In the early days, electricity was generated mainly by simple mechanical methods that turned dynamos or generators. The principle was discovered in the 1830s by Michael Faraday, who showed that moving a magnet near a coil of wire could produce an electric current.
The earliest electricity supplies were very local. A factory, mill, large house, or street lighting scheme would often have its own generator.
Here are the main early methods:
- Steam engines
By the late 1800s, most electricity was produced by steam engines. Coal was burned to boil water into steam, and the steam drove a piston engine or later a steam turbine connected to a dynamo.
Typical uses:
- Street lighting
- Tramways
- Factories
- Wealthy homes
- Public buildings
Early power stations were small and local because electricity could not easily be transmitted long distances.
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- Water power
Some early electricity generation used water wheels or water turbines, especially in rural areas and mountainous districts. Existing mill streams were adapted to drive generators.
This was one of the first forms of hydroelectricity.
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- Gas engines
Before large national systems existed, some towns and businesses used gas engines fuelled by “town gas” made from coal. These engines drove small generators.
- Wind and small local systems
A few isolated farms and estates used small wind generators or private battery systems, especially before rural electrification.
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- Direct current (DC)
The first systems usually used direct current, associated with Thomas Edison. DC worked for nearby lighting but could not travel far efficiently.
Later, alternating current (AC), promoted by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, allowed electricity to be transmitted over much greater distances. That led eventually to large national grids.
In Britain, one of the earliest public power stations was the Holborn Viaduct power station in London in the 1880s. At first, electricity was mainly for lighting rather than for the huge range of appliances we use today.
The interesting point is that early electricity was often highly localised. Many places generated only what they immediately needed. The later national grid system came after engineers learned how to interconnect many power stations and transmit electricity over long distances.
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