
3
1
AC Power Fundamentals
Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street low-voltage direct current (dc) power generating sta-
tion opened in 1882 to serve the New York City market. Its low-voltage power had
to be utilized in the vicinity of the generating station to keep the conductor I
2
R loss
to an economically viable level. Many more dc power stations were built by Edison
and his competitors in the neighborhood of local users. Then came Westinghouse’s
alternating current (ac) power systems, with large steam and hydro power plants built
where economical, such as on Niagara Falls. The high-voltage ac power was brought
to the load centers, which was stepped do