The reliance on coke-fueled Central Power Stations, though highly efficient, presented a critical limitation: the generation capacity was fixed and dependent on the continuous supply chain of solid fuel. Furthermore, the massive steam engines required relentless maintenance and supervision.
For Alex to automate his factories fully and eliminate the last remaining inefficiencies of manual labor, he needed an energy source that was virtually limitless, clean, and required minimal human input.
"The cost of maintenance and fuel management for the steam grid is an acceptable liability, My Lord," Hemlock analyzed, reviewing the Maintenance Cost per Kilowatt-Hour (MCKH) metric. "But the ceiling on expansion is too low. We cannot automate the entire global supply chain without a massive, new source of base load power."
Alex's eyes turned to the geographic maps of the kingdom—specifically to the Great Northern River, a vast, powerful waterway that ran through the mountains, currently used only for seasonal trade and irrigation. The river represented enormous, untapped kinetic energy. The solution was to capture this power by inventing hydroelectric generation.
Phase I: Civil Engineering and Concrete
The project was monumental: building a massive dam—a structure that required civil engineering on a scale never before attempted.
* Site Selection: The site chosen was a narrow gorge with a sheer drop, maximizing the hydraulic head (the height difference between the water surface and the turbines).
* Concrete Reinvention: Building a structure that could withstand the relentless, massive pressure of a dam required something far stronger than traditional stone masonry. Alex used his proprietary Portland cement (Chapter 35) and reinforced it with his high-grade Bessemer steel rods and mesh—the invention of reinforced concrete.
Garth and the construction Foremen, accustomed to building straight railways, struggled with the scale and curve of the dam's required structure.
Alex personally oversaw the process, applying structural load analysis and fluid dynamics—concepts entirely foreign to the medieval world—to ensure the dam would not suffer a catastrophic system failure under immense water pressure.
Phase II: The Hydroelectric Generator
The next challenge was converting the massive, consistent kinetic energy of the falling water into electrical current. Alex tasked Marcus (Engineering) with designing the first large-scale hydroelectric generating station.
* The Turbine: Marcus designed a specialized, high-efficiency water turbine—essentially a large, enclosed wheel with precisely angled blades. The water, channeled through massive steel pipes (penstocks) from the dam, would strike the blades, turning the wheel with immense force.
* The Dynamo Integration: The rotating axle of the turbine was directly coupled to a massive, custom-built dynamo—an exponential increase in size and power from the Central Power Station units. This dynamo would continuously generate a massive output of electricity.
The construction of the turbines and dynamos required tolerances and precision boring that pushed the limits of the Syndicate's Bessemer steel tools and lubrication systems (Chapter 33). The goal was not high speed, but constant, predictable torque and power output.
***
After three grueling years of construction and investment, the Northern Power Dam was complete. It was a dizzying structure of monolithic reinforced concrete, holding back a vast, artificial lake.
The commissioning was a quiet event, managed by the engineers. The sluice gates were opened, the water roared through the penstocks, and the giant turbines began to turn with a low, powerful hum. The dynamo instantly surged, injecting immense, continuous power into the global grid.
The effect was instantaneous and measurable: the MCKH for the entire electrical network plummeted, and the Syndicate now possessed a gigawatt capacity that dwarfed every other kingdom combined. Alex had found the perfect energy source: clean, quiet, and governed only by the reliable, quantifiable flow of nature.
***
The true strategic value of the hydroelectric dam was not light, but automation. With virtually limitless, cheap power, Alex could now fully commit to mechanizing his factories, eliminating the final inefficiencies of human labor.
The first target was the Bessemer steel foundry. All manual tasks—hoisting, mixing, material transport—were replaced with electric motors and automated conveyors.
The worker's experience changed overnight: instead of physically lifting and shoveling, they became system monitors—overseeing dials, reading the Arren Codebook, and ensuring the machinery operated within specified tolerances. Their physical workload vanished, replaced by a mental workload.
***
The head of the AIWU (Arren Industrial Workers Union) toured the newly automated Bessemer plant, now quiet and clean. He watched one worker, wearing clean clothes, manage an entire production line by simply throwing levers.
"My Lord," the leader conceded, "you have automated our backs. What use is the Union if the labor is gone?"
"The labor is not gone; it is upgraded," Alex replied. "The machine requires intelligence and management, not muscle. Your union must now pivot from demanding wages for time spent to demanding wages for value added through intelligence.
The new resource is trained human capital, not raw muscle. Your job is now to ensure your members meet the educational standard required to operate the Fourth Technological Tier."
The Northern Power Dam secured the energy for the next era of industrial innovation. Alex had removed the last physical limit on his system.
Next priority: The reliance on heavy, fragile, and static batteries (Voltaic Piles) and complex wire grids is the next logistical bottleneck. Alex needs to invent a more flexible, efficient way to transmit and utilize electricity across vast distances without massive energy loss, enabling the true automation of the home and the portable machine. It's time to invent Alternating Current (AC).