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In the 1700s, wood was burnt for fuel in many homes in the United States. The fuel was then used for producing power and heating up houses. Wood was the main energy source since it was so easy to harvest and was transportable.
Although wood was a very popular choice for fuel, people also used renewable resources in that time period. Animals, such as horses, oxen, and donkeys, were used for power and transportation. Mills and machine shops that were near rivers and streams were water powered. -
Coal mines began to open in the 1800s. Coal had the capability of giving more heat per pound than wood. It was also more portable and was smaller in size. Slowly, people began to substitute wood with coal.
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William Hart dug the first effective well that was intended to generate natural gas. He dug a 27-foot well in an attempt to bring the gas up to the surface. The Fredonia Gas Light Company, the first natural gas company in America, was soon formed.
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Charles F. Brush built the first operational windmill that produced electricity in Cleveland, Ohio. The speed of the generator is 500 revolutions per minute and stores 12,000 watts. "Scientific American" described the windmill as a complete success.
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Advances in technology led to the availability of oil and natural gas, cleaner and more portable energy sources. The use of oil and natural gas in America increased thoughout the 1900s. These energy sources were often used for transportation, heating, and producing power.
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The generation of nuclear power started in the 1950s. In the 1970s, many nuclear power plants came online and the production of nuclear power grew. However, the public began to question how safe nuclear power actually was after incidents, such as the Cherenobyl accident in Russia, occured. The disposal of nuclear waste has also become a concern to the nuclear industry.
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Vanguard became the first solar powered satellite. It operated for about six years until its solar cells died in 1964. However, Vanguard conserved lots of energy by using solar power. Conventional batteries, which were used to power earlier satellites, usually lasted about twenty days.
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NASA installed a solar power system on the Tohono O'odham Reservation in Arizona. It became known as the world's first solar powered village. The system first began providing energy for 15 homes which turned into a whole community in 1983.
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Toyota released the first hybrid car in the United States - the Toyota Prius. A hybrid car is a car with an electric motor and a gasoline motor which both move the vehicle.
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President Obama signed a Presidential Directive to increase access to biofuels. He wanted to help maintain jobs in the biofuel industry and to initiate the first biofuels market development program, the Biofuels Interagency Working Group. Obama also declared that $786.5 million will be provided to stimulate research and development on biofuels.
