Published Resources Details

Conference Paper

Author
Pierce, Miles
Title
Early electricity supply and the introduction of electric trams in Australia
In
From the Past to the Future: 18th Australian Engineering Heritage Conference 2015 [Newcastle]
Imprint
Engineers Australia, Barton, Australian Capital Territory, 2015, pp. 108-115
ISBN/ISSN
9781922107435
Url
https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.696989053299960
Abstract

Early public electricity supply enterprises in Australian capital cities and a number of regional cities were often linked with the introduction of electric trams and vice versa. Public electricity supply was first utilised for artificial lighting in streets and inside buildings. As such, the load on central electricity generating stations was mainly at night-time with the generating plant having as a consequence a low net capacity factor. In this context, electric tramways offered a motive power load that could substantially improve the economics of a centralised electricity generating plant. Conversely, the economics of an early electric tramway scheme could be enhanced by also publically supplying electricity.

As the 'battle of the systems' - DC versus AC - came out in favour of alternating current generation and high voltage transmission for supply to more than those areas local to the generating plant, AC to DC conversion became important for the continued operation of existing DC public distribution and for maintaining and extending electric tramways that universally used direct current traction motors. In this, the development of the rotary converter was pivotal. Later on the mercury-arc rectifier offered a higher AC to DC conversion efficiency before it was in turn surpassed by solid-state semi-conductor devices.

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