[Howlin' Hooligan]

AC electric is more practical when being distributed over long distances. It has something to do with power dissipation, or heat. My college electricity class is a bit distant and foggy about this one, but I remember my teacher addressing this issue.

[spunkets]

"AC electric is more practical when being distributed over long distances."Long distance transmission uses high voltage to cut the current for the same power sent. Power=Volts*Amps. Power loss in the wire is Amps²*wire resistance.

AC power is used for distribution, because the voltage can be changed with transformers. The power comes out of the plant at a very high voltage and is stepped down at distribution points and service entrances.

[Still Thinking]

High voltage / low current is a desirable configuration for transmission because power losses are proportional to current, but not voltage.

AC is used because it is easy to change from the high voltage / low current transmission mode to the lower voltage / higher current mode that is safe and useful for consumption (but not for transmitting long distances).

That having been said, I once heard of a distribution application in South Africa where the transmission was done with high voltage DC, using the earth as the return conductor.