[BC] 110 V DC

[Kevin Tekel]

Peter H. wrote:
> My utility, one of the largest in the country, had an average voltage of
> 127.5, this which was for a nominal 120 volt system.
>
> 120, 240 and 480 are the U.S. standards.
>
> 115, 230 and 460 were earlier standards.
>
> And, 110, 220 and 440 before that.

Supposedly the original voltage (for both DC and AC) was 100V, and as the
infrastructure grew, they gradually raised it upwards, perhaps to
guarantee that even the last person on the line will get at least 100V at
his sockets.

During the August 2003 blackout, reportedly the residential voltage in
parts of northeastern NJ surged to a steady 145V for a while after
downtown NYC went dark, and for about an hour cycled up and down between
95V and 145V.

Mexico and several other countries specify a nominal voltage of 127V.
Europe is standardizing on 230V, but many other parts of the world range
from 220V to 240V.



 
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