Wiktor Wise
Thomas Alva Edison, an American inventor and businessman, founded the Edison Electric Light Company in 1878. The company was a patent-holding corporate entity backed by J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family, which aimed to fund Edison's experiments with electric lighting and the incandescent bulb. The company established the first investor-owned electric utility and constructed the first commercial power plant in the United States, which opened on September 4, 1882, in New York City. Edison's company faced competition from alternating current (AC) systems and eventually merged with other companies to form the Edison General Electric Company, which later became the General Electric Company.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of founding | October 15, 1878 |
| Founder | Thomas Edison |
| Purpose | To fund Edison's experiments with the incandescent bulb and electric lighting |
| Backed by | J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family |
| Type of company | Patent-holding corporate entity |
| First central station | Pearl Street Station, New York City |
| Date of opening of first central station | September 4, 1882 |
| Type of power system | Direct-current (D.C.) |
| Type of wiring | Overhead wiring |
| Changes in power system | Adopted alternating-current (A.C.) technology |
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What You'll Learn
- The Edison Illuminating Company was founded on December 17, 1880, to build power stations in New York City
- The Pearl Street Station was the company's first power plant and the world's first commercial power plant
- Thomas Edison's company faced competition from alternating current (AC) systems, which could transmit power over long distances
- The Edison Electric Light Company was a patent-holding entity backed by J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family
- The company's work with incandescent bulbs and electric lighting was installed on the S.S. Columbia
The Edison Illuminating Company was founded on December 17, 1880, to build power stations in New York City
On December 17, 1880, Thomas Edison founded the Edison Illuminating Company to construct electrical generating stations in New York City. The company was the first of its kind and served as a prototype for other local illuminating companies established in the United States during the 1880s.
Edison's initial focus was on building power stations in New York City. On September 4, 1882, his first central station, the Pearl Street Station, opened at 257 Pearl Street in Manhattan. This station was a significant milestone, as it was the first commercial power plant in the United States and the world's first cogeneration plant. It provided 110 volts of direct current (DC) power, initially supplying 59 customers in lower Manhattan, but quickly expanded to 508 customers with over 10,000 lamps.
The success of the Pearl Street Station established Edison as a pioneer in the field of electric power generation. However, he faced competition from companies adopting alternating current (AC) systems, which could transmit electricity over long distances using thinner and cheaper wires. Edison's direct current (DC) power delivery system was only suitable for high-density urban areas like New York City, where there was a high concentration of customers.
To address this challenge, Edison made technical changes to his later power plants, eventually adopting the more efficient alternating current (AC) technology. He also expanded his business ventures, with the Edison Electric Light Company being one of many business entities founded by Edison. This company, backed by J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family, focused on funding Edison's experiments with incandescent bulbs and electric lighting.
The Edison Illuminating Company played a pivotal role in the history of electric power generation, not only by establishing the first investor-owned electric utility but also by setting the stage for the evolution of power generation and distribution systems in the United States and beyond.
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The Pearl Street Station was the company's first power plant and the world's first commercial power plant
The Pearl Street Station, located in Lower Manhattan, New York City, was the world's first power plant and the first central power plant. It was built by Thomas Edison's company, Edison Electric Illuminating Company, and began operating on September 4, 1882. The station was designed to provide electricity for lighting in the immediate vicinity, using coal-fired steam engines to generate power, which was then distributed through underground cables to nearby buildings.
Edison's development of practical and reliable electrical distribution systems was a significant milestone in the advancement of electricity. The success of the Pearl Street Station demonstrated the potential of electricity as a viable alternative to gas lighting. This success led to the expansion of electrical power systems and the establishment of power stations in other cities, contributing to the electrification of industries and homes worldwide.
Prior to the development of the Pearl Street Station, Edison conducted several experimental power installations. He installed a small lighting system at his Menlo Park lab in 1880 and lighting systems with other features at the Paris International Exposition and in London in 1881. These earlier installations allowed Edison and his team to experiment and gain valuable experience before constructing the first permanent installation in New York.
The Pearl Street Station faced challenges in generating enough power and building an elaborate network of wires and underground tubes to deliver energy to customers. To address the power generation issue, Edison developed the "Jumbo" dynamo, a 27-ton machine that produced 100 kilowatts, powering 1200 lights. Six of these dynamos were required to light up the one square mile of New York City serviced by the Pearl Street plant. Despite the challenges, the Pearl Street Station marked a crucial step in the development of centralized power generation and distribution systems, forming the foundation of modern electric utility infrastructure.
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Thomas Edison's company faced competition from alternating current (AC) systems, which could transmit power over long distances
Thomas Edison founded the Edison Illuminating Company on December 17, 1880, to construct electrical generating stations, with the first one opening in New York City in 1882. The company was the prototype for other local illuminating companies that were established in the United States during the 1880s.
