Guide To International Power Frequencies

Electricity is the same around the globe, right? Well not quite, no! Different countries use different frequencies, which can be a real pain if you plan to use your equipment overseas.

In order to clear up the minefield that is power supply across the globe, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to international power frequencies; providing you with all the information you need to make informed decisions!

Why do different countries have different frequencies?

You might assume that the mains power supply would be the same wherever you go, but it simply isn’t the case. So who can you thank for this inconvenience? Well, it all dates back to the late 1880s when Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla had conflicting ideas about bringing electricity into homes across New York.

Edison wanted to use Direct Current (DC), whereas Tesla proposed the use of Alternating Current (AC). Tesla declared the best frequency to use was 60Hz at 240 volts, whereas Edison relied on a lower voltage system of around 110 V.

Not wanting to lose out to his competitor, Edison spread his opinion that 240 volts was far too high for use in the home and many local residents agreed, believing it would be too dangerous. Edison’s scaremongering worked, though the decision ultimately went in Tesla’s favour, with New York adopting an AC supply at 110 volts and 60Hz.

Word soon spread and other countries began implementing their own mains power supply; however, companies in Europe, like BEW and AEG, controversially decided to go with 50Hz rather than 60Hz. Neighbouring countries followed suit and before you knew it this 50Hz design had been accepted across the continent.

So, we’ve now got the US running their power supply at 60Hz and the majority of Europe using 50Hz – but it doesn’t end there… To further complicate things, countries like Britain, Spain, France, Portugal, etc. then began implementing their 60Hz power supply systems in their colonies across Asia and Africa.

As no international standard was ever set, countries stuck to their initial frequencies and here we are over 100 years later!

Worldwide Frequencies

Now we know why countries have differing frequencies, let’s break it down and examine the frequencies of each country.

50Hz vs 60Hz Countries

The two main power frequencies used across the globe are 50Hz or 60Hz (Hertz), and the majority of countries favour a 50Hz frequency for their mains supply, though there are still a significant number of countries using a 60Hz supply.

So, which countries use 60Hz? Take a look at the table below to discover more.

Interestingly, the frequency in Japan isn’t even uniform across the country! Areas in the east, like Tokyo, operate on 50Hz, whereas areas in the west like Osaka and Kyoto use a 60Hz power supply.

The image below shows countries that have a power frequency of 50Hz in light blue and 60Hz in dark blue.

Why do we need to regulate power frequency?

So you might be wondering, well why does it matter if a country uses 50Hz or 60Hz? There are a number of reasons why the frequency of a mains supply is regulated, but the main one is to prevent damaging equipment or infrastructure.

All equipment will be designed for use in a specific country, and so manufacturers will create their products to run at the correct frequency for the country they’re being sold or used in. If you’re in the UK, pretty much everything you use every day (if it connects to mains power), will be designed to operate at 50Hz. If the power frequency differs too far from 50Hz, it can cause serious damage to your equipment.

Regulating the frequency of national power supplies is therefore vital to protect equipment and infrastructure across the country.

Importance of Frequency Converters

When travelling overseas you’re likely to come across a mains supply that is different from your home country. Unfortunately, this means that you won’t be able to utilise equipment that requires a 60Hz power supply in a country that runs a 50Hz power supply. Running equipment at the wrong frequency can severely damage it; which is where frequency converters come into play…

Our range of frequency converters can transform 50Hz to 60Hz and 60Hz to 50Hz to suit all countries. This means that you can then safely run your equipment with the exact amount of power required as efficiently as possible without the risk of damaging it or severely decreasing the lifespan of your equipment.

Want to learn more about frequency converters? Get in touch with our power conversion experts at PSI today! A member of the team will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have; simply call 01494871544 or email us at info@powersystemsinternational.com today.