-
Period: to
Electrical and Wind Energy Throughout The United States
-
1747 Static Charges
1747
Benjamin Franklin experiments with static charges in the air and theorized about the existence of an electrical fluid that could be composed of particles. -
1752 Lightning Rod
1752
Benjamin Franklin invented the lightening rod, demonstrating that lightning was electricity. -
1816 Energy Utility
1816
First energy utility in US founded. -
1800s Windmills
In the 1800s,
American homesteaders use windmills to pump water for farms and ranches. They also use it to settle Western frontier. Simple wooden slats are used for early farm windmills. -
1973 Oil Crisis
1973
The oil crisis of 1973 sparks interest in large wind turbines and prompts government-sponsored renewable energy research programs in the United States, as well as many other countries. These programs trigger the development and use of new wind turbine designs, helping to cut the cost of wind power significantly over the next two decades. Throughout the 1970s, wind farms are built throughout the United States and Europe. -
1879 Commercial Power Station
1879
First commercial power station opens in San Francisco, uses Charles Brush generator and arc lights. The first commercial arc lighting system installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
Thomas Edison demonstrates his incandescent lamp, Menlo Park, New Jersey. -
1881 Lights Street Lamps
1881
In Niagara Falls, New York Charles Brush dynamo, connected to turbine in Quigley's flour mill lights city street lamps. -
1888 Wind Turbine
1888
In Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. scientist and businessman Charles Brush builds the first wind turbine to generate electricity. it measures 17 meters tall and using 144 cedar rotor blades, and it has a capacity of 12 kilowatts. -
1906 Hydroelectric Plant
1906
In Ilchester, Maryland, a fully submerged hydroelectric plant is built inside of the Ambursen Dam. -
1920 Pulverized Coal Station
1920
First U.S. station to only burn pulverized coal is opened.
Federal Power Commission (FPC) is established. -
1940s Fossil Fuels
1940s
As fossil fuel prices fall after World War II and power grids gradually extend throughout most rural areas, interest in small wind turbines steeply declines in the U.S. and other countries. -
1970 Environmental Protection Agency
1970
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is formed. The Water and Environmental Quality Act is passed. The Clean Air Act of 1970 is passed. -
1999 Electricity marketed on internet
1999
Electricity marketed on Internet. -
2001 Wind Power
2001
The United States adds 1,700 megawatts of wind power, spurred in part by federal tax credits. Wind turbine installations are built across the country, with major projects in Texas, Oregon, and Kansas. -
2002 Wind Generating
2002
At the end of 2002, the United States’ wind generating capacity — more than 4,600 megawatts — is concentrated in two states: California and Texas, both in the West. -
2003 Wind Power
2003
At the end of 2003, the United States (with more than 6,300 megawatts) and Europe dominate the development and installation of wind power. With more than 28,000 megawatts, Europe now has 70 per cent of the world’s wind capacity, due in part to laws encouraging the growth of it in Germany, Denmark and Spain.
