The Unveiling of Modern Power: Nikola Tesla and the Polyphase AC System
Welcome. This exhibit highlights Nikola Tesla’s groundbreaking invention—the Polyphase Alternating-Current (AC) System. His work solved the limits of early electrical systems and made today’s global power grid possible.
The Problem with Direct Current.
In the late 1800s, Thomas Edison’s Direct Current was the first form of commercial electricity. But DC had serious flaws: it could not travel far, required costly thick wires, and forced power stations to be built close to customers. Cities needed countless small stations, making DC inefficient and unsustainable. This became the heart of the famous “War of the Currents.”
Tesla’s Polyphase Solution.
The turning point came in 1888, when George Westinghouse licensed Tesla’s patents for the polyphase AC motor and transformer designs. Tesla’s system proved technically and economically superior:
Legacy and Impact
Tesla’s system quickly proved its worth. At the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Westinghouse used Tesla’s AC to light the exposition, outshining Edison’s DC. Soon after, the great Niagara Falls power station, based on Tesla’s designs, began sending electricity miles away—an achievement once thought impossible.
From that moment, AC became the global standard. Even Edison’s own company shifted to it. Tesla’s vision gave the world an efficient, scalable power system—the very foundation of modern electrified life.
