From Shafts to Wires: Historical Perspective on Electrification
回顾1880至1930年间制造业从蒸汽动力转向电力的过程，发现电气化不仅降低能耗，更显著提升了资本和劳动的生产效率，并影响了能源消费与国民生产总值的关联。
The shift from steam to electric power in manufacturing is recounted. Between 1880 and 1930 the production and distribution of mechanical power rapidly evolved from water and steam prime movers with shaft and belt drive systems to electric motors that drove individual machines. The use of electricity reduced the energy required to drive machinery, but more important, enabled industry to obtain greater output per unit of capital and labor input.Reduced energy needs and increased productivity in manufacturing influenced the relationship between energy consumption and gross national product in the first three decades of the twentieth century.