Evolution Of Alternating Current Power In The U.s.

rock_breaker

rock_breaker

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I saw this video recently and thought it may be of interest to this group. Telluride, Colorado had a hand in the use of Alternating Current, the story can be found on Rocky Mountain PBS.org/video/Colorado Experience/Hydro Power. You can tell my experience with the internet is limited.

The plant, owned by Xcel Energy Co. still exists and producing power is in a good camping area about two hours from home.

Have a good day

Ray
 
Ah, Telluride CO one of my favorite areas to go! Ray, you are only about 100 miles or so from there, I have to drive or ride around 300. Fantastic country.
The PBS video that you suggested watching, is a good one, but I wish that they had put more emphasis Nicola Tesla's contribution to the whole shebang. Crazy as this dude was, he was a genius, and far ahead of his time, as the "inventor" of alternating current used today in our electrical grids. Its interesting that the all electric Tesla automobiles, try one you'll want one, uses DC to run its motors. (enter funny joke emoticon here) The fight between Edison and Westinghouse, who used Teslas patented alternating current was won with this first demonstration of hydro-electric AC power in the high mountains overlooking Telluride CO. They then moved on to Niagara Falls and the rest is history.
Ah yes, I remember it well.

Chuck the grumpy old guy
 
I saw that on PBS recently. Pity that Edison couldn't see the advantage of using transformers to up the transmission line voltage. Imagine having a DC powerplant every few city blocks! If Edison had gotten his way.......what a different world it would be.
 
For those of you in the South, there is a hydro dam and single AC generator in Williamston, SC (near Greenville) that ranks as one of the first in the nation. It is still on line and producing power for a textile mill that's about 1/2 mile away. It's one of the very first in the nation. So early that Edison came to see it.
 
There is a non functional small ac gen on the Mammoth Spring site in far north Ark.

mammoth_spring_montage.jpg

Can't locate my own pics, so borrowed this one. This one supplied power until fairly recently.
 
The Appleton WI hydro project was possibly the first hydro electric project, but it produced DC electrical current, which Thomas Edison insisted was the only way to do it, much to the dismay of one of his employees named Nicola Tesla who insisted that AC or alternating current was the only PRACTICAL method to distribute electricity over distances. Tesla finally gave up arguing with Edison and left the firm along with his patented concept of AC power generation and distribution. He joined up with George Westinghouse and finally convinced the Westinghouse board to invest in the AC power plant that was used for powering the gold mines in and around Telluride CO. Next came the Niagara Falls plant which was to have been an Edison Electric facility until George Westinghouse convinced them that Nicola Teslas idea of alternating current was far superior. Edison finally gave up on his pursuit of direct current power production and accepted his old employe's concept, and the rest as they say is history. Tesla Rules!

Chuck the grumpy old guy
 
CluelessNewB said:
Actually I'm hoping that we will see one one every roof in the near future! ;) AC still rules for distribution.
Click to expand...
Not to derail this thread, but I have always wondered what the stance is of American insurers on having these Tesla batteries in the house. Lithium batteries are a serious fire hazard and require specialized equipment to douse their flames. The airlines were the first to start limiting the size you may take into a plane for this very reason, I think their limit is something like 10000mah. I could only imagine the type of fire a massive Tesla battery could create.

Is it just a case of no house has set alight yet so it has not been raised, or do insurers already adjust premiums if you have one of these batteries?

Add to this the fact that you guys over there insist on being the piggy who built his house of wood and you have an interesting tinderbox potential.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
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