Re: Why pole pigs are rare in Europe

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Ben McMillen by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <spoonman534-at-yahoo-dot-com>

I thought the idea of HV distribution was to reduce line
loss? It would seem to me that LV distribution at 220v
would introduce quite a bit of resistive line loss..
especially for higher current services..

Coiling In Pittsburgh
Ben McMillen

--- Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
 > Original poster: "Stephen Conner by way of Terry Fritz
 > <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <steve-at-scopeboy-dot-com>
 >
 > I found the following tidbit in the Encyclopaedia
 > Britannica.
 >
 > "The voltage for residential services in the United
 > States is uniformly 120
 > volts, and in Europe it is mostly 200 or 220 volts, a
 > difference that leads
 > to considerable variation in distribution methods.
 >
 > In the United States the voltage is reduced in a
 > distribution substation to
 > 2,400 to 13,800 volts, and a second reduction is made to
 > utilization
 > voltage by means of a number of small transformers
 > mounted on poles, or
 > situated in vaults, known as distribution transformers.
 >
 > In Europe the subtransmission or primary distribution
 > voltage is brought
 > into a kiosk or vault and reduced to 220 volts, and a
 > relatively large area
 > is covered at 220 volts. Distribution transformer output
 > in the U.S. ranges
 > generally from 5 to 100 kVA, whereas in Europe it is
 > generally from 50 to
 > 600 kVA."
 >
 > So there you are. In the US, you have pole pigs. In
 > Europe, we have giant
 > ground hogs instead :) Luckily, scrap microwave ovens are
 > just as common
 > either side of the pond.
 >
 > Steve C.
 >
 >