ANSI C84.1 has requirements for voltages in the USA. http://www.powerqualityworld.com/2011/04/ansi-c84-1-voltage-ratings-60-hertz.html
Scott Aldous Compliance Engineer AE Solar Energy +1.970.492.2065 Direct +1.970.407.5872 Fax +1.541.312.3832 Main [email protected] 1625 Sharp Point Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525 www.advanced-energy.com/solarenergy -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Richard Nute Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 12:03 PM To: 'itl-emc user group'; [email protected] Subject: RE: [PSES] Mains voltage in Europe > After all this discussion, > Does anyone know the Mains Voltage in the US. > It was once 110 VAC and then 115 VAC. > I heard that now it may be 120 VAC > Any info would be helpful Mains voltage in the USA is set by the local utility. For example, Clark County Public Utility, where I live, supplies 120 V nominal. Same for SDG&E where I formerly lived. And for PG&E (Northern California). Go to the utility web site; somewhere on the site you can find the nominal voltage supplied to a residence or to a business. I don't know of any USA national standards for voltage at the terminals to the residence. Here's a web site with some history of how the USA got to 120 V: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_was_120V_chosen_as_the_standard_voltage_of_hom es_in_the_US_and_not_some_other_voltage Here are some other quotes from the web: "The historic reason for 110 volts is the Direct Current (DC) power systems created by Thomas Edison. It is believed he chose 110 volts because that is what his light bulb worked on. Later, these systems were converted to Alternating Current (AC), so you didn't need a power plant on every street corner, but the voltage level wasn't changed, so existing lighting didn't need to be replaced. (At that time they didn't care if they got AC or DC.)" "It was Thomas Edison who promoted the use of (then) 100 volts as some tragic experiences in the early days of power distribution showed that 100 volts was not usually lethal for a shock. Remember that in the early days, single un-insulated wires were strung though ceramic insulators, both exterior and interior, and so there were many more shock hazards present. Each splice was made by wrapping one wire around the other one and soldered. The use of junction boxes was non existent. As technology advanced good, long life, insulation was wrapped around the conductors." 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.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. 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]> This message, including any attachments, may contain information that is confidential and proprietary information of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. The dissemination, distribution, use or copying of this message or any of its attachments is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. 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]>
