ABSTRACT:

The last two decades of the 19th century witnessed a rising interest in electrical power projects and a heated debate about using direct current (dc) or alternating current (ac) systems as the backbone of generating and transmitting power. The debate escalated and it was dubbed the "War of Currents." By 19th century measurements, the Niagara Falls generation facility and the 20 mi of transmission line to Buffalo projects were considered large proj ects. In 1892, Prof. George Forbes, who had been hired from England as a consultant, submitted the polyphase electrical proposal to the International Niagara Commission. The proposal in cluded a 5,000-hρ generator powered by a 225-r/min turbine, and the ac option was finally selected for the Niagara/Buffalo project. Subsequent ac installations were developed with single-phase and two-phase systems evolving to three-phase systems. The frequency was initially 25 Hz, and then the 60-Hz system became the North American standard until now.