High Voltage Engineering Fundamentals, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Generation and transmission of electric energy

The potential benefits of electrical energy supplied to a number of consumers from a common generating system were recognized shortly after the development of the ‘dynamo’, commonly known as the generator.

The first public power station was put into service in 1882 in London (Holborn). Soon a number of other public supplies for electricity followed in other developed countries. The early systems produced direct ccurrent at low-voltage, but their service was limited to highly localized areas and were used mainly for electric lighting. The limitations of d.c. transmission at low-voltage became readily apparent. By 1890 the art in the development of an a.c. generator and ...