Angela wrote:
> Great responses to the AC/DC dilemma. Add to the mix: AC travels better, so the higher the current and/or the longer the wires, the more likely AC will be more efficient.
That's not strictly true either. Now that high power electronics can
cope with powers in the megawatt region, long distance high voltage DC
power lines are now being built and are desirable - they have lower
losses than their AC equivalents.
We have AC distribution simply because the humble transformer is such a
reliable and efficient item. Until high power electronics became
available, building a high voltage DC line was difficult. High voltage
DC was difficult to make and difficult to turn back into a useful lower
voltage. Modern advances in power electronics have altered the picture.
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