The Story Behind Modern Electric Generation and Distribution
Easy access to electricity in our homes is often taken for granted, but the story of how we came to have this luxury is quite interesting. It was the work of many different inventors and scientists, both famous and unknown, which made modern electric generation possible.
Electricity became a matter of study and investigation after the ancient Egyptians discovered that some fish were capable of producing a small, electrical charge. Continued experimentation led to the discovery of a connection between magnetism and electricity, and then Thales of Miletos discovered he could produce a charge of static electricity by rubbing cat’s hair on amber rods. His discovery, near 600 BC, was a step towards the creation of early generators that produced a static charge, by mechanically rubbing glass or sulfur globes.
In 1800, Alessandro Volta made an important advancement in the field, when he created the voltaic pile—the first battery. It was an improvement over the older static generators, because instead of releasing electricity in one single discharge, it released its power in a continuous emission. It was a more reliable source of electricity, and opened the door to more advanced experiments by scientists, but it was still far from being adequate for any commercial use.
The first major advance towards that end came in 1831, when Michael Faraday created his first electrical dynamo. Faraday had observed that moving magnets through wire coils would produce an electrical charge, and by using that principle, he was able to build a generator that produced a constant electrical current. Faraday’s basic concept is still used in today’s generators, leading many to consider him the father of modern electrical generation.
In 1871, Thomas Edison constructed a direct current power generator, which was the next step towards the commercial viability of electricity. Edison had begun selling another of his inventions, the filament light bulb, to towns and businesses, and the DC generator provided the electricity. However, it was noted that DC current loses power as it travels over distance, so there was a limit to how far Edison could deliver it—the generators needed to be close to the lights that they powered. This proved expensive and inefficient, hampering further commercial applications.
It took the work of two men—Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse—to find the solution to this problem. First, Tesla created a new electrical generator that provided alternating current. Meanwhile, Westinghouse had the idea to run the AC current through transformers, which allowed the voltage to be stepped up while it made its way down the transmission lines. When the current reached its destination, the process was reversed and the voltage reduced for local use. With this system, power could be distributed over long distances. The industrial revolution was possible, thanks to this more commercial model of electrical generation and distribution.
By understanding some of the terms commonly used to talk about electrical generation, you can have a better idea of how the systems work. When we speak of an electrical current, we’re talking about the movement of electrons through a conductor. The current is measured in amps, and can be compared to the flow of water in a hose. Voltage is used to define the electrical potential behind the current, similar to the pressure behind the flow of water. Finally, we have wattage, which is a measure of the power a device consumes; we find it by multiplying amps by volts.
AC current is the standard used in all modern electrical generating techniques. While there are different ways of producing electricity in use today, the generators most commonly used, produce power by the use of a spinning shaft, which is powered by a turbine of some sort. There are various ways of providing the energy used which drives the turbine.
Waterfalls and rivers can provide an enormous amount of natural power, and power plants are often built nearby to harness that power to drive the large turbines. Sometimes, dams will be built across rivers to provide even more control over the amount of water that flows through the turbines.
Some power plants use steam pressure instead of water pressure. Nuclear power plants superheat water to create steam, which is then forced at high pressure through the turbines, creating the force to spin the shaft of a giant generator. The electricity needs of several large cities, can be filled by the power produced by one of these facilities. There are also power plants that use combustibles, like coal or oil, to heat the water for steam, but the basic principle stays the same.
It’s now easy to find portable power generators, with options in all shapes and sizes, from small gas generators—great for travelers—to propane backup generators that can be very useful in times of natural disaster. When shopping for a portable generator, add up the wattage of all the items you plan on powering, so you’ll know what size generator you’ll need to buy.
The technology that we enjoy, thanks to modern electrical generation, is due, in no small part, to the efforts of many earlier scientists and inventors. Although the commercial distribution of electricity has only been available for a bit more than 100 years, it’s not hard to understand why our ability to harness this power for our own use, is often said to be the single most important achievement in science history.
About the author:
Chuck Pinnell learned how important it is to have dependable power generation during the years he spent working in the logging and sawmill industries. Now, he shares his experience with others, writing about the benefits of models like Generac diesel generators, and Briggs and Stratton standby generators on his website, EveryDayGenerators.com. He and his wife, Erin, live on the shores of Okanagan Lake in southern BC, Canada, in a small retirement town.
