By the end of the 19th century, electricity offered huge potential to change the world, but it suffered from one major limitation: distribution. It was all very well to have a steam engine next to a factory to turn the generator, to turn the motors, and light the bulbs. But the energy lost along the wires was so great that it would require a steam engine and generator at the end of every street to service a town. Indeed, early distribution networks had a limited range of about 2km. The challenge was to come up with a system that could offer useful electricity at the end of a very long wire.