Nikola Tesla :The Father of AC Current.

INTRODUCTION

    How would you like to exist in an environment, where use of electricity was unknown and people had never heard about, how it feels to switch and light up a bulb to a room or any other place? This was the world Nikola Tesla was born into, on July 10, 1856 in the small village of Smiljan in region of Croatia. Even from his childhood, Tesla was always involved in innovations and discoveries which paved way in transforming electrical technologies from Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC).

Where Should We Look for the Early Sparks of Genius?

The interest in electricity was developed with time and even in his childhood, Tesla had ideas on the subject. This is perhaps why in later interviews he would fondly relate how his mother, Georgina who invented small household appliances had been his inspiration. Tesla, who originally trained as an electrical engineer in Austria and Prague in the 1880s, sought the New World on only $10 in his pocket, a letter of introduction, and an idea that would change the world.

The Battle of AC and DC (AC vs DC):

                              By the time Tesla moved to America, the young nation’s leading authority in the field of electricity was Thomas Edison, a man credited with inventing the incandescent light bulb. Thomas Edison supported Direct Current (DC) for electrical power transmission – the technique was effective for short distances but ineffective for large power distribution networks such as electricity supply to cities. Tesla, however, adopted a different approach to running the business by focusing on innovation as the key aspect of the company. He was quite convinced that Alternating Current or AC, which can transmit power with minimal loss after immense distances, held the key to mass electrification.

In response to initial doubts and opposition, which are perfectly understandable in any setting, Tesla’s desire was unshaken. He infamously worked for Edison for only six months volunteering to transform Edison’s DC generators.However, their visions were different and that split them, Tesla continued his best and dream of developing AC.

The New Dawn and Resulting Opportunities of Possessing AC. 

Westinghouse emerged as the key to Tesla’s success, as he saw the advantage of alternating current and empowered Tesla to develop it. They challenged themselves with the task of having to convince everyone else that AC was indeed the superior choice early on. This was facilitated by inventions such Tesla’s polyphase AC induction motor as well as transformer. The induction motor was another invention of Tesla in 1888 which employed rotating magnetic fields effectively and offer power conversion at optimal efficiency and reduced probability of breakdown.

Triumph at Niagara Falls.

Among the widely known milestones of Tesla's work, the use of Niagara Falls as a power source can be mentioned as one of the most famous examples. Tesla's AC system was finally chosen for use in the first hydroelectric plant at Niagara Falls in 1896, thus making Niagara Falls the cradle of victory of AC over DC power transmission. This achievement was not only symbolic in light of illuminating the streets of Buffalo, New York at night, but also significant as the beginning of a new era of electricity.

Legacy of Visionary:

Fig:TESLA Coil.

Tesla’s innovative work would not only yield AC but many more accomplishments to electricity. He persisted in research and development and evenimagined the prospect of wireless energy transfer and studied radio waves and X-rays. While not all his ideas materialized during his lifetime, it cannot be denied that Tesla was driven for change, and his contributions will forever change the face of technology and society.

Tesla was a man who was genius beyond doubt but who remained unappreciated and sometimes even alienated in his own time. However, this innovativeness waswhat paved way for development of the current electrical techniques ranging from our domestic usage to our industries. His name, though lost among other famous inventors in the past, has now emerged from the darkness and glittering brightly like the bright light of Industrial Revolution.

CONCLUSION :

   He was relentlessly innovating and brought us the AC system that changed the course of electricity, and light and power for millions. Today, we still enjoy what Tesla has provided for us in his inventions, but more than an inventor, Tesla is a dreamer who saw beyond what people could imagine and brought them to life.