Energy Events

By mgogan

  • First Electric Plant built in New York

    First Electric Plant built in New York
    This square-mile plant, built by Thomas Edison, was America's first power plant.

  • First Hydroelectric Plant Goes into Operation

    First Hydroelectric Plant Goes into Operation
    The first commercial scale hydroelectric plant goes into operation in Appleton, Wisconsin. This was a significant egineering acheivement for the time.

  • First Nuclear Power Reactor Built

    First Nuclear Power Reactor Built
    This was the first nuclear power reactor built to generate energy, and it was house in a small building that still sits today in southeastern Idaho. The Experimental Breeder Reactor-I, or EBR-I, spawned what is now a huge international industry.

  • First Commercial Power Plant Opened

    First Commercial Power Plant Opened
    The plant began operation in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, and within 3 years, would supply energy for the Pittsburgh area.

  • Energy Policy and Conservation Act signed into Law

    Energy Policy and Conservation Act signed into Law
    President Ford signed this act into law, which established the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The purpose of this law was to reduce the impact of severe energy supply interruptions.

  • President Carter's Famous Energy Speech

    President Carter's Famous Energy Speech
    President Carter's famous speech detailed how the US is facing an inevitable energy shortage, and warning the country that profound changes on the usage of energy needed to be made.

  • Act Passed to Simulate Development of Hydrogen Power

    Act Passed to Simulate Development of Hydrogen Power
    Congress passes the Spark M. Matsunaga Hydrogen Research, Development, and Demonstration Program Act of 1990. This act's goal was to develop the means to domestically produce hydrogen power.

  • IPCC Report Confirms Climate Change

    IPCC Report Confirms Climate Change
    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s 2007 report confirmed climate change is happening and is mostly human caused.

  • American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

    American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
    This act, signed by President Barack Obama, included billions of dollars for energy investments such as grants and loan guarantees, energy efficiency programs, and renewable energy programs.

  • BP Oil Spill

    BP Oil Spill
    The BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana and sank, causing a series of breaks in the oil pipeline. The pipe leaks were reported at leaking between 1,000 and 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico. Based on estimates from May 27th, as much as 30 million gallons had leaked into the Gulf, making it the largest oil spill in US History.