Timeline of Energy Use in the U.S.

By 12273078
  • First Commercially Practical Incandescent Light Bulb

    First Commercially Practical Incandescent Light Bulb

    Thomas Edison did not invent the first light bulb but he did make the first commercially practical light bulb in 1879.
  • First Working Solar Cell

    First Working Solar Cell

    Sometime in 1883 Charles Fritts designed the first working solar cell using a semiconductor and a thin layer of gold.
  • The Hoover Dam completed

    The Hoover Dam completed

    The Hoover Dam was part of a construction project coming out of the Great Depression. Construction lasted from early 1931 to early 1936.
  • First Commercial Nuclear Power Plant; Shippingport

    First Commercial Nuclear Power Plant; Shippingport

    Shippingport is the first Atomic Power Station and, when created, was capable of an output of 60 MWe
  • First Commercial Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR)

    First Commercial Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR)

    Westonghouse designed this first PWR sometime in 1960.
  • The Geysers Geothermal System

    The Geysers Geothermal System

    Opened in 1960, The Geysers system netted at about 11 megawatts of power.
  • Offshore Drilling Ban

    Offshore Drilling Ban

    In 1990 George H. W. Bush passed a law banning offshore drilling also known as coastal oil exploration.
  • Energy Policy Act of 2005

    Energy Policy Act of 2005

    This act added tax incentives and other monetary guarantees to combat growing energy dependency.
  • American Clean Energy and Security Act

    American Clean Energy and Security Act

    This act failed in the Senate in 2009.
  • Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

    Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

    This act was passed in late 2009 and worked to make American energy independent, focus on renewable sources, and increase energy efficiency.