NYC pulls plug on DC service
The Consolidated Edison utility pulled the plug on direct current service.
The change means that Con Ed now exclusively uses the alternating current system invented by Nikola Tesla. The utility is named for Edison, whose Pearl Street Station in Manhattan was the first U.S. central electrical power plant, serving 59 customers with direct current beginning in 1882.
In the so-called "war of currents," Edison feuded with Tesla and George Westinghouse over which transmission method to adopt — even going so far as to publicly electrocute animals in the hopes of showing AC was too dangerous.
Alternating current proved superior as transformers allowed electricity to travel over long-distance wires. As AC gained prevalence over DC across the world, Con Ed froze the development of the DC system in 1928 but continued to supply New York's major DC customers with the existing system.
In January 1998, Con Ed began to eliminate DC service. At that time, there were more than 4,600 DC customers. By last year, there were only 60.
Con Ed spokesman Robert McGee said some of the city's elevators still operate with DC using rectifiers that convert the utility's AC service.
Related News
Canadian nuclear projects bring economic benefits
TORONTO - The 13-year Major Component Replacement (MCR) project being undertaken as part of Bruce Power's life-extension programme will inject billions of dollars into Ontario's economy, a new report has found. Meanwhile, the major project to refurbish Darlington unit 2 remains on track for completion in 2020, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has announced.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) said its report, Major Component Replacement Project Economic Impact Analysis, outlines an impartial assessment of the MCR programme. The report was commissioned by Bruce Power.
"Our analysis shows that Bruce Power's MCR project is a fundamental contributor to the Ontario economy. More broadly, the…
