The implementation of the main technological standards has always followed two major lines from two major blocs during the 20th century: the American and the European.
The implementation of the main technological standards has always followed two major lines from two major blocks during the 20th century: the American and the European.
To begin understanding the reason for this difference, we must first consider that electricity is defined by two measurable factors: the first is voltage, measured in volts, and the second is current, measured in amperes. They are different; one has much more to do with the “pressure” of the electrical current, the other with the “flow” or “quantity.” Multiplying volts (pressure) by amperes (flow) gives us power, which is measured in watts.
In a country with a voltage of 110, a 60-watt light bulb requires 0.54 amps; while in a country that uses 220V, the same light bulb needs 0.27 amps.
The cost factor
The difference isn’t in how much electricity you need: what matters is the power, which is what you pay for. This power is expressed in kilowatt-hours.
Now, the biggest difference lies in the wiring; 220V is “less refined,” meaning it can be run through thinner wire. Wiring a house or building for 110V is more expensive. That could have been one reason why a country might have chosen to use one voltage or another. However, there is another factor to consider: safety. Obviously, being electrocuted with 110V is not as dangerous as with 220V.
The Safety Factor
At the end of the 19th century, industrialized countries implemented their power transmission systems. Thomas Edison had one vision, and Nikola Tesla had a different one. Edison advocated the use of Direct Current (DC), which operated at 100V and was difficult to convert to other voltages. Tesla argued that Alternating Current (AC) was superior because its voltage could be easily modified, reducing costs and allowing it to be transmitted over long distances.
Edison tried to discredit Tesla’s theory by electrocuting animals to death, but Tesla prevailed by using himself as a guinea pig, demonstrating at a fair that 220V current could pass through his body without harming him. He reportedly used rubber shoes and a high frequency to achieve this.
Due to cost and ease of transporting electricity, Europe and the vast majority of countries worldwide adopted 220V, while the United States and its allied countries remained at 110V. Thomas Edison’s light bulbs, which operated at 110V, were already widely used by that time.
Besides the differences in voltage and amperage used, the world is also divided in terms of electrical outlets (light sockets), but this is something we will see in a future article.