Celebrating 125 years of electricity engineering 1888-2013
16 October 2013
Exhibition: EPS Library 25 September - 10 November
Today, through the efforts of engineers, we have instant access to a wired world. Few could imagine life without it. The Electricity Engineers’ Association (EEA) exhibition takes you through the past 125 years of electricity engineering highlighting some of New Zealand’s proudest achievements. From the visionary engineers who pioneered the industry, the exhibition highlights achievements such as the country’s first public electricity supply system in Reefton. electric fences, and the Cook Strait cable. The exhibition captures the excitement as society transformed into a world with modern convenience: with telephones, lighting, cinemas and more, offering a world of opportunities with an ‘abundant supply’ from a national network of power stations. From the 1970s the growing environmental movement raised concerns about ‘growth at all costs’ as evidenced by the ‘Save Manapouri’ campaign which paved the way for development of windfarms and photovoltaic power systems through the 1990s and 2000s. The exhibition also examines at the impact of the Christchurch earthquakes and then looks to the future of clean green power with more consumers generating electricity at home and feeding back to the grid!
