The search for alternative power sources started almost as soon as the Industrial Revolution began. However, it was a very long process and it was not until the middle of the 19th century that these alternatives began to be put into use. In some cases they started life as just interesting experiments, with seemingly no practical application. Only after a long period of time did they emerge as useful power.

In 1831, Faraday made the fundamental discovery that an electric current was induced in a coil of wire when a magnet, placed near the coil, was moved. By this discovery, he underlined the close relation between the sciences of electricity and magnetism. This relationship had first been demonstrated by Øersted eleven years earlier, when he had shown that an electric current produced a magnetic field. Faraday went on to show that the induced current could be produced in various different ways; for example, the coil could be moved while the magnet remained stationary, or a current could even be produced without any movement if an electro-magnet, which could be switched on and off, was used.

By 1832, the idea had been developed into a practical electrical generator, which was demonstrated in Paris in the same year. By the middle of the century, industrial uses were being found for electricity and, by the 1880's, electrical energy was being generated on a large scale. The two main areas being investigated at this time for the use of electricity were in lighting and as a driving force.

Experiments had shown that electricity could be turned into bright light by the use of the carbon arc lamp. Although this was put into use in lighthouses by the 1860's, it could not be used for domestic lighting. By the end of the 1870's, the carbon filament lamp had been developed. This lamp, invented by Sir Joseph Swan and, also, independently by Thomas Edison, was similar to the light bulb that we use today. They two inventors formed a joint company, Swan and Edison, which produced the world's first electric light bulbs.

At first, electric lighting was very dim by comparison with gas or oil lighting, which meant that it took some time to establish it as an alternative. It was, in fact, the convenience and cleanliness of electric lighting, together with the added security which it gave to towns and cities at night, that eventually led to it becoming popular by the end of the century.

The production of usable power from electricity also took some time to establish. While the principle of the electric motor had been suggested by Faraday in 1821, it was not until the 1870's that a practical electric motor was constructed. In 1879, an electric railway was demonstrated at the Berlin Exhibition. This showed that the electric motor had developed to a stage where it had become an acceptable driving force in transport and industry.

Despite the early lead given by British inventors, electricity made relatively little impact on British industry. This was partly because many streets, public buildings and houses were already lit by coal gas, so the demand for electric light was not so immediate. Similarly, in a country where coal was abundant and relatively cheap, there was no great demand for electricity as a fuel. As a consequence, many manufacturers saw no reason to convert existing steam powered machines to run on electricity. It is for these reasons that the initial impetus for the development of electricity passed from Britain to Germany and the USA.

• Sir Humphry Davy
• Michael Faraday
• Thomas Edison
• Sir Joseph Wilson Swan
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