Why Europe uses 240V at 50Hz but America uses 120V at 60Hx
In: Technology
The electrical grid was setup independently in multiple nations simultaneously with competing standards and patents. The concept of a unified grid standard wasn’t on their mind, selling appliances was.
Keep in mind power back then was not as ubiquitous and arguably necessary for life like it is now.
Edison’s genius wasn’t selling lightbulbs, it was selling the powergrid needed to turn them on. By having a standard that was protected by patents you had to buy your appliances from Edison to work on his grid.
Ultimately though Tesla’s AC system was proved better than Edisons DC system and won out.
North America standardized on a 110v 60hz system, while Europe setup a 220v 50hz system independently.
Those responsible for the European and UK power grids did their own thing, deciding what form of current was best for their purposes. This is also why outlet types are different, different companies made their own unique plugs.
Tesla actually recommended a 220/240 volt grid and 60hz but no one at the time listened to him. Today only a few countries (like South Korea) use this setup.
Power grid standardization today would be nigh-impossible and impractical. You couldn’t force consumers to through out and re-buy their devices en-mass like that purely to change to a global standard.
Most electronic devices today use switching power supplies that enable them to work on any grid making this mostly irrelevant.
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