Tesla was an advocate for the
use of alternating current from
the start. This was at the beginning of the
electrification when most houses
were wired for direct current. The man who was
for direct current was Thomas
Edison (Mainly because he had already invested
heavily in the technology). direct current was
simpler than alternating current but the
transmission of it was impractical over long
distances. Due to the resistance
of long wires, a generator would be needed
almost every few miles. This was not
economical at all. Still, Thomas Edison would
not back down from where he
stood. Tesla knew that AC was the only
economical and practical way of
electrifying whole cities. He realized that AC
did not suffer from the same
resistance losses of being transmitted over a
long distance. Edison would never
admit that AC was better suited for wide spread
use. (Cheney, 1981).
In order for
his ideas to work, Tesla needed to team up with
a wealthy business man. He
joined up with George Westinghouse who was very
supportive of his ideas.
(Rajvarshi, 2007). Tesla
developed an AC
induction motor and a transformer system that
would be used by Westinghouse.
Westinghouse even hired Tesla to lead in lab
work to develop a transmission
system for Alternating Current. Tesla and
Westinghouse were chosen to electrify
the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago with
alternating current. This event showed
the American public how much better AC was
compared to DC when it came to large
scale electrification. In 1895, Tesla and
Westinghouse built the first
hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls.
(Rajvarshi, 2007).
Tesla's Induction Motor
is considered one of the greatest inventions of
all time!
The Alternating
Current Induction Motor does not require
mechanical commutation. In the early days, DC
motors required a commutator to reverse the
current direction in the motors armature.
Induction motors use electromagnetic induction
to produce the current that spins the rotor.
