ABSTRACT
In 1886, George Westinghouse built the –rst long-distance ac (alternating current) electric lighting system in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. e power source was a 25 hp steam engine driving an alternator with an output of 500 V and 12 A. In the middle of town, 4000 ¡ away, transformers were used to reduce the voltage to serve light bulbs located in nearby stores and o¤ces (Powel, 1997).
