Stupid Topsy. Thomas Edison electrocuted the former circus elephant to show how deadly the alternating current was. Edison even called electrocution "Westinghouse," a reference to the business that promoted AC. The malevolent Thomas Edison and the brilliant Nikola Tesla faced off at the height of the War of the Currents. Transformers, which are merely wire coils with the ability to change AC voltage and enable long-distance electricity transmission, are the sole reason Edison lost this struggle, which allowed Niagara Falls to unleash its full force. On the whole, it appears that Edison's direct current is winning the battle.
Take a look around your home. What comes out of your walls that are powered by alternating current if you, like me, have banned incandescent bulbs? You might have a vacuum cleaner or a hair dryer in addition to your kitchen or laundry. If not, everything you own, including your computer, lightbulbs, and sound system, runs on direct current. The wall wart, brick, or rectifier that converts AC to DC inside the base of the light bulb wastes energy and money. IKEA was gracious enough to package its product in a clear container. How much of the $20 lamp's cost, including the yellow transformer, capacitors, and diodes, is covered by this tiny device?
Change from AC to DC
Alternating current was once logical, which is why Edison lost the current wars to Westinghouse. Alternating current was easily converted to various voltages, and higher voltages allow for the transmission of more power over greater distances using smaller cables. And those incandescent bulbs, which were essentially tiny electric furnaces that produced about 4% of the energy used as visible light, required a lot of electricity to run. Small AC motors were found in the new labor-saving appliances.
Even the outdated television required a lot of power to operate the image tube's large electron cannons and vacuum tubes. We have certified electricians installing dozens of lines back to circuit breakers, each with an additional conductor serving as a ground wire because all that electricity can be hazardous. Oh, and to eliminate the need for hazardous extension cords, we need outlets every 12 feet along the walls. The average home contains 400 pounds of copper when you add it all together. The weight of an average home is coincidentally equal to 40 tonnes of ore, which is needed to produce one tonne of copper at the mine, where it takes a tonne of ore to produce 10 pounds of copper.
Our homes and structures use almost 40% of the copper used in America. Additionally, there is concern over the output of copper, which will peak around 2030, approaching its peak.
What reason? To drive our computers, clock radios, and LED bulbs. To be converted into direct current and delivered through flimsy, little cables in milliampere numbers. You most likely have a cordless DC electric drill, and if you have a Roomba, AC isn't even powering your vacuum. There is no longer any justification for expensive and hazardous AC wiring in a home or place of business.
In reality, a lot of people are attempting to get rid of AC in the office setting. In order to "lower energy usage with state-of-the-art device controls and solid-state lighting," the EMerge Alliance advocates a 24-volt DC standard. It will "facilitate the direct connection and use of energy from solar, wind, or other alternative energy sources" because solar panels generate DC and batteries store DC.
The Future of Home Wiring
Then there is the brand-new, 100-watt high-power USB Power Delivery standard 4.0. As soon as you plug in your devices and receive power and data, all those bricks and power cords vanish. Without less trustworthy and secure WiFi, you might create a smart home with linked devices that communicate with one another. Your wiring would then serve as the foundation for the Internet of Things.
Electrical contractors wouldn't need to put wiring within the walls; instead, it could be taped to the wall and painted over. It could be placed wherever you chose; it wouldn't need to be childproof.
Due to the fact that it doesn't require a transformer or rectifier to convert AC into low-voltage DC, everything you connect to it will be more affordable and reliable.
To transport the loads required to run a refrigerator or an air conditioner, there would need to be some larger wires in the kitchen and laundry area. But with the help of variable frequency drives or VFDs, even they may operate more efficiently on DC.
Advantages of DC power
The Emerge Alliance asserts that operating in DC can reduce electricity consumption by 20% just because everything is operating natively, without the need for rectifiers and wall warts, which consume a lot of energy. The upfront savings from less expensive LED bulbs and the expense of wiring the house increase the savings significantly.
People who live off the grid, in RVs, or on boats are familiar with all of this. They have spent several years residing in a DC universe. This way of life is now just as comfortable as living in a home that is connected to the grid, thanks to advancements in LED lighting and falling solar energy costs.
You can live on your own little micro-grid where you produce your own electricity and store it in your car by adding solar panels to your roof and an electric vehicle to your garage. At that point, you won't have any need for AC at all and will be living in a DC world. Read more about creating safe spaces online here.
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