AC vs DC: Alternating Current or Direct Current – Which is Better?
Power Plants
Three-Phase Power Explained
This video will take a close look at three-phase power and explain how it works. Three-phase power can be defined as the common method of alternating current power generation, transmission, and distribution. It is a type of polyphase system, and is the most common method used by electric grids worldwide to transfer power.
Delta VS Wye Explained | CivicSolar
A Wye (Y) configuration is when all the loads in an AC system are connected at a single point. Normally, the loads are unbalanced in a Y configuration. A neutral cable is connected at that centre point where the three phases meet. Most of the low voltage distribution lines that you see are Y configuration (Red, Yellow, Blue and Neutral).
The Delta configuration has the 3 phases connected like in a triangle. They don't normally have a neutral cable. In Delta configuration, the phase voltage is equal to the line voltage whereas in Y configuration, the phase voltage is the line voltage divided by root 3 (sqrt(3) = 1.732).
What is Split-Phase Power? – Sense Blog
North American homes are not wired up with a single live wire, but two. The difference between them is that when one is pushing, the other is pulling, and vice-versa. The “normal” appliances and outlets in a house are divided amongst the two live wires, and all are connected to neutral. Because the voltage difference between a single live wire and neutral is alternating with a magnitude of 120V, appliances that run on 120V power can be connected to the neutral wire and either of the two live wires.
Electricity really is a cheap source of energy
When you think about it, $30 a month plus 15 cents per kilowatt hour is a pretty darn good price for being connected to the electrical grid. A kilowatt hour is about 3/4th of a horsepower, produced over an hour of highly reformed energy that can be power even the most delicate of electronics or turn over large motors with ease and efficiency.
A typical house has a 200 amp feed in it, which means you have roughly 150 horsepower worth of electricity at your disposal to distribute throughout your house. Unlike a gas motor, it doesn’t cost you anything at idle, and your pay directly proportional to your use. You can flip a switch on and get instant torque or power from electricity.
Most electric appliances are quite efficient to converting electricity into useful work – almost all the waste is on the generating plant side, not on the consumer side. The generating plant maintains the turbines, buys the fuel, and disposes of ash. No smoke in your backyard or noxious fumes.
When at off-grid living, the truth is electric generated on site is far more expensive and less flexible than grid power. It might be much cleaner and the cost of use is fixed entirely by your capital costs – and is reduced each kilowatt you consume. But it’s still not as cheap and flexible as grid power.
Why Britain Has The Best Wall Sockets On Earth
Anyone who has traveled to the United Kingdom has probably marveled at the imperial bulk of the standard U.K. wall plug. With three chunky, rectangular pins, the design at first glance seems almost ridiculously inefficient, especially compared to the svelte footprints of the U.S. and European wall plugs, which manage to get juice to your electronics in under half the space.
But first impressions can be deceiving. In fact, as Tom Scott explains in a new video, the U.K. wall plug is a design classic that is substantially safer than any other plug design on Earth.