Utility frequency

The utility frequency, (power) line frequency (<a href="/facts/American_English/sdAfgPgM">American English</a>) or mains frequency (<a href="/facts/British_English/ymJR5Rnd">British English</a>) is the nominal <a href="/facts/Frequency/QUSbPaW8">frequency</a> of the oscillations of <a href="/facts/Alternating_current/qxICS3xa">alternating current</a> (AC) in a <a href="/facts/Wide_area_synchronous_grid/NLMUYGDg">wide area synchronous grid</a> transmitted from a <a href="/facts/Power_station/vYeVY1fD">power station</a> to the <a href="/facts/End-user/7IM9qu7N">end-user</a>. In large parts of the world this is 50 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">Hz</a>, although in the <a href="/facts/Americas/hEuUTL4K">Americas</a> and parts of <a href="/facts/Asia/4IToYrrQ">Asia</a> it is typically 60 Hz. Current usage by country or region is given in the list of <a href="/facts/Mains_electricity_by_country/CnN0jxFf">mains electricity by country</a>.
During the development of commercial electric power systems in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, many different frequencies (and voltages) had been used. Large investment in equipment at one frequency made standardization a slow process. However, as of the turn of the 21st century, places that now use the 50 Hz frequency tend to use 220–240 <a href="/facts/Voltage/EN2po6N2">V</a>, and those that now use 60 Hz tend to use 100–127 V. Both frequencies coexist today (Japan uses both) with no great technical reason to prefer one over the other[needs update?] and no apparent desire for complete worldwide standardization.

Utility frequency open-in-new

Utility frequency