Research Paper on:
Electric light

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
whole, although when considering the social and cultural implications of the development of electric light, it is certainly possible to look at it in terms of a separate phenomenon. As  noted by Kanhouwa (1998) there are currently over 3,000 electric utilities in the US States. Assessed in 1996, the generating capability of the power industry was in excess of 775,000  megawatts. The rate of growth of the industry is illustrated by the fact that over 9 million new customers were added between 1990 and 1996.  However as Kanhouwa also points out, the industry is changing its storage and distribution network from a vertically integrated monopoly to a "functionally unbundled" competitive market. There are a number  of factors which have influenced these changes, in particular the technological advances which have been made and the need to address both inefficiencies in the industry as a whole and  the variations in pricing structures between different regions. Both wholesale and retail pricing structures have changed since the 1990s, and there has been an increase in independent system operators, as  well as other issues which have had an impact on consumer choice. As noted by Fretwell (2003) the system of electricity supply in the US  is based on traditional utilities which have monopolistic franchises; these are based regionally, and supply prices are controlled by government agencies. Customers are classed according to demand levels and categorised  as residential, commercial, or industrial users. Residential includes homes; commercial is non manufacturing businesses and social and educational facilities, and industrial comprises construction, manufacturing, mining and so on. There are  also public sector users such as railroads, local and federal government, and municipalities. Traditional utilities can be categorised according to ownership; they may be investor owned, public owned, cooperative or