Kriegstetten–Solothurn: First Swiss Commercial High-Voltage System [History]

Switzerland’s first commercially used high-voltage power system with transmission from Kriegstetten to Solothurn was commissioned in 1886. The 2-kV dc system was a pioneering achievement from a technical and historical perspective. The skill and foresight of the pioneers Charles E. Brown and Walter Boveri, who later founded the Brown Boveri company (today ABB), must be recognized. As employees of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon in Zürich, Switzerland at the time, they succeeded in designing and building an exceptionally well-functioning and efficient power system.