Thomas Edison opened the first electrical utility 125 years ago in New York. Using direct current, he hoped to best the gas companies and provide light and power to one community at a time. The idea of regional and national grids based on alternating current emerged only later. These networks and their eventual expansion across North America are Phillip F. Schewe's subjects in The Grid: A Journey through the Heart of Our Electrified World. As a physicist who knows his Thoreau, Schewe appreciates electrical technology but keeps it in perspective. He regards building and maintaining an electrical network as "a poetic deed," one fraught with social, economic and environmental dangers.
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机译：125年前，托马斯·爱迪生（Thomas Edison）在纽约开设了第一家电力公司。他希望使用直流电，以使燃气公司表现最佳，并一次为一个社区提供照明和电力。基于交流电的区域和国家电网的想法只是在后来才出现的。这些网络及其在北美的最终扩展是Phillip F. Schewe在《网格：穿越电气世界心脏的旅程》中的主题。作为了解梭罗的物理学家，Schewe赞赏电气技术，但始终将其视为现实。他认为建设和维护电力网络是“诗意的事”，充满社会，经济和环境危险。
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