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Augustine Mouchot (of France) was worried about the possibility of fossil fuels running out, so he developed a solar powered steam generation system. His research led him to develop the first sun motor, which used the heat from sunlight to produce steam (that was used to drive machinery).
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While windmills were around for centuries prior to this, Charles F. Brush developed the first windmill that generated electricity in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Lucas Gusher discovered southeastern Texas's vast Spindletop oil field, with oil erupting to a height of over 50 metres. With this discovery, price of oil dropped dramatically.
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Prince Piero Ginori Conti tested the first geothermal power generation in Larderelllo, Italy; the generator successfully lit four light bulbs
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The Ford Model T was the first affordable automobile, opening travel to the middle-class; it ran solely on ethanol.
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Hoover Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power plant, is completed on the Colorado River. At the time, it was the largest producer of hydroelectric energy in the world.
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The nuclear power reactor (the first to generate electricity) was built in Idaho, called the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I). This would lead the way for a huge international industry in decades to come.
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Bell Labs develops and announces the invention of the first silicon solar cell. The New York Times predicted that this invention will lead to energy sources from the "limitless resource of the sun".
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OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) is fromed in Baghdad, Iraq. Its objective is co-oridnate and unify petroleum policies among the members.
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The US Department of Energy launches this institute in Golden, Colorado. The purpose of the Solar Energy Research Institute, now the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was to develop solar energy and to popularise knowledge of solar power.
