Advantages of Three-Phase Alternator

Compared with a single-phase machine of the same physical size, a three-phase alternator offers several practical advantages that are why it is used almost universally in commercial power generation and transmission worldwide. For a given size (dimension) of generator, a three-phase machine produces a HIGHER power output than an equivalent single-phase machine. Conversely, for the SAME power capacity, a three-phase alternator can be built physically SMALLER than a single-phase alternator would need to be. Finally, three-phase power transmission is genuinely CHEAPER: a relatively thinner (and hence less costly) transmission wire suffices to carry the same amount of …