this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2025
170 points (97.8% liked)

Europe

1869 readers
1290 users here now

News and information from Europe ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ

(Current banner: La Mancha, Spain. Feel free to post submissions for banner images.)

Rules (2024-08-30)

  1. This is an English-language community. Comments should be in English. Posts can link to non-English news sources when providing a full-text translation in the post description. Automated translations are fine, as long as they don't overly distort the content.
  2. No links to misinformation or commercial advertising. When you post outdated/historic articles, add the year of publication to the post title. Infographics must include a source and a year of creation; if possible, also provide a link to the source.
  3. Be kind to each other, and argue in good faith. Don't post direct insults nor disrespectful and condescending comments. Don't troll nor incite hatred. Don't look for novel argumentation strategies at Wikipedia's List of fallacies.
  4. No bigotry, sexism, racism, antisemitism, dehumanization of minorities, or glorification of National Socialism.
  5. Be the signal, not the noise: Strive to post insightful comments. Add "/s" when you're being sarcastic (and don't use it to break rule no. 3).
  6. If you link to paywalled information, please provide also a link to a freely available archived version. Alternatively, try to find a different source.
  7. Light-hearted content, memes, and posts about your European everyday belong in [email protected]. (They're cool, you should subscribe there too!)
  8. Don't evade bans. If we notice ban evasion, that will result in a permanent ban for all the accounts we can associate with you.
  9. No posts linking to speculative reporting about ongoing events with unclear backgrounds. Please wait at least 12 hours. (E.g., do not post breathless reporting on an ongoing terror attack.)

(This list may get expanded when necessary.)

We will use some leeway to decide whether to remove a comment.

If need be, there are also bans: 3 days for lighter offenses, 14 days for bigger offenses, and permanent bans for people who don't show any willingness to participate productively. If we think the ban reason is obvious, we may not specifically write to you.

If you want to protest a removal or ban, feel free to write privately to the mods: @[email protected], @[email protected], or @[email protected].

founded 7 months ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Retooling the entire country would be a shit show at best, and prohibitively expensive, so they'd likely stay at their current spec. Also, energy trade is quite profitable, and for geographic regions it makes sense to keep standards aligned.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (3 children)

It's not about selling electricity, it's about having a single market for electrical devices. There's no single market if most products don't work in one country. Even different AC plugs are only allowed because adapters are cheap and using different plugs for Ireland and Italy is a minor change in the production line.

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You do realize that many companies offer multiple or variable power supplies addressing different input voltages and frequencies, right? Most consumer electronics are functionally identical, they just have a varying types of charging cable mains adapters. Larger appliances and tools are a different story, but more manufacturers are offering variability in their equipment.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Most and all are different things.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

If you want to be pedantic, have at it.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

You grossly misunderstood what the single market means - there are of course absolutely different local regulations and customs that are used. Ireland (and the UK before they left) drive on the other side of the road, trains systems vary by nation, even electrical standards do - the single market in terms of norms means that they just have to all follow a general market admission will follow the same rules - e.g. a product needs to fully comply with the basic marke wide ruleset.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Italy and Denmark are only different for earthed plugs, IIRC. Outside of the former British Empire, unearthed plugs within the EU are standard.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Nah Italian sockets have a different prong spacing. It's close enough for europlugs to fit but those are only for low amperage applications.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

If only it was realistic to export electricity from Canada to the EU.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's theoretically possible with HVDC (high voltage direct current), as the AC -> DC -> AC transmission conversion allows linked grids to not have their AC waves synced, though that distance would probably be stretching the boundaries of distance.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Not really, no. There's a link in the works between the UK and Iceland, hopping to Greenland and then to Canada would actually be shorter distances. Mostly it hasn't happened yet because Iceland isn't much of a fan of it, they enjoy their cheap electricity and don't want to plaster their whole country in geothermal. Cable length isn't an issue.