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The History of the Electricity Industry

Antiquity - First observations

• 600 BC: The Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus observes that amber attracts small objects when rubbed - first description of electrostatic charging.
• Word origin: “electron” (Greek for amber) - “electricity”.

17th-18th century - The basics are researched

• 1600: William Gilbert coins the term “electricity” and distinguishes between magnetic and electric force.
• 1700s:
  Otto von Guericke, Stephen Gray, Benjamin Franklin experiment with charges.
  Franklin demonstrates with the famous kite experiment that lightning = electricity.
  
  1745: Leiden bottle - first possibility for storing electrical energy.

19th century - The age of electricity begins

• 1800: Alessandro Volta invents the first battery - the Voltaic column.
• 1820: Hans Christian Ørsted discovers the connection between electricity and magnetism.
• 1831: Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction - the basis for generators.
• 1837: Samuel Morse develops the electric telegraph.
• 1879: Thomas Edison launches the first practical light bulb.
• 1880s: "Electricity war" between Thomas Edison (direct current) and Nikola Tesla / Westinghouse (alternating current).
  Winner: alternating current - more efficient over long distances.

20th century - electricity for all

• Electrification of cities, villages, factories.
• Electricity grids, power stations, consumer appliances (washing machines, radios, televisions).
• Emergence of the electrical industry (Siemens, General Electric).
• 1940s-60s: Electronics revolution - transistor, semiconductor, later computer.
• 1980s-90s: Digitalization - electricity becomes the carrier of information (internet, data processing).

21st century - sustainable & intelligent use

• Electricity from renewable sources: Solar, wind, hydropower.
• Smart grids: intelligent electricity grids that flexibly control supply and demand.
• E-mobility: electric cars, charging infrastructure.
• Energy storage: batteries, power-to-X, hydrogen.
• Electricity as a central pillar of decarbonization (path to climate neutrality).

Future of electricity

• Wireless power transmission (e.g. using resonance technology).
• Quantum electricity? Use of quantum mechanical effects in energy transmission.
• Microgrids & energy self-sufficiency - smaller, independent grids for villages or districts.
• Space solar energy: energy generation in space, transmission to earth.

Source (2025): ChatGPT - History of the Electricity Industry