I think all communities should be DC

[SagaLore]

Just look how many appliances, electronics, and gadgets we have that need DC. Only a few of our larger appliances actually use AC directly, otherwise they get converted back to DC. But those same appliances *could* use DC instead of AC, usually just a different kind of motor.

I think that when the AC lines come into a residential area, they should be efficiently coverted back to DC for the remainder of the trip. Having taken an electronics class in HS, I know that most cheap AC/DC adapters have as much as a 50% loss in electricity because there are less components required for the simpler circuit.

Thoughts?

 

[quakefiend420]

the cost of converting everything would be massive

 

[nakedfrog]

AC is much more efficient as a distribution method, not to mention safer, which is why we use it.

 

[Ipno]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Currents

 

[Ipno]

But for what its worth, in some higher end data centers, we do transmit the power directly to the equipment with DC.

 

[Ronstang]

Uhm....you don't seem to understand electricity then now do you? The voltage drop over DC circuits can be huge so how would you transmit the electricity over long distances from the power plant without huge inefficiencies?

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
AC is much more efficient as a distribution method, not to mention safer, which is why we use it.

Safer to who?

I'm not saying replace all AC with DC. I'm saying, when the AC gets to a town, it is converted and the remainder of the trip, locally, is DC.