In 1885, Edison read about alternating current systems in a UK technical journal, which described how AC had gained a key advantage over DC with the development of transformers. These transformers allowed for the voltage to be "stepped up" to much higher transmission voltages and then reduced to a lower voltage for business and residential use. This allowed a central generating station to supply a large area, with a transmission range of up to 7 miles (11 km). This posed a significant threat to Edison's DC system, which had a shorter transmission range and left a patchwork of un-supplied customers that Westinghouse could easily supply with AC power.
In 1886, George Westinghouse's company introduced an alternating current system that used transformers to step down from a high voltage, allowing AC to be used for indoor lighting. By the end of 1887, Westinghouse had 68 alternating current power stations, while Edison only had 121 DC-based stations. Despite Edison's attempts to discredit AC through a propaganda campaign that claimed it was dangerous, he ultimately failed. Westinghouse won the contract to supply electricity to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, and Edison's company, now called General Electric, applied for a Westinghouse patent license to use alternating current in its projects.
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The Edison Electric Light Company was a patent-holding entity backed by J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family
Thomas Alva Edison, an American inventor and businessman, founded the Edison Illuminating Company on December 17, 1880, to construct electrical generating stations, with the first one being set up in New York City. This company was the prototype for other local illuminating companies established in the United States during the 1880s. Edison's company established the first investor-owned electric utility and commercial power plant in the United States.
The Edison Electric Light Company, one of the many business entities founded by Edison, was a patent-holding corporate entity backed by J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family. It was established to fund Edison's experiments with the incandescent bulb and electric lighting. Edison's incandescent light bulb was one of his many inventions in the field of electric power generation, which also included the phonograph and the motion picture camera.
J.P. Morgan was a financier who engineered a merger between Edison General Electric and its rival, Thomson-Houston Company, in 1892. This merger created the General Electric Company, with the Thomson-Houston board in charge. The Edison Electric Light Company was one of several Edison companies that merged in 1890 to form the Edison General Electric Company.
Edison's direct current (DC) power delivery system faced stiff competition from companies installing alternating current (AC) systems. AC technology was more efficient and could be transmitted over long distances using thinner and cheaper wires. Despite his initial dogmatic anti-AC stance, Edison's company eventually adopted AC technology. The basic system of large central stations distributing power over a broad area and the use of the familiar light bulb remained.
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The company's work with incandescent bulbs and electric lighting was installed on the S.S. Columbia
The Edison Electric Light Company was founded by Thomas Edison in 1879, with the first public demonstration of the incandescent light bulb taking place that same year on New Year's Eve at Menlo Park. The company was established to construct electrical generating stations, with the first being the Pearl Street Station in Manhattan, New York, which opened on September 4, 1882.
The company's work with electric lighting and incandescent bulbs was also installed on the S.S. Columbia, an Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company steamer. This marked the first application of Edison's incandescent bulbs, with the installation taking place in 1880, shortly after his first successful test of the bulb in October 1879. The S.S. Columbia's electrical sockets were connected to the newly installed electric dynamo, which was located in the ship's engine room. This dynamo caused intense vibrations throughout the ship, leading to the Edison bulbs popping out of their sockets and dropping to the deck. To address this issue, Edison company electrical engineers decided to let the bulb assemblies dangle by their loose wires, a solution that differed from the fixed-mount gas lighting type initially employed.
The successful installation of the electric lighting system on the S.S. Columbia demonstrated the seaworthiness of the ship and the practicality of Edison's incandescent bulbs. This early application of electric lighting on an ocean-going vessel showcased the potential for wider adoption of this technology beyond land-based installations. The S.S. Columbia's maiden voyage with the electric dynamo system retrofit was a significant milestone in the history of electric lighting and power systems.
The work of the Edison Electric Light Company, including the installation on the S.S. Columbia, played a pivotal role in the development of electric power and light distribution. This period, known as the "War of the Currents," saw intense competition between Edison's company and Westinghouse's, as they raced to establish more power stations and service more customers. Despite facing rivalry and challenges, Edison's innovations in incandescent bulbs and electric lighting systems, as exemplified by the S.S. Columbia installation, paved the way for the widespread adoption of electric lighting and power generation.
Frequently asked questions
The Edison Electric Light Company was a patent-holding corporate entity backed by J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family. It was founded by Thomas Edison on October 15, 1878, to fund his experiments with the incandescent bulb and electric lighting.
The company constructed what was then the largest central generating station in the world in 1889. It also provided the S.S. Columbia with an electric dynamo system retrofit, which included Edison's incandescent bulbs.
In 1890, the company merged with several other Edison companies to become the Edison General Electric Company. This company then merged with its main rival, the Thomson-Houston Company, in 1892, to form the General Electric Company.
