THIS MONTH IN ENGINEERING | Nikola Tesla – Master of Alternating Current
- Rebeka Zubac
- Jun 23
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 30
In the late 1880s, Nikola Tesla, born in the village of Smiljan, now part of Croatia revolutionised electrical engineering with his invention of the polyphase AC system and the induction motor. These innovations didn’t just win the War of the Currents — they became the foundation of modern power distribution, powering cities and industries worldwide.
One of the most transformative milestones came in 1896, when the Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant began transmitting 100 percent alternating current to Buffalo, New York. It was the first large-scale demonstration that energy could travel efficiently over long distances, an idea many had dismissed as unworkable.
Today, Tesla’s three-phase system remains the backbone of electrical infrastructure in the built environment. From transformer risers to motor-driven services, it powers HVAC plant, vertical transport, data centres, and EV charging stations, all with efficiency and load balance that’s now assumed as standard.
What set Tesla apart wasn’t just his ideas — it was his obsession with efficiency. That same focus now drives building services design through energy modelling, demand management, and decarbonisation strategies across large-scale developments.
At Goldfish & Bay, Tesla’s logic still informs our approach. We design MSBs and transformer rooms based on polyphase principles, model balanced three-phase loads for high-efficiency operation and implement Motor Control Centres (MCCs) to optimise system performance, reliability, and maintenance visibility. His engineering foresight lives on in the systems we deliver every day.
What do you see as the biggest Tesla-era principle still shaping your electrical projects today — three-phase power, induction motors, or transformer strategy?
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🔗 Sources
HowStuffWorks – "How Nikola Tesla Worked"
U.S. Department of Energy / PBS Documentary: "Tesla: Master of Lightning"
ETW (Electrical Technology World) & Engineer’s Planet
📷 Images in this post
Portrait of Nikola Tesla | Original patent drawing for Tesla’s electromagnetic motor, filed in 1888. A foundation for the induction motors used today. | Interior of the Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant, c. 1896. Tesla’s AC system powered Buffalo, NY from this station. | Tesla seated in front of his spiral coil at East Houston Street laboratory, New York. Symbolic of his obsession with energy efficiency and electrical resonance.
