History of Electric Power Transmission (1873–1891)

The article is devoted to the history of the first long-distance power transmission lines constructed in the period from 1873 to 1891. The increase in the electricity production and consumption volumes prompted specialists to search for engineering electricity transportation solutions. Despite the complexity of implementation and high cost of DC electric power transportation, many dozens of installations were built around the world, marking the beginning of the electric power industry. With the advent of transformers and alternators, the prospect of transporting alternating current (AC) over a significant distance arose. However, the first AC current power lines could only serve for lighting purposes because there were no AC motors at that time. Many electrical engineers took attempts to design such a motor, but all of the developed designs were inferior to the characteristics of a DC motor. Within a relatively short period of time, the Russian electrical engineer M. O. Dolivo-Dobrovolsky solved this problem by creating a practical and efficient generation, transmission and consumption system based on three-phase currents, including a squirrel-cage induction motor. Dolivo-Dobrovolsky's ideas were brilliantly embodied in the 170 km long Laufen-Frankfurt transmission line, which became a clear example for electrical engineers around the world and opened a new era of widespread use of three-phase current in electrical engineering.