The
new entrants the electrical industry had made the central
station business much more competitive; the beginning there
had only been the Edison system, but 1888 there were several
other systems available.
The growing competition electric lighting was reason
enough concentrate reducing the costs generation. 1888 much more was
known about the properties electromagnetic circuits and this
new knowledge enabled electrical engineers break away from
the basic Edison design two magnetic poles and develop
bigger, and better, electrical generators." The West Orange facility was to
develop cheaper and more efficient technology enable the
supply systems move into the next stage electrical
developments mass distribution very cheap electricity.6
concentrated redesigning each component part this system,
from socket central station generator, for greater
efficiency and economy. Edison had begun work entirely
new design central station dynamo reduce its production
costs and therefore lower its price. Edison confided Henry Villard in
1889 that the price "all electric lighting machinery is
12
entirely too high now."
The Edison electric light companies had progressed from
learning how operate the system increasing the size of
. The large size of
the dynamo meant that R&D and testing had carried out on
a large scale and this greatly added the cost developing
it: "This was very difficult problem but owing the great
13
competition was thought necessary meet the same
