PRESENT STATUS OF THE TRANSMISSION AND DISTRI- 

 BUTION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY. 1 



By Louis Duncan. 



Tlie industrial life of mankind is made up of two things — the trans- 

 formation and distribution of. material, and the transformation and 

 distribution of energy. The raw material from mines and forests is 

 changed to finished products and distributed among the people, while 

 energy, obtained from water power, coal, or other sources, is changed 

 from the potential energy of the water, or the energy of chemical com- 

 bination, to mechanical power, heat, light, etc. Unless we can transmit 

 this energy economically, we must transform it into the required form 

 at the place where it is to be utilized. At present a large part of our 

 mechanical power is obtained from steam plants situated in the fac- 

 tories themselves, and for heat and light we mainly depend upon stoves 

 and lamps in our houses. 



Before the introduction of electrical transmission it was possible to 

 distribute energy to limited distances by various methods, but no sys- 

 tem offered a long-distance transmission for all purposes. By means 

 of compressed air or steam pipes the energy of coal has been trans- 

 mitted to produce mechanical power or for heating, and gas mains 

 have allowed the distribution of gas for lighting or for fuel. 



In the case of power obtained from steam plants the economy inci- 

 dental to large units and a steady load has led to the concentration of 

 industries. Where steam is used, the plants are situated where it is 

 most convenient for manufacture; where water power is eniployed.it 

 is necessary to bring the factories to the location of the power, irre- 

 spective of other conditions. 



By means of dynamo electric machines, the energy obtained from 

 either coal or w T ater power may be transformed into electrical energy; 

 may be distributed and then transformed again into mechanical power, 

 light, or heat, or may be used for a number of purposes peculiar to 

 this form of energy alone. The limits to the distance of this distribu- 

 tion are imposed by conditions of economy and safety. 



1 Inaugural address of the president at the 108th meeting of the institute, New- 

 York, September 23, 1896. Vice-President Steinmetz in the chair. Printed in 

 Transactions of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, Vol. XIII, Nos. 8 

 and 9, 1896. 



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