, the power of the power supply at 20%, 50% and 100% rated output should reach a minimum of 80%; at 100% rated output The power factor should reach at least 0.9; at the same time, it should also reach the maximum power requirements in standby, sleep and idle modes.
From July 2008 to June 2009, the standard will be increased to a minimum efficiency of 85% at 50% rated output (the minimum efficiency at 20% and 100% rated output is 82%).
From July 2009 to June 2010, the standard will be increased to the minimum efficiency of PSU at 50% rated output should reach 88% (85% at 20% and 10% rated output).
From July 2010 to June 2011, the standard will be increased to the minimum efficiency of PSU at 50% rated output should reach 90% (87% at 20% and 100% rated output).
route map
The conversion efficiency target is 90%. In fact, the implementation of the 80Plus plan is divided into different phases, which is the so-called "roadmap". The ultimate goal is to ensure that the conversion efficiency of all power supplies reaches more than 90%. But it was not achieved all at once, but gradually increased certification requirements year by year. To this end, in 2008, the 80Plus official organization added three new certifications, namely Gold, Silver, and Bronze, on the basis of the original certification, corresponding to different levels of product certification.
Bronze certification
Implemented from July 2008 to June 2009. All certified power supplies must meet the following indicators:
The conversion efficiency under 20% light load and full load must reach over 82%, and the conversion efficiency under 50% typical load must reach 85%.
Silver certification
It will be implemented from July 2009 to June 2010. On the basis of bronze certification, silver certification will be more demanding. It requires that the conversion efficiency of the power supply must reach more than 85% under 20% light load and full load, and 88% under 50% typical load.
Gold certification
It will be implemented from July 2010 to June 2011. It requires that the conversion efficiency of the power supply must reach 87% or more under 20% light load and full load, and 90% under 50% typical load.
80Plus plan implementation roadmap
The 80Plus official website provides query services for power supply brands and models that have passed the 80Plus certification. Up to now, a total of 1239 power supplies have passed all levels of 80Plus certification. Among them, 830 power supplies have passed the 80Plus original certification, and 318 power supplies have reached the 80Plus bronze certification standard. There are 69 and 22 power supplies that have passed the silver and gold certification respectively, which is less than 1/10 of the total. However, with the gradual implementation of 80Plus certification, more and more power supplies meet this standard. In order to obtain the best power quality and also contribute to environmental protection, we recommend that readers choose 80Plus certified power supplies as much as possible when purchasing power supplies.
What is the use of power supply 80 plus certificationIf the power supply is to be listed, it must first pass the certification. The first item is the compulsory 3C certification. Only through the 3C certification can it be officially sold on the market. However, in addition to the compulsory certification, there are some non-compulsory certifications, such as Gold 80Plus certification.
Many manufacturers will send their power products to 80Plus certification. After passing, they will use it as one of the selling points of their own power supplies. Many consumers also use 80Plus certification as a reference standard for power quality. Does this standard make sense?
In foreign countries, 80Plus certification is a cash reward program used to encourage manufacturers to produce energy-efficient products. However, in China, there is no reward. Simply put, it is a certification that manufacturers give themselves gold. The 80Plus certification itself has its own shortcomings. It only considers the conversion efficiency and PF value of the power supply. Other performances are ignored. Therefore, the 80Plus certification does not represent the performance of a power supply.
This certification has another limitation. Although the conversion efficiency of the power supply is tested at 10%, 20%, 50%, and 100% load, each load is comprehensively customized according to the information of the power supply itself and the specific algorithm of Ecova. The load status of the power supply in actual use is very different. For example, during certification, the output of each channel increases in proportion to 20% and 100% load, but the reality is that the increase in +12V is large, while the increase in other circuits is small.
As shown in the figure above, taking the first horse gold 500W power supply as an example, let’s take a look at the changes in power conversion efficiency under different load conditions. It can be seen that the difference in conversion efficiency is more obvious under different conditions, especially at +5V. Compared with +3.3V partial load, the conversion efficiency is far below the certification standard at 20% and 50% load. This shows that the conversion efficiency of the power supply is different under different load modes, so the certification has limitations.
