How electricity developed in Russia - a short history

Hello dear guests and subscribers of my channel. The modern world is impossible without electricity, and all progress is not built on its use. Do you know the history of the development of electricity in Russia? If not, I'll tell you briefly now.

The first steps in pre-revolutionary Russia

Petrov and his electric arc

It is not known how the fate of electricity would have developed if not for the self-taught experimentalist Vasily Petrov (1761-1834). This enthusiast has conducted an incredible number of different experiments, and one of his major achievements was the discovery of the electric arc, which took place in 1802.

The self-taught physicist also proved that the arc can be used for practical purposes (welding and smelting of metals, and even lighting).

Yablochkov candle

The Russian inventor Pavel Yablochkov (1847-1894) also made a significant contribution to the Russian energy industry, who in 1875 designed a carbon arc lamp. The name “Yablochkov's Candle” was firmly established for this invention.

The physicist first demonstrated his invention to the general public at the Paris World Exhibition.

Despite the revolutionary nature of the idea of ​​the lamp itself, it had an extremely significant drawback: after disconnecting from the power supply, it was simply impossible to turn on the Yablochkov lamp again.

Lodygin and his incandescent lamp

The first experience with street lighting in Russia was staged by Alexander Lodygin in St. Petersburg in 1873. It was there that the physicist used the developed incandescent lamp. However, the novelty did not take root and lost the competition to the gas lamps widespread at that time.

Subsequently, the patent for the tungsten filament was sold to a company such as General Electric. But, despite all the obstacles, on the eve of the First World War, the "society of electric lighting" acquired the right to produce incandescent lamps.

The first power plant "Electricity transmission"

The first large power plant in Russia was Elektroperechaya, built in 1912. The initiator of the construction was the same "Electric Lighting Society".

The power plant built in the Moscow province is still functioning and bears the name of its founder father - R. Klasson.

The energy generated at the station was to be supplied to Moscow. And since the distance between the station and Moscow was 75 km, it was necessary to build a high-voltage line through the land of the landowners, with whom they had to negotiate and persuade for a long time.

Despite mistrust and all the difficulties, the line was built and Moscow received energy. And thus a precedent was created in Russia, because no one had done such a large project before.

Stations and trams

An important investment in the development of electricity was made by the company of industrialist V. Siemens, who in 1883 created a lighting system for the winter palace and then Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg.

The first tram appeared in the Russian Empire in 1892 in Kiev, and in St. Petersburg trams began to run in 1907 thanks to the efforts
G. Graphite and German investors.

The first hydroelectric power plants

The very first power plants appeared in the Russian Empire and the earliest is the station at the Zyryanovsky mine in the Altai Mountains. By 1913, there were slightly more than one thousand small hydroelectric power plants on Russian rivers, and according to calculations, their total capacity barely reached 19 MW.

The largest hydroelectric power station at that time was the Hindu Kush station in Turkestan (it is still functioning).

So in the period from 1900 to 1914, the rate of electrification in Russia was the highest in the world. But at the same time, there was a clear bias towards the electrification of industry, and the private sector received practically no energy. At the same time, the advancement of electrification took place at the expense of private and in most foreign companies.

GOELRO

In 1920, after the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks who came to power adopted an ambitious plan to electrify the entire country.

So, according to the plan, 30 power plants of regional significance were to be erected and put into operation, 10 of which are hydroelectric power plants and 20 thermal power plants. Most of the stations built are still generating electricity successfully.

The construction of large stations gave impetus to the development of the entire economy of the USSR, and through this plan the industrialization of the country as a whole became possible.

So the tasks set by GOELRO were implemented by 1931.

Electrics and the Great Patriotic War

Before the start of the war, the total power capacity of the USSR was at the level of 11,000,000 kW. But the outbreak of the war reduced these indicators to almost zero.

After the liberation of the occupied territories, the process of rebuilding power plants began. And by 1945, the energy sector reached pre-war levels.

Post-war development

After the completion of the restoration work, the construction of the world's largest thermal and hydroelectric power plants was launched. And the program was based on the principle of centralizing the entire industry.

Thus, by 1960, the generation of electricity had increased sixfold in comparison with 1940, and by 1967 the process of forming a unified energy system had been completed.

This network included 600 power plants with a total capacity of 65 million kW.

Subsequently, the focus of development was mixed in the Far East and Asian regions. Since the 1980s, the focus of development has shifted to nuclear power plants, which by 1985 generate 10% of the total electricity volume.

Modern realities

Immediately after the collapse of the USSR, there was a sharp decline in investments in the electric power industry, and most of the facilities under construction were frozen, and only in the 2000s the power industry began to gain momentum again. So in 2009, the construction of the Bureyskaya hydroelectric power station, which was started in 1978, was finally completed.

Now new stations are at the stage of construction and development, and the projects already include the development of hydrogen energy.

We hope that Russia has only rapid growth and development ahead of not only the energy sector, but the entire economy as a whole. If you liked the material, then subscribe and comment. Thanks for attention!