Abstract
IN the report referred to below*, which was prepared originally for the guidance of the Electrical Research Association, Mr. C. A. Cameron Brown gives a very complete review of the experimental and research side of rural electrification. It is estimated that out of about a quarter of a million farms in Great Britain which are already, or are likely soon to be, within reasonable reach of an electric supply, only about one in eight has yet been connected. The main difficulty in the way of further development is the relatively high cost of providing a supply to the average farm. Most electrical development is based on the expectation that a new customer will bring in an annual revenue equal to about 20 per cent of the capital cost of connecting him to the system. Under present conditions, however, the average annual revenue from a newly-connected farm is unlikely to exceed £25; while the cost of connexion will almost certainly be considerably more than five times this amount. There are two possible lines along which a solution of this difficulty might be sought: to lower costs of connexion by simplification, standardization or other means; or to increase potential revenue by encouraging the wider application of electrical power on the farm; and it is to consideration of the second of these that the report is mainly directed.
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Utilization of Electricity in Agriculture and Horticulture. Nature 147, 62–63 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/147062a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/147062a0