All we’ve all known our entire lives is AC electric or alternating current. That’s what is delivered to your house sockets from your local utility. But DC or direct current once had great promise and due to the growth of sustainable electric generation which is more DC friendly DC could be the dominant power for the next generation
Here are excerpts from a good discussion at Reuters
“So from the late 1800s, AC became the accepted form to carry electricity in mains systems. For most of the last century, the power that has reached the sockets in our homes and businesses is alternating current.Now DC is making a comeback, becoming a promising money-spinner in renewable or high-security energy projects. From data centers to long-distance power lines and backup power supplies, direct current is proving useful in thousands of projects worldwide.
“Everyone says it’s going to take at least 50 years,” says Peter Asmus, a senior analyst at Boulder, Colorado-based Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm in global clean technology. But “the role of DC will increase, and AC will decrease.”
“The main factor driving demand is the need to conserve energy and produce more of it from renewable sources. Alternating current is generated by rotating engines, but renewable sources such as wind and solar produce DC power. To use it, because of the way our buildings are wired, we first convert it to AC.”
To read the entire article, “How Renewable Energy may be Edison’s Revenge” click here
Those who have a home power renewable energy plant know the importance of DC since they run their home from the DC generating equipment be it solar, wind, hydro or a combination.
One lack of productivity with renewable energy is that DC must be converted or inverted to AC energy to run most home appliances. This is another cost to contend with. Of course most developed countries have strong electric codes based on AC use that prevent fires and electrocution so the DC would need to be worked into the system.
Leave a Reply