what was new about edison's power distribution system

Edison's power distribution system had several novel aspects, mainly reflected in the following aspects:

- **Centralized power supply**: Edison established the first investor - owned electric utility in 

1882 at the Pearl Street Station in New York City. This power plant used a steam - generating power 

station to centrally generate electricity and then distributed it to surrounding users, which was a new

 model different from the previous decentralized power supply mode.

- **DC power supply**: Edison's power distribution system adopted direct current (DC). At that time,

 this was a relatively new technical solution. The system provided 110 volts of direct current to customers, 

which was stable and suitable for the incandescent lamps and other electrical equipment invented by Edison.

- **Underground cable laying**: In order to improve the safety and reliability of power distribution and avoid 

the influence of weather and other factors on overhead lines, Edison's power distribution system adopted the

 method of underground cable laying. This not only made the power lines more hidden, but also reduced the 

risk of accidents.

- **Complete set of power distribution equipment and systems**: Edison developed a complete set of power 

distribution equipment and systems, including generators, circuit breakers, fuses, meters, and other components. 

These components cooperated with each other to realize the generation, distribution, control, and measurement 

of electric energy, providing a reliable guarantee for the normal operation of the power distribution system.

- **Load management and control**: Edison's power distribution system could manage and control the load. By 

reasonably allocating electric energy, it could meet the power needs of different users and avoid overloading 

and other problems of the power grid. For example, through the control of switches and other devices, the on 

- off and power supply status of each circuit could be monitored and adjusted.

However, Edison's DC power distribution system also had some limitations. For example, the transmission distance

 was short, and the cost was high. With the development of alternating current (AC) technology, AC power 

distribution systems gradually became the mainstream due to their advantages such as long - distance

 transmission and easy voltage transformation.