Tesla conceived and then built an induction motor and demonstrated a three-phase motor.

The advantage of three phase power is that instantaneous power is constant, whereas single phase power, as the line voltage sine wave (today 60 Hz in North America and 50 Hz in Europe and most of Asia) goes between peaks and zero crossings(which occur every 8-2/3 milliseconds or 10 milliseconds, respectively, in 60 Hz or 50 Hz power distribution systems).

Electricity generation employs either Generators (as in now long gone DC systems) or Alternators (universally employed worldwide to energize all electric power distribution grids).

Generators or Alternators require ‘prime movers’ to make their drive shafts turn.

Alternator input shafts are require to run at synchronous speeds - and even more demanding, must be phase-locked to each other.

The US has three grid systems: west of the Mississippi River, east of the Mississippi River - and Texas.

Alternators at the base of the Grand Cooley Dam must be phase-locked to those at the baseof Hoover Dam which must be, in turn, phase-locked to the alternators at all the nuclear, natural gas, geothermal and coal power generating facilities ineach of the three US power distribution grids.

The electric power generating facilities and cities, towns and rural locations are connected by geographically-redundant transmission lines, substations and local transmission lines.

This is generally referred to as ‘the grid’ (so-named because of the multiple electric power generation locations and vastly more numerous electric power users all over the country.

Electric power is generated at 13,600 volts connected through step-up transformers to generally 240 kilovolt transmission lines to transport the power to population centers over hundreds of miles.

At the load end, step-down transformers reduce the voltage ultimately to 2.4 kilovolt local distribution transmission lines and, through pole or underground vault-located transformers to the 120/240 volt singe phase electric service connections to our homes.   Generally, business customers have 480 volt three phase connections to operate commercial electrical equipment they use (a huge variety of equipment).

There is lot’s more detail - and, because of the general population’s technological illiteracy, there is an ever-expanding dysfunction inflicting itself on all of us.

Chief amongst this dysfunction is the failure to understand the difference between base-load dispatchable electric power sources and so-called ‘peaking power’ sources.

Wind and Solar are in the latter category - both go to zero output when, respectively,the wind stops blowing or sun sets.

Thus, the actual electric power generated by Wind and Solar is roughly 10% of ‘nameplate’ capacity.   The popular press always referred to the latter - but reality dictates the former. 

Worse still, the growing imposition of EV’s fuel source from the ‘fossil fuel grid’ to the electric grid is not being accommodated by the necessary expansion of electric power generation and distribution infrastructure.

Trouble ahead is a certainty!