The necessity of 80Plus certificationThere is no doubt that 80Plus certification has a very important position in the PC power supply industry. Now both power supply manufacturers and store merchants are working hard to promote the development and sales of 80Plus power supplies. 80Plus certification has become a necessary certification for power supplies. In the industry It even started to spread that the 80Plus certification is a mark of power quality. If you want to buy it, you can buy an 80Plus certified power supply.
In fact, we have already carried out science popularization on some relevant information of 80Plus certification, such as including 80Plus certification requirements, 80Plus certification’s impact on the PC power supply industry, and some stories about 80Plus certification, etc., so we will no longer be redundant in these aspects. Narrated. Today we are going to talk about three issues that consumers are more concerned about when buying 80Plus certified power supplies. We will tell you through these questions whether 80Plus certified power supplies are a must.
Question 1: Is the quality of the 80Plus certified power supply really better?
Many players value the 80Plus certification when purchasing power products, and store merchants naturally see this. Therefore, in their mouths, 80Plus certification has become a representative of whether the power supply is excellent. From a macro perspective, if a power supply can pass the 80Plus certification level, then it is generally more particular about its structure and materials. In most cases, it is indeed more reliable than a product that has not passed the certification. Become the player's first choice.
The relevant requirements for 80Plus certification at all levels are only based on the conversion efficiency and PF value.
However, we can see from the 80Plus certification standard that its related tests are actually very simple, just test the input and output power and PF value of the power supply at room temperature, and then calculate the conversion efficiency of the power supply under various loads, namely It can be judged whether it is related to the standard. However, other data closely related to power quality, such as the ripple noise of each output, voltage stability, cross load, hold time, etc., are not within the testing scope of the 80Plus certification, so the 80Plus certification can only say about the quality of the power supply. It is a reference, not an absolute standard.
Another more important point is that since the 80Plus certification is for samples sent for testing and not for retail products on the market, Ecova does not conduct random inspections on related products on the market. Therefore, there may be individual differences between samples sent for testing and retail samples. To a certain extent, it will also affect the actual reference value of 80Plus certification.
Therefore, we can say that the 80Plus certification itself is not directly related to the quality of the power supply. We can only say that its conversion efficiency and PF value are relatively high, but it does not necessarily have an excellent performance in terms of overall performance. Similarly, a power supply that has not obtained 80Plus certification may not necessarily be a product of poor quality. In fact, since the cost of 80Plus certification is not low, it will have a certain impact on the cost of power products, especially entry-level power products, so there are now Many entry-level power products that have reached the 80Plus standard have not been certified, thus saving related costs, and power supply manufacturers can use more favorable prices to promote their products to consumers.
Question 2: Is the 80Plus certified power supply necessarily more energy efficient?
I believe that many players have heard such a saying when they promote PC power supply products, that is, "The higher the 80Plus certification level, the more power saving the power supply." If this sentence is based on the premise that the compared products are all with the same rated power, there is nothing wrong with it. However, if these premises are ignored, this statement is obviously untenable, because there are two involved. Data, that is the efficiency curve of the power supply and the output power of the power supply.
The first is the efficiency curve of the power supply. Let's take Zhenhua Leadex Gold 650W power supply as an example. From the efficiency curve of this power supply, it can be seen that the conversion efficiency of the power supply is different under different output powers. 80Plus certification is to load the load according to a certain proportion of the rated power of the power supply, such as 20%, 50%, 100% load, etc., so that the load loaded by different power supplies during 80Plus certification is not the same, so it is naturally impossible to compare horizontally. .
In contrast, the power consumption of our PC platform is an absolute value rather than a relative value. The current full-load power consumption calculation of 200W is here for a power supply that reaches the 80Plus silver standard and has a rated power of 400W. The load point on the platform is 50%, and the conversion efficiency is not less than 88%; however, for this platform on an 80Plus gold-certified power supply with a rated power of 1000W, it is equivalent to 20% of the load, and the conversion efficiency may be Only 87%, this time is obviously the 400W 80Plus silver power supply to save more power.
Of course, such a configuration method is almost difficult to see in reality. In fact, as long as you choose a power supply reasonably according to your actual needs, in most cases, the higher the 80Plus certification level, the power supply is indeed more economical. Electricity.
Concluding remarksThis is the end of the introduction about 80 PLUS certification. Please correct me if there are any deficiencies.
Related reading recommendations: breakdown of the most 80PLUS certified power supplies
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