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direct current

The Roots of our AC Power Grid

By Energy Rant No Comments
A while back, a reader asked, “why don’t we switch to at least localized direct current power grids?” The simple answer is it would cost a fortune for both the utility and the consumer to change all distribution and consuming loads to take DC power. As I researched power factor, I recalled why we have an alternating current power grid in the first place. This is interesting and worth knowing, Rant Pack. With that, I apologize for making you wait another week to understand why power factor matters to energy efficiency, directly. A Short Story You know I can’t resist…
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Power Factor Cures for Toenail Fungus

By Energy Rant One Comment
This post ends with a quiz and more than 49 $5 Starbucks card winners for correct answers. Why the quiz for this post? Because the subject is power factor. Most descriptions of power factor remind me of riding the NYC subway many years ago before passengers buried their faces in their smartphones, which did not yet exist. Instead, choices included looking at the floor or the ceiling, like riding an elevator. God knows you don’t want to make eye contact with the person sitting across from you. At the ceiling were ads for the most socially undesirable products imaginable: cures…
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