Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Niagara Catholic Regional Fair
The DeCew Falls Generating Station, AC DC Current and The Five Men Named John - “An Electric Story”
What would you do without electricity? The hydroelectric power station is considered one of the most important inventions, revolutionizing the world. Generating electricity using water, an effective source for renewable energy, the DeCew Falls Generating Station Number 1 plays such an important role in Canadian history. This generator is the first in Canada to use Polyphase Alternating Current, the oldest hydroelectric station still operational in Canada and gave the name "Electric City" to Hamilton. The DeCew Falls 1 helped start lighting up the world and changing minds across the globe.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
One of the most interesting things that I've learned while researching the DeCew Falls Generating Station Number 1 was that it is just incredible how much power you can generate from something as beautiful and serene as a waterfall.
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
An important lesson that I’ve learned that I would like to share with other Canadians is how important a role Canada, and in particular Niagara, played in the evolution of electricity and how it is generated, transmitted and utilized around the entire globe today.
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
I would compare my life as easier to the lives of those studied in my project because of how much we take electricity for granted today. In the late 1800s, it took some of the greatest minds of that time to figure out a way to transmit electricity over distances. Now, years later, we are still using the same technology developed over 120 years ago. I believe that most don’t realize how grateful people back then would be if they had what we have today.