Empire Rising: Spain

Although there are many restrictions, the birth of high-power generators also means that more streetlights can appear in Spain’s streets and alleys, providing more adequate lighting for people working late into the night.

Currently, only the two busiest streets in Spain have streetlights. Carlo’s next step is to equip the main roads of Madrid and Barcelona with streetlights, allowing Spaniards to experience the wonders of the electricity era.

According to Tesla’s report, the current high-power generator still has many issues. If these issues can be addressed one by one, the maximum power of this generator might even hope to exceed 50KW.

This is what is referred to as "the beginning is always the hardest." With the utilization of electric motors and electric lights clarified, the arrival of the electricity era is just a matter of time.

Perhaps it won’t be long before the Electricity Laboratory can manufacture large generators with generating power up to hundreds of KW. These large generators are the hallmark of the arrival of Spain’s electric power industry era, for only larger generators can drive bigger motors, thereby boosting Spain’s industrial production.

The birth of high-power generators also signifies a reduction in generation costs. As streetlights begin to appear in Spain’s streets and alleys, electricity will certainly be mimicked by other countries, encouraging more people to join the electric power industry and promoting the global spread of electric power.

Carlo has a bold idea, which is to install streetlights across the streets and alleys of Madrid before this Christmas, and illuminate the whole city on Christmas night.

Doing so is highly significant, at least for grand publicity, making Europeans realize that Spain possesses a City of No Sleep, and people naturally grow curious about electric lighting and curious about Spain as a nation.

Once Spain’s image becomes one of advancement and development to Europeans, there will naturally be a continuous stream of immigrants eager to join Spain.

This is akin to the future United States. No matter the domestic environment in the United States, to the populace of other countries, the U.S. is depicted as a beacon of human civilization, inevitably attracting many uninformed people longing to become part of this so-called world jewel.

Once they truly arrive in the United States, it’s too late to regret. Because immigration comes with costs, not everyone can afford the expenses of immigration, and not all countries will accept those who want to return immediately after immigrating.

In this era without the Internet, once Spain’s external image becomes one of civilization and advancement, it will invisibly increase its allure for immigrants.

Even without relying on this allure to attract immigrants, strengthening international influence through showcasing technology is also feasible for Spain right now.

Spain’s current situation is quite awkward. In terms of strength, Spain has re-entered the ranks of great powers. In terms of international status and influence, its situation is similar to Italy’s, not truly valued by other countries.

Thus, improving Spain’s international status and influence has become extremely important. Boosting military strength is one way; showcasing technology and enhancing presence is also a method.

Electricity and electric lights are no secrets; other countries are all researching them. But as long as Spain becomes the first nation to implement them on a large scale, when people use electricity, they will often recall Spain, the first nation to use electricity extensively.

The Nocturnal City is clearly a great gimmick. Before electric lights, no method could illuminate an entire city and maintain it throughout the night.

If Spain achieves this, the scene will surely be reported by newspapers across Europe. As long as it draws the attention of European media and piques European curiosity, Carlo’s goal will be more than halfway accomplished.

To achieve the miracle of Madrid’s Nocturnal City, constructing sufficient power plants is essential.

According to estimates by the Electricity Laboratory, currently one group of generators can light nearly 1500 small bulbs or 700 large bulbs. To accomplish the grand goal of Madrid’s Nocturnal City, at least 5 large power stations need to be built around Madrid, ensuring that over 3000 large lightbulbs can be lit on Christmas night.

These 3000 large lightbulbs will cover several main roads in Madrid City Center, allowing Madrid City Center to achieve the grand goal of the Nocturnal City on Christmas Day.

The streetlights around the city center will be replaced with small bulbs for lighting. Although the brightness won’t be sufficient, at least they will ensure people don’t bump into walls in the dark.

By then, photos in the newspapers will only publish the bright scenes of the city center; the dim areas beyond the city center won’t be mentioned in the papers.

There are only three months left until Christmas. Building five large power plants and installing over 3000 streetlights in Madrid within these three months is quite challenging.

More importantly, the electric company also needs to install wiring for these 3000 streetlights to ensure they all light up normally on Christmas night.

Carlo personally assured Graham and Tesla that as long as the grand goal of Madrid’s Nocturnal City is achieved, the research budget for the Electricity Laboratory will double next year, and Carlo will also recruit more electrical experts from Europe to join Spain’s Electricity Laboratory.