Nikola Tesla and Niagara Falls: The AC Motor, Not the Generators

Nikola Tesla did not build the generators at Niagara Falls. The massive hydroelectric generators were designed and manufactured by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (based on Tesla's patents) and other contractors for the Niagara Falls Power Company.

Tesla's pivotal contribution was the invention and refinement of the alternating current (AC) induction motor and the polyphase AC power transmission system. This technology made it economically feasible to transmit electricity over long distances—from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, NY (26 miles)—which was the breakthrough that enabled the world's first large-scale hydroelectric power plant (Adams Power Plant, 1895).

In essence: Westinghouse built the generators; Tesla invented the system that made them useful. His AC motor design remains the basis for most industrial motors today.