The Current War – Tesla, Edison & Westinghouse – Short #266

In this short podcast episode, Bryan is back for yet another history lesson. This time, the subject is the current war with Tesla, Edison, and Westinghouse.

The current war was fought in the late 1800s with lightbulbs, electrocutions, and a World’s Fair that dazzled the entire world. Edison didn’t necessarily invent the lightbulb, but he made it commercially viable by inventing the infrastructure needed to make it work; electricity worked one way and performed well in small cases. However, voltage drop was a problem with direct current (DC) circuits; Edison was okay with decentralized (localized) power generation with centralized control under the Edison Electric Light Company.

Tesla proposed a system using alternating current (AC), which could be sent hundreds of miles with minimal loss thanks to a transformer (which could step down high voltages from the utility source). AC power steps up at the utility and then down at several points between the utility source and the end user. This vision was at odds with Edison’s DC system. Tesla, who had worked under Edison, sold his patents to George Westinghouse.

Edison began a propaganda campaign against AC power, emphasizing its dangers. However, Tesla harnessed the powers in his lab to demonstrate its potential; while impressive, it didn’t necessarily prove the safety to the public. The Chicago World’s Fair was the battleground of the current war: both Edison and Westinghouse submitted bids, and the latter’s was half the price. The World’s Fair was lit purely by AC power and proved its usefulness to the world (primarily to Westinghouse’s financial benefit). DC faded into obscurity as a means of powering cities, and although Edison was a showman and salesman, his invention was upstaged when it mattered most.

However, DC made a comeback over a century later, particularly with the rise of electronics, LED drivers, and solar power. It can now move power over ultra-long distances, too.

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