On 4 September 1882 Edison switched on the Pearl Street Station in lower Manhattan, the first central power station in the United States, serving 59 customers with direct current from coal-fired dynamos. It bundled generation, distribution and metering into one commercial system, the model every electric utility since has followed. The Holborn Viaduct station in London, also an Edison venture, had begun supplying power that January.
Facts
Milestone Year Milestone Date LocationManhattan, New York, United States 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
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Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
United States Department of Energy Official Site
US Department of EnergyAssociated With: Edison Perfects the Incandescent Lamp, The History of the Light Bulb, Incandescent Bulbs Light the WayQuote, Associated With: Edison Perfects the Incandescent Lamp, The History of the Light Bulb, Incandescent Bulbs Light the Way
One can't talk about the history of the light bulb without mentioning William Sawyer and Albon Man, who received a U.S. patent for the incandescent lamp, and Joseph Swan, who patented his light bulb in England.
Grace's Guide to British Industrial History
Grace's Guide LtdAssociated With: Holborn Viaduct Station Opens, Edison first public electricity generation stationQuote, Associated With: Holborn Viaduct Station Opens, Edison first public electricity generation station
Edison's power station in Pearl Street New York followed some months later.
American Society of Civil Engineers Official Site
American Society of Civil EngineersAssociated With: Vulcan Street Plant Lights Appleton, Historic Landmarks, Vulcan Street PlantQuote, Associated With: Vulcan Street Plant Lights Appleton, Historic Landmarks, Vulcan Street Plant
The Edison Company had already begun to generate electricity with steam power 26 days earlier at its Pearl Street plant in New York City, but steam-generated electricity proved more expensive.
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