Electricity is now a fundamental element of most people’s lives – while it’s true that you could live without electricity (after all, people survived before it was discovered) it’s also true that most people in the 21st Century see electricity usage as non-negotiable.
This is especially true in a society which depends so much on technology and having access to the internet and smart devices. Developments and research into electricity mean that new areas are still being discovered, such as more sustainable ways to harvest electricity, and more eco-friendly appliances and equipment which have less of an impact on the environment.
Below are seven things you may not have known about this source of power.
- Thomas Edison Didn’t Exactly Invent the Light Bulb
In any discussion regarding electricity and the invention of the light bulb, your brain has always been trained to refer back to Mr. Thomas Edison, of course. Yet, Edison wasn’t the sole and only contributor to the development of the light bulb. Edison may have patented the first commercially successfully lightbulb in 1879, but this was as a result of Edison’s combination of many previous developments by other individuals into electrical charge and how it can be related to a light bulb.
Nevertheless, Edison went on to invest more than 2000 new electrical products, most of which have become everyday solutions in our modern-day homes, such as switches, sockets and meters, all maintained by handy modern-day electrician services such as Pascoe’s!
- More than One Billion People Still Live Without Electricity
It’s a strange thought, but certain individuals in the world remain living without access to any electricity – more than 1.2 billion people, in fact. This equates to around 17% of the world’s population living without electricity when so many of us see it as a non-negotiable aspect of our daily lives. It is expected that all people of the world will have access to a clean electricity supply eventually, of course, and the United Nations has set a goal to that fact.
- Google Consumes a Significant Amount of Electrical Power
This may be expected when Google is the go-to search engine solution for any query, whether large or small, and easily accessed by any individual with an internet connection, but Google evidently accounts for around 0.013% of the world’s energy usage. Data centers around the world are responsible for a high number of watts, any time of the day.
- Iceland Is the Only Country Which Relies on Renewable Electricity Sources
Not only is Iceland the only country in the world to do so, but it is also the first to fully utilize renewable energy sources. All of its electricity, a full 100% of it, is gained from hydroelectric and geothermal sources of energy. Although Iceland is the only country to have successfully done this so far, Norway is not far behind.
- Electric Eels Can Issue Shocks From 6 Feet Away
You’ve undoubtedly hoped never to come into close contact with an electric eel (or maybe you already have and have learned the hard way), but contact with these creatures doesn’t necessarily mean touching them. Electric eels have the power to generate voltage from up to six feet away, which means you don’t necessarily have to be in close contact to be in danger from them. Electric eels have been known to generate a voltage up to 600 volts.
Electric eels occupy South America, so you don’t have to worry unless you’re planning on swimming in the Amazon any time soon.
- Video Game Consoles Are Huge Drainers of Electrical Energy
If you’re in the habit of leaving your game console on standby when you’re not using it, for long periods of time, you may want to stop. Not only do consoles use a large amount of electricity, but most of it is used when individuals aren’t even actively using them – when they are left switched on and dormant. Furthermore, studies have shown that the latest models of the PlayStation and Xbox actually use more power than their previous models – almost twice as much, in fact.
- Lightning is The Atmosphere’s Way of Discharging Electrical Current
Lightning is a result of a huge electricity buildup which needs to be dispersed and is done so in the environment around you. This is also a contributing factor as to why you can usually tell when a storm is approaching, due to the heavy and muggy feel of the air around you, and why it appears to be alleviated once thunder and lightning has occurred.
