"James Sweet" wrote in message
...


Well, I grew up in the UK, and it's been 240VAC as standard over there in
just about forever (well, near enough, Google tells me 1916) - although I
think some DC via private generation in big, isolated houses survived
into
the 1920's. The historical picture in the US is a lot more diverse, it
seems (and more interesting because of it :-)

cheers

Jules



The differences, both historical and current are fascinating from either
perspective. I've had some extensive discussions with an EE friend over in
Manchester and we're both learning something new all the time.

I don't think I've ever asked if there were ever DC rural systems over
there. These were off-grid and typically had a bank of lead-acid cells
which were charged by gasoline or steam driven generators or windmills.
There were 32V versions of virtually every small appliance of the day.
Radios, fans, food mixers, etc. They made sense when farmhouses were often
miles from the next house and more miles to the nearest town.

And most farmers were quite happy to tie to the grid when it became
possible - helping to build lines as well-- lots of rural electrification
co-operatives came into being in the late 40's. My father was involved
(from the utility side) with the the first one in Alberta, Canada, and the
farmers were more than welcoming. The old windcharger/battery systems worked
reasonably well for supplying lighting and small appliances but weren't
capable of handling the heavier loads around the farms.

--
Don Kelly

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