The Beginning of Electric Energy Transmission: Part Two [Historical]

After the early experimental lines realized by Gaulard and Gibbs of 1881?1884, the consequent theoretical investigations by Ferraris, and the improvements developed at Ganz & Co. (Budapest, Hungary) by Zipernowsky, Blathy, and Deri, who in 1885 introduced the ZBD scheme (from their initials), engineers soon started building on alternating currents (ac) in several countries. Early operative ac systems, which exploited the capability of transformers to step voltages up and down, soon appeared, aimed at distributing and transmitting electric power over long distances.