H. A. E. C. Von Schon
Published: 2015-08-05
Total Pages: 442
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Excerpt from Hydro-Electric Practice: A Practical Manual of the Development of Water Power, Its Conversion to Electric Energy, and Its Distant Transmission The economical transmission of electric energy to distances great and small, the rapidly increasing utilization of electro-motive power in industrial establishments, and the advent of the electric interurban railroads are responsible for the marked movement of impressing water-powers to the service of generating electric current; and now water-power, which had been almost relegated to obscurity by the perfection of the steam-engine, is not only regaining but even exceeding its former importance as an economical prime power source. It is entirely within the facts to state that a normally conditioned hydro-electric power plant can successfully compete with the most refined steam-power plant and the lowest priced fuel, natural gas. No wonder then that water-powers are to-day being sought after with feverish activity, and that some remarkable successes have been achieved, but also that many disastrous failures must be recorded. Hydro-electric power development is a much more complex undertaking than a large majority of the promoters of such enterprises realize when the subject is first approached, but which is most forcibly impressed upon them when the carrying out of the project is seriously attempted. Unfortunately, the most dangerous pitfalls are encountered at the beginning of the undertaking, and unless these are properly guarded against the finished work may disclose some incurable defects. Developments of the important natural resources of mines, of forests, and of manufacturing and transportation projects are rarely undertaken except upon the findings of recognized authorities on these respective subjects; not so, however, with hydro-electric power propositions, which are most frequently begun in a hap-hazard sort of fashion, with the stream and a fall as assumed assets, while the market, constancy of output, cost of product, riparian rights, and numerous other controlling features remain undetermined until some later day. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
