what are the advantages of AC over Dc - direct current? any cost-effectiveness to powerhouses ???
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AC/DC? We're not referring to the classic rock band; we're taking a look at electric motors. In today's Greenlings post, we'll delve into the ins and outs of the powerplants that we hope will soon be transporting millions of people around the world to and fro. That said, there are lots of choices when it comes to selecting the proper motor for any given application, and the merits of each has been debated since before any of us were born.
Way back in the late 1880s, Nikola Tesla dared to challenge powerhouse American inventor Thomas Edison by suggesting Alternating Current (AC) was a more desirable method to transfer electricity from one place to another than Direct Current (DC). So, which genius inventor was right? Suffice it to say that just about everything with a plug these days relies on AC current for power. But that was a long time ago, what's changed since then? Which is better for today's – and tomorrow's – electric cars?
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In the 1880s, Edison and Tesla became embroiled in a battle to establish the type of current that would best serve the electricity needs of the United States. Historians remember this battle as the War of the Currents. Edison established a network of DC electricity capable of powering lights and other electrical devices, but there was a problem. Because no method was known to increase the voltage, power stations were needed at intervals of only a few miles.
Using transformers, AC power can be stepped up to very high voltages and then stepped down to a useful voltage at the point of use, eliminating the need for intervening power stations. Edison believed the high voltage in AC transmission lines was dangerous, even going as far as to electrocute stray animals in public to prove his point. The matter was settled when George Westinghouse employed the induction generator to power the new generating station at Niagara Falls. Not only was AC power safe, it lit up the entire city of Buffalo, New York – and beyond – as soon as the Niagara Falls power station came online in 1896.
DC Rules in the World of Electronics
Any small device that relies on a battery uses DC current, and the flow of electrons from one terminal to the other through a circuit is how most high school students understand current flow. Unlike AC current, which changes direction several times a second, DC current flows reliably in the same direction. That's important in the world of semiconductors, LEDs and transistors. Each time AC current switches direction, there's a momentary loss of power. The moment is infinitesimal, but it's enough to affect the sensitive devices that have become common in the modern computerized world.