Energy in the United States

Coal became the principal fuel used by steam-powered trains

Jan 1, 1800

in the 1800s

Thomas Edison invented an incandescent light bulb

Jan 1, 1879

that could be used for about 40 hours without burning out

The first practical coal-fired electric generating station

Jan 1, 1882

developed by Thomas Edison, went into operation in New York City to supply electricity for household lights

W. Carrier invented electric air conditioning

Jan 1, 1911

Boulder Dam began operating on the Colorado River

Jan 1, 1936

The hydropower plant produced up to 130,000 kilowatts of electricity.

The first wind turbine rated over 1 megawatt (MOD-1), began operating

Jan 1, 1979

MOD-1 had a 2-megawatt capacity rating

For the first time, nuclear energy generated more electricity than oil in the United States

Jan 1, 1980

Home Depot began selling residential solar power systems in three stores in San Diego, California

Jun 29, 2001

Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005

Jan 1, 2005

promoting the use of coal through clean coal technologies

The United States ranked among the Top 4 countries in the world for hydroelectric generation

Jan 1, 2006

along with China, Canada, and Brazil. These countries generated 44% of the world's electricity from hydropower