Higher Voltage Distribution and Utilization Systems--Benefits and Problems

This paper re-examines the issue of higher primary and secondary distribution and utilization voltages, updating and extending previous work to account for component and energy costs on a year-by-year basis and including customer costs as an element of total system costs. Primary voltages up to 69 kV and secondary voltages up to 960 V were considered. Results verify the economics of the current use of 120 V secondary voltages and indicate economic advantages to the use of primary voltages in the range of 25 to 40 kV for all residential load densities. Primary voltages higher than 40 kV are not found to be economic because of high equipment costs associated with current production rates.