March 24, 2026
Who flipped it first?
How the world’s first electric grid was built
London claims first electric grid — commenters yell “Actually…”
TLDR: Article says London wrangled chaotic local power into the first grid; commenters clap back with Great Barrington, Hawaii, and Niagara claims, and then argue for smaller, tougher networks and DC power lines. The real story: the first-light crown is messy, and the future grid fight is even messier
The article paints a cinematic origin story: London stitched together dozens of clashing, mini power systems into one network after years of chaos, fires, and a bold move in Deptford — a messy birth for the modern “grid.” But the comments? A full-on who-was-first showdown. One history buff waves a link that Great Barrington, Massachusetts beat London to the punch by a year, citing this page. Another counters that Hawaii lit Maui’s streets in 1881, while a third flexes that Niagara was pushing power across the US–Canada border in the 1890s. The vibe: “Nice story, but the first switch-flip is contested.”
Then the hot takes escalate. One commenter argues big centralized grids were a mistake, dropping the meme-able line: “cells don’t bill each other for ATP,” and predicting war-era drone strikes will force a pivot to smaller, resilient micro-grids. The engineers crash the party too: another calls for HVDC (high-voltage direct current) lines over today’s HVAC (alternating current) for long distances, saying it makes restarting after a full blackout — a “black start” — less of a nightmare. Between pedant Olympics, survivalist grid talk, and nerd-brawls over wires, the crowd’s mood is clear: we love the origin myth, but we’re here for the fight over who did it first and how we should do it next.
Key Points
- •In 1883, Sir Coutts Lindsay installed a generator at London’s Grosvenor Art Gallery and supplied surplus power to neighbors via overhead cables.
- •In 1887, he founded the London Electricity Supply Corporation, relocating operations to Deptford for cooling water, lower coal costs, and reduced noise.
- •By 1891, the Deptford station operated the world’s largest generator and was among the first modern power stations, linked to central London substations.
- •Early operations faced cost overruns, fires, demand challenges, and a fatality during a government inspection, hindering profitability.
- •The UK’s early electricity market was fragmented: 224 projects (1900–1913) used varied voltages and frequencies; by 1918, London had 50 systems, while prices fell amid chaotic competition.