Did you know the first distributed generation of electricity might not have been from an early wind turbine or bulky solar panel, or even an old diesel generator, but something even older – by centuries?
Long before Benjamin Franklin flew his kite and “discovered” electricity, ancient craftsmen in Mesopotamia built something that still puzzles historians today: small clay jars fitted with copper cylinders and iron rods. Some have speculated that these so-called “Baghdad Batteries” could have produced a modest electric current, perhaps for jewelry-making or demonstration purposes. Others argue they were more likely used for storing scrolls, rituals, or other non-electrical functions, and just happen to resemble crude batteries.
Either way, their power as a symbol of human ingenuity is hard to resist (pun intended). Electricity has always inspired curiosity, invention, and debate. On National Electricity Day, that history should remind us that progress in electricity has never come from standing still. It has come from creativity, experimentation, and finding new and better ways to harness an extraordinary force in our world.
Despite the tantalizing tales of a powered past – from ancient Mesopotamia to the steam engine toys of Hero of Alexandria to a key dangling on the end of a string in an 18th century Pennsylvania thunderstorm – our modern electric age is really only about a century and a half old. In that historically short amount of time, however, we have moved from the centralized power stations and maze of crisscrossed power lines of the Edison and Tesla era to the modern grid of today – with electricity produced from many different types of resources, dispatched electronically from generation to consumption.
As our technology has evolved, so have the methods we use to buy and sell power. Today, on National Electricity Day, we recognize that the spirit of innovation of Franklin, Tesla, and Edison belongs not only in laboratories and power plant control rooms, but also in the marketplace.
In states where electricity markets are open to competition, retail suppliers help connect customers with energy options that reflect changing preferences. Today, many households and businesses want the certainty of fixed price contracts, the potential savings from market-reflective rates, or to support renewable energy in some form, whether through distributed resources like rooftop solar, subscriptions to community renewable energy projects, green energy supply plans, renewable energy certificates, carbon offsets, or other market-based products. Retail competition allows suppliers to respond to those interests quickly and offer practical ways for customers to participate, regardless of their circumstances or budget.
The Retail Energy Supply Association (RESA) is available as a trusted resource to help consumers understand how energy choice works and how to compare options effectively. Consumers in states with retail competition can also visit state shopping websites to look for clean energy options available to them:
- DC Power Connect
- Empower RI
- Energize Connecticut
- Energy Switch MA
- NJ Power Switch
- NYS Power To Choose
- Energy Choice Ohio
- PA Gas Switch
- PA Power Switch
- Plug In Illinois
On National Electricity Day, we should celebrate the spirit of discovery of our pioneering forebears. And we should recognize that the next chapter in electricity innovation will not be written only by scientists, policymakers, energy generators, and technology companies. It will also be written by customers — and by the competitive markets that give them the power to choose.