Madeline Brown 10 key historical energy events

By maddiebrown2577
  • Petroleum Becomes Most Used Fuel in the US

    Petroleum Becomes Most Used Fuel in the US

    Due primarily to demand caused by the automobile, 1950 is the first year that petroleum becomes most consumed fuel in the US.

  • First Nuclear Power Reactor to Generate Electricity Built in Idaho

    "On Dec. 20, 1951, a nuclear reactor produced useful electricity for the first time.
  • First US Satellite in Orbit Utilizes Solar Cells for Power

    First US Satellite in Orbit Utilizes Solar Cells for Power

  • First Commercial Scale Geothermal Electric Plants in the US Built in California

    The first geothermal power plants in the U.S. were built in 1962 at The Geysers dry steam field, in northern California. It is still the largest producing geothermal field in the world.

  • Santa Barbara Oil Spill Draws National Attention

    When Union Oil's well, A-21, blew on January 28, it leaked 235,000 gallons of crude, creating a slick of 800 miles.
  • OPEC Oil Embargo Against the US Causes Gas Shortages and Rationing

    OPEC Oil Embargo Against the US Causes Gas Shortages and Rationing

    In 1972, before the Act went to Congress, the Secretary of the Interior released an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) stressing the importance of minimizing the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
  • Federal Involvement in Wind Energy Development Advances Wind Energy Technology

    Federal Involvement in Wind Energy Development Advances Wind Energy Technology

    From the mid 1970's through the mid 1980's the United States government worked with industry to advance the technology and enable large commercial wind turbines.
  • Construction Begins on the World's Largest Wind Farm in California's Altamont Pass; Bird Deaths from Wind Turbines Number in the Thousands

    Construction Begins on the World's Largest Wind Farm in California's Altamont Pass; Bird Deaths from Wind Turbines Number in the Thousands

    in Northern California, is home to one of the oldest wind farms in the U.S. and the largest concentration of wind turbines in the world.
  • Exxon Valdez Disaster in Alaska Becomes the Largest Oil Spill in US Waters

    Exxon Valdez Disaster in Alaska Becomes the Largest Oil Spill in US Waters

    Early in the morning on Good Friday, March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound.
  • EV1 Electric Car Is Made Available to the Public For Lease; Lease Program and EV1 Later Dismantled by GM

    EV1 Electric Car Is Made Available to the Public For Lease; Lease Program and EV1 Later Dismantled by GM

    General Motors releases the EV1 to the public for lease to meet a 1990 California mandate that 2 percent of all cars sold in the state in 1998 be zero-emission vehicles.