What Was The Evolution Of Electricity In The 1800's

EVOLUTION OF ELECTRICITY

TIME PERIOD 1850-1900

The later 1800’s was one of the most important period in the evolution of electricity. It was a period when there was conflict between two great minds which shaped modern day electrical transmission. The outcome of the feud led to the interconnected power system we rely upon today. It was Thomas Edison and Nikola tesla who battled over the future of electric transmission. THOMAS ALVA EDISON Thomas Edison was born in Ohio in 1847. Edison worked for a railroad and as a telegraph operator. While earning money at these jobs, Edison continued to study and dabble in science. Eventually, Edison decided to pursue inventing, and

Edison also faced similar problem but after rigorous experimentation he was finally successful in making a carbonized thread filament bulb to burn for 13.5 hrs. in 1880 after a worldwide search for a more durable filament Edison started manufacturing carbonized bamboo filament lamps that lasted 1000hrs.edison realized that to sell his lamps he required an entire system of electricity generation and distribution. So he bought an old building in New York city and turned it into a power plant, filling it with coal fired steam turbines and dynamos. Edison soon formed Edison General Electric Company to build and sell electric power stations to cities and towns across the US. This was a major move in forming a DC electrical system. By 1887 Edison’s DC system of generating had become the industry standard, with more than 120 Edison power delivering DC electricity to its customers. But this method of producing and distributing electricity was not without its challenges. The low voltage energy (240 V) could be sent only to very short distances, within a radius of a mile. This turned out to be expensive and the electricity also resulted in extreme voltage

During this period, he not only constructed the machines, but he also formulated the basic mathematical theory and the basis for our modern electrical system. He initially developed a two phase voltage system with wave form separated by 90 degrees. He progressed from this system to a three voltage waveform 120 electrical degrees out phase with each other. In 1883, tesla had built his working AC motor.

Edison sticking to his DC transmission system had brusquely told tesla that he was not interested in AC and told him there was no future in it. Edison also believed that AC was deadly, he tried convincing the common people that they could get killed by using AC system. He even carried out demonstrations in which he killed dogs by using AC at high voltages. He is said to have also killed an elephant with AC current. But Edison was not able to see the advantages AC had over DC. Despite of vigorous demonstrations by Edison, by 1891 he had acquired more than 40 patents for his polyphaser