Milestones:Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant, 1891 and Milestones:First 735 kV AC Transmission System, 1965: Difference between pages

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First 735 kV AC Transmission System, 1965

IEEE Quebec Section, November 2005

Hydro-Quebec's 735,000 volt electric power transmission system was the first in the world to be designed, built and operated at an alternating-current voltage above 700 kV. This development extended the limits of long-distance transmission of electrical energy. On 29 November 1965 the first 735 kV line was inaugurated. Power was transmitted from the Manicouagan-Outardes hydro-electric generating complex to Montreal, a distance of 600 km.

The plaque can be viewed at the headquarters of Hydro-Quebec 75 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, Montréal, QC; and at the Manicouagan 2 Hydroelectric Generating station, on the south end of the Manicouagan Reservoir on highway 389 - 50.643474, -68.728927.

The large undertaking of building a 735 kV line was tackled by Jean-Jacques Archembault and the Quebec Hydro. In recognition of this great feat, the IEEE awarded Archembault the 1972 IEEE Habirshaw Award for pioneering the line. The line transported electrical power from the hydraulic centers of the Manicouagan River, in the North East of Quebec, to the load centers in the south of Quebec. It had important economic ramifications as well. the lines allowed the transmission of power from remote hydroelectric plants to load centers at a relatively low cost, thereby giving customers some of the lowest rates in the world. Due to the vast amount of materials required, including but not limited to insulators, spacers-dampers, and towers, it had an impact on national and international manufacturers.

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-== Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant, 1891  ==
+== First 735 kV AC Transmission System, 1965  ==
-<p>Ames, CO Dedicated July 1988 - [[IEEE Pikes Peak Section History|IEEE Pikes Peak Section]]&nbsp; [[Image:Ames Hydroelectric.jpg|thumb]] </p>
+[[Image:First 735 kV AC transmission system.jpg|thumb|right]]
-<p>''Electricity produced here in the spring of 1891 was transmitted 2.6 miles over rugged and at times inaccessible terrain to provide power for operating the motor-driven mill at the Gold King Mine. This pioneering demonstration of the practical value of transmitting electrical power was a significant precedent in the United States for much larger plants at Niagara Falls (in 1895) and elsewhere. Electricity at Ames was generated at 3000 volts, 133 Hertz, single-phase AC, by a 100-hp [[George Westinghouse|Westinghouse]] alternator.'' </p>
+[[IEEE Quebec Section History|IEEE Quebec Section]], November 2005&nbsp;
-'''The plaque can be viewed at the Ames plant, on Ophir Rd., just outside of the village of Ophir, Colorado, U.S.A.'''
+''Hydro-Quebec's 735,000 volt electric power transmission system was the first in the world to be designed, built and operated at an alternating-current voltage above 700 kV. This development extended the limits of long-distance transmission of electrical energy. On 29 November 1965 the first 735 kV line was inaugurated. Power was transmitted from the Manicouagan-Outardes hydro-electric generating complex to Montreal, a distance of 600 km.''
-<p>The gold mining industry at Telluride, Colorado was to be shut down due to the depletion of cheap steam power. All timber in the area had been cut for fuel and mining timbers. DC electric power and other forms of power transmission had proven to be ineffective for the 4.2 kilometer&nbsp;distance of transmission. AC power was judged to be the only workable solution to the economic problems of the mining industry. </p>
+'''The plaque can be viewed at the headquarters of Hydro-Quebec 75 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, Montréal, QC; and at the Manicouagan 2 Hydroelectric Generating station, on the south end of the Manicouagan Reservoir on highway 389 - 50.643474, -68.728927. '''
-<p>The Ames Hydroelectric Plant was being built during the fight between Westinghouse and Edison as to the use of AC or DC electric power. In the Summer of 1890 a generator and a motor were received from the Westinghouse Company and installed that Winter. The generator, for the power plant, and the motor for the mill, were identical single-phase alternators of 100 horsepower operated at 3,000 volts, 133 cycles per second - the largest manufactured at the time. The separately-excited generator was housed in a rough cabin near where Ames Station now stands and was belt-connected to a six-foot [[Pelton Wheel|Pelton water wheel]] under a 320-foot head. The switchboard was made of a shellacked pine sheathing. Voltmeters and ammeters of both the solenoid and gravity balance types were used and were mounted in black walnut cases with window-glass fronts. </p>
+The large undertaking of building a 735 kV line was tackled by Jean-Jacques Archembault and the Quebec Hydro. In recognition of this great feat, the IEEE awarded Archembault the 1972 IEEE Habirshaw Award for pioneering the line. The line transported electrical power from the hydraulic centers of the Manicouagan River, in the North East of Quebec, to the load centers in the south of Quebec. It had important economic ramifications as well. the lines allowed the transmission of power from remote hydroelectric plants to load centers at a relatively low cost, thereby giving customers some of the lowest rates in the world. Due to the vast amount of materials required, including but not limited to insulators, spacers-dampers, and towers, it had an impact on national and international manufacturers.
-<p>The transmission line was three miles long from the valley floor to the mine above the timberline. It was constructed of [[Western Union|Western Union]] cross-arms with insulators carrying two no. 3 bare copper wires. The cost of the wire was about US$700, being only one percent&nbsp;of the cost estimated for a direct-current line. </p>
-<p>The plant, in operation continuously, required fifteen to twenty attendants. The Ames installation was the first to generate alternating current electric power for industrial application. The entire output of the plant was used for mining. </p>
 == Map ==
-{{#display_map:37.865501, -107.881683~ ~ ~ ~ ~Colorado State Highway 145, near Ophir, Colorado, U.S.A.|height=250|zoom=10|static=yes|center=37.865501, -107.881683}}
+{{#display_map:45.508095, -73.562355~ ~ ~ ~ ~Quebec, Canada|height=250|zoom=10|static=yes|center=45.508095, -73.562355}}
-[[Category:Energy|{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:Energy|Transmission]] [[Category:Hydroelectric power generation|Transmission]]
-[[Category:Power_generation|{{PAGENAME}}]]
-[[Category:Hydroelectric_power_generation|{{PAGENAME}}]]