3 ms·
Exactly. The problem here is that everyone will just switch to gas for everything. Dryer, stove, water heater, car, etc. That’s terrible! The 380-volt DC soun
by pkulak 5y ago
Exactly. The problem here is that everyone will just switch to gas for everything. Dryer, stove, water heater, car, etc. That’s terrible!
The 380-volt DC sounded nice, so long as DC to DC is more efficient than AC to DC, but I have no idea if that’s true.
- xxs 5y agoDC-DC actually converts DC to high freq. AC 1st, then uses a transformer and then rectifiers, smoothing, feedback, etc. If no isolation, i.e. common ground is fine, a choke instead of a transformer is fine too.
- elcritch 5y agoOne possible benefit of a DC-DC circuit is that the converter can choose its switching frequency. That can give some room for optimizations for power or size.
- stephen_g 5y agoSo do AC-DC converters. They rectify the incoming AC, then it’s basically the same as a DC-DC converter. They have a switch that produces basically PWM in the hundreds of kHz to low MHz range, that it punches through a transformer.
- Reason077 5y agoThe article overstates the conversion losses anyway. Modern solar inverters are something like 95%+ efficient. Consumer devices vary, but it’s a safe bet that modern cool-to-the-touch GaN power adapters are far more efficient than those old black bricks from the 1990s. Saving a few % just isn’t worth all the incompatibility and inconvenience of rewiring your entire house for. 380-volt DC sounds dangerous!