George Westinghouse: inspiring timeless innovation

Historically, the electricity sector has seen some of the best and brightest innovators and inventors—so it’s no wonder why today’s energy researchers remain inspired to achieve new advances in electricity. This, for our time, means making it cleaner and more efficient.

But engineers and scientists couldn’t have developed clean coal technology projects like without the contributions of George Westinghouse, Jr., one of the early pioneers of modern electricity.

Today marks the 163rd anniversary of Westinghouse’s birthday. Over the course of his life, he patented more than 100 inventions and founded almost 60 companies, including his own power company, Westinghouse Electric.

Most importantly, he introduced and developed alternating currents for power and light, which ultimately prevailed over Thomas Edison’s direct current system.

Although many years have passed, Westinghouse’s alternating current system is still used to deliver electricity to businesses and homes today.

What will the next wave of innovation bring? I think we’ve got a pretty good idea, as clean coal technologies and alternative energy options make their way to the marketplace. If history is any indication, they’ll change lives and stand the test of time.