Alternative energies By ben123138 1590 Dutch Windmill 1621 First tidal mill in the U.S. built] 1767 First solar collector invented 1876 First practical wind turbine built 1886 Hydroelectric power plant built in Wisconsin, USA 1904 First geothermal power plant established in Italy 1912 White Bay Power Station 1939 First megawatt-scale wind turbine installed in Vermont, USA 1954 Bell Labs invents the first practical solar cell 1973 World's first modern wind farm built in New Hampshire, USA 1982 The first concentrated solar power plant in the U.S. begins operation 2018 Bhadla Solar Park