Definition and Context of Electrification
– Electrification is the process of powering by electricity.
– It involves changing over from an earlier power source.
– Electrification refers to the build-out of electricity generation and distribution systems.
– It occurred in developed countries from the mid-1880s to around 1950.
– Electrification also refers to the transition to renewable energy and the switch to electricity in various sectors.
Types of Electrification
– Factory electrification
– Household electrification
– Rural electrification
– Railway electrification
– Transport electrification (electric vehicles)
– Heating electrification (heat pumps)
– Industrial process electrification (electric arc furnace, electrolysis)
History of Electrification
– Commercial uses of electricity started with electroplating and the telegraph.
– Michael Faraday discovered the principle of electromagnetic generators in 1831.
– Hippolyte Pixii improved the magneto and André-Marie Ampère suggested converting current to DC.
– William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone developed a telegraph using a magneto.
– Z.T. Gramme invented the first practical generator, the Gramme machine, in the 1870s.
Electric Lighting
– Arc lighting was invented by Sir Humphry Davy in 1802.
– Carbon arc lamps were regulated using electromagnets and gravity feed mechanisms.
– William Petrie and William Staite solved many problems with arc lamps in the 1850s.
– Pavel Yablochkov developed the successful Yablochkov candle using the Gramme generator.
– R.E.B. Crompton developed a brighter and steadier arc lamp design in 1878.
Central Power Stations and Isolated Systems
– The first central power station providing public power was in Godalming, Surrey, U.K. in 1881.
– Central power stations were established to supply electricity to multiple users.
– Isolated systems were used in areas where central power stations were not feasible.
– The development of power grids allowed for the distribution of electricity over larger areas.
– North America had a simple electricity grid system. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrification
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refers to the build-out of the electricity generation and electric power distribution systems in Britain, the United States, and other now-developed countries from the mid-1880s until around 1950. In the context of sustainable energy, electrification refers to the build-out of super grids with energy storage to accommodate the energy transition to renewable energy and the switch of end-uses to electricity.
The electrification of particular sectors of the economy is called by terms such as factory electrification, household electrification, rural electrification or railway electrification. In the context of sustainable energy, terms such as transport electrification (referring to electric vehicles) or heating electrification (referring to heat pumps) are used. It may also apply to changing industrial processes such as smelting, melting, separating or refining from coal or coke heating, or chemical processes to some type of electric process such as electric arc furnace, electric induction or resistance heating, or electrolysis or electrolytic separating.
