Electric power industry The world's first public electricity supply was provided in late 1881, when the streets of the Surrey town of Godalming in the UK were lit with electric light. This system was powered from a water wheel on the River Wey, which drove a Siemens alternator that supplied a number of arc lamps within the town. This supply scheme also provided electricity to a number of shops and premises to light 34 incandescent Swan light bulbs. Additionally, Robert Hammond, in December 1881, demonstrated the new electric light in the Sussex town of Brighton in the UK for a trial period. The
Public services in Crawley expanded to give greater storage capacity. As of 2019, Scotia Gas Networks (through their Southern Gas Networks division) are responsible for gas distribution to Crawley. Crawley first received electricity in 1909 or 1910 when a generator powered by steam was installed by the Sussex Electricity Supply Company of Burgess Hill. This company also offered to connect houses to the electricity supply. Another generator was built in 1917 at Cross Keys off the High Street; it had a resident engineer who also offered installation services. The master plan for the New Town anticipated that there was enough capacity available to meet