René Thury's HVDC system implemented commercially in Italy

Background. René Thury was a Swiss pioneer in electrical engineering, known as the "King of DC" for his work in high-voltage direct current transmission. Marcel Deprez had earlier explored direct current transmission by placing generators and loads in series, as in arc light systems, thereby avoiding transformers, which cannot pass DC current. Thury became known for his work on high-voltage direct current electricity transmission.

Commercial Implementation. In 1889, Thury's system was put into practice in Italy by the Acquedotto De Ferrari-Galliera company. The initial station operated at 6 kV, supplying power to Genoa from hydro turbines on the Gorzente River. This implementation demonstrated the viability of long-distance DC transmission, although specific performance metrics like 630 kW or 14 kV are not supported by the supplied passages.

Technical Context. HVDC systems use direct current and high voltages for power transmission. Unlike AC systems, DC transmission requires fewer conductors and incurs less power loss over long distances. Thury's method was an early attempt to overcome the limitations of DC transmission, specifically the inability to use transformers for voltage conversion, by using series-connected generators and loads.