The Power Chronicles “A Perpetual Light” The Prequel Part Six

By: Jay Sikora, Damaris Adamo, and Dan Gizzi

First imagined and spoke into existence in the 1660’s by Robert Boyles Royal Society “wish list” when the study of electricity was merely a parlor trick, static sparks dancing in the air, lifting locks of hair in surprise. Who could have imagined that the pursuit of “A Perpetual Light” would chart the course to the world we now live in?

Lighting the darkness has and will be one of the most significant achievements in human history from the Lighthouse of Alexandra guiding ships to its safe harbor to the modern day Luxor sky beam shooting light into the heavens just because we can and everything in-between 

I made the analogy in part five about the three sisters weaving our future in a grand tapestry that becomes our shared better future. If you squint a little and tilt you head to one side its not hard to see the hand of something directing our human endeavors. Robert Boyles's wish list plants a seed into our future that then creates a new existence that before Boyles's seed is understandable.

Illuminating The Path Forward

From the threads of electricity, steam engines and boilers to keep them moving constantly spawned dynamos. These dynamos, in turn, enabled us to transfer the burdens of labor from our faithful beasts of burden to the sturdy shoulders of electricity, which just 200 years before was tantamount to a carnival side show.

Like all that came before, electric light has its many threads that come together to create our shared better future. Here are but a few of the milestones led us to the dawn of power plants.

Charles Francis Brush's arc lighting system went online in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1879. Brush conducted the first successful public demonstration of his arc lighting system on April 29, 1879, when he illuminated Public Square in downtown Cleveland. This event marked one of the earliest public uses of electric lighting in the United States, showcasing the potential of the arc lamp as a practical form of outdoor illumination.

During the late 19th century, when Charles Francis Brush was active in the field of arc lighting, the lifespan of carbon rods in arc lamps varied based on the specific design of the lamp, the quality of the carbons used, and the operating conditions. On average, the carbon rods in arc lamps typically lasted anywhere from a few hours to tens of hours before needing replacement.

The consumption of carbon rods in arc lamps was an inherent characteristic of their operation. The carbon rods were used to create an electric arc that produced light, and as the arc burned, the carbon rods would gradually erode or "burn away." As a result, they needed to be replaced periodically to maintain a consistent and bright light output.

In the late 19th century, multiple inventors were racing to develop a practical and commercially viable electric light bulb. Thomas Edison, already an established inventor and entrepreneur, was one of them.

Edison began his quest to create a reliable and long-lasting electric light bulb in the early 1870s. He understood the potential for electric lighting to revolutionize society by providing a safe and efficient alternative to gas lighting and candles.

After numerous experiments, Edison and his team focused on finding the right filament that could glow brightly and sustain illumination without burning out quickly. They tested thousands of materials and designs, facing setbacks and failures along the way. It was a tedious and exhaustive process.

The Perpetual Pursuit of Light

In 1879, after years of relentless experimentation, Edison and his team achieved a breakthrough. They found that a carbonized bamboo filament could endure the necessary high temperatures and provide sustained illumination. On October 21, 1879, Edison's improved light bulb lasted for an impressive 13.5 hours.

This discovery marked a significant milestone in the development of the electric light bulb. Edison continued to refine his design, making the bulbs more efficient and practical for everyday use. In 1880, he patented the design for the electric lamp using a carbon filament.

When Thomas Edison first patented his incandescent light bulb design in 1880, the lifespan of the bulb was relatively short compared to modern standards. The early versions of Edison's light bulbs had a lifespan of around 40 hours. This was due to the carbonized bamboo filament used in those bulbs, which would burn out or break relatively quickly.

However, Edison and his team continued to experiment and refine the design of the light bulb. By the mid-1880s, they had made significant advancements in filament technology. Edison began using a carbonized thread filament made from cotton. This new filament design dramatically improved the lifespan of the light bulb, extending it to around 600-1200 hours.

Edison's success wasn't just in the invention itself but also in creating a complete system for generating and distributing electricity to power the light bulbs in homes and businesses. This innovation formed the basis for the modern electrical power industry, making electric lighting a fundamental part of daily life.

The invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison illuminated the world in a new way, changing how people lived, worked, and interacted with the world after dark. It was a shining example of human ingenuity and its power to transform society.

Imagining a Brighter Future

Today many look at power plants with disdain and shame as if they are a mistake begat by the mixing of greed and a night of blackout drinking. That view forgets the Whales no longer killed to light homes, a life span taken from 40 years to 76 years and all that in between. We cannot forget what got us to the exact spot we are at now. That doesn’t mean hold on to the past either. Like Robert Boyles we need to stand firmly in today and allow ourselves to imagine a future that does not exist at the present

I am not Robert Boyles but I can see from my small vantage point a future of energy that includes renewables where they make sense intertwined with fossil sources. I see a future in cities where waste collection and disposal, district energy, mass transportation, water and sewer and all interconnected. I see a future where suburbs become thousands of microgrids that no only allow more renewables like solar shingles and small wind turbines but also act as batteries for the grid in a sustainable way. I see a future of energy superhighways much again to the highway system that we have today buy crisscrossing the country with superconductors that enable the sun of the southwest to light the homes in Maine. I see a future where we figure out how to create hydrogen from the water that we have already piped to all of us, and that hydrogen displaces our need for fossil fuels to an extent. I see a future where we design smaller nuclear reactors and place them do to the energy superhighway in isolated places such that we can have to benefits as well as the safety.

None of what I see for the future is a single answer, it is a blend of what we have and growth of understanding of what’s possible after each new breakthrough in technology. Listening to the shouting from either side is at our peril not that those sides don’t need to be heard but as my son once said:

In American we have most every country in the world represented which is over 190, but we only have two parties and there’s only one right answer? That doesn’t seem to make any sense.   

Let’s all dare greatly. Giving grace, love and hope for all of our failures, as we move collectively to our shared better future.