From: Michelle Jones (spike66@ibm.net)
Date: Sat Aug 22 1998 - 09:25:14 MDT
> ...>If there was to be a new global standard for the "electricity
> grid",
> >... which would be better, AC or DC?
i recall in school a lecture on why we got ac in the first place. turns
out, those arguments used then are still valid today. if all electrical
equipment were to suddenly disappear and need to be totally replaced,
we would set up ac again, although the voltage might go a bit lower
and frequency would be made the same the world around.
> An AC standard makes most semse for a distribution system. In the
> future, the present copper webworks may not exist, and be replaced
> with small generators or fuel cells at the point of use. ...
although point generators are likely, i think the copper grid
willcontinue to to be useful for a loooong time as a power distribution
system and a possible waveguide for communications, such as
web access and tv signals. there's no reason why the power company
cannot get into the game of information distribution over the
infrastructure they have already built. spike
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