Planet Money: AC Power Versus DC Power Grid

The nation's power grid pulses with a certain type of electricity: AC power. But our "Planet Money" team explains why some people are trying to revive the DC power grid.


LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

We don't think very much about what happens behind our electrical outlets, how the power gets into our homes. But Audrey Quinn of our Planet Money team reports that a lot of people are starting to wonder if the way we deliver electricity is wrong for the modern age.

AUDREY QUINN, BYLINE: Fraida Fund lives in Brooklyn. And her home probably looks a lot like yours. She's got a bunch of electronics. And in order to plug those into the wall, she has those black cords with the boxes on them.

(Read more...)