FWIW, there are several articles on wikipedia.org that talk about the history of 120V vs 240V mains power. Most point to similar reasons - the compromises that Tesla had to make to get a win over Edison, etc.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of 'Rich Nute' Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 11:23 AM To: 'Ralph McDiarmid'; 'IEEE EMC & SAFETY PSTC' Subject: RE: Normal power supply Sweden & Norway Hi Ralph: Is it common throughout Europe to distribute 3-phase power to single-family homes? Well, yes. I'm not sure of England. If so, why are single-family and duplex residences in North America supplied with 120/240V single-phase? I'm sorry, but I can't answer the question. Best regards, Rich - This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc Graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. can be posted to that URL. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <[email protected]> David Heald: <[email protected]>
