In 1954 three researchers at Bell Laboratories published the results of their discovery of the world’s first practical ‘photovoltaic’ (henceforth abbreviated by ‘PV’) cell which was capable of converting sunlight into electricity, first at 4% and later at 6% conversion-efficiency[1]. In 1959 Sharp Corporation began R&D of silicon monocrystal PV-cells, with mass production starting in 1963[2], and commercialized a variety of mono/multi-crystalline PV-cells for everything from satellites to lighthouses, and industrial applications to residential use[2].
Electric
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Image Credit:
Courtesy NREL
Image Caption:
Silicon solar array connected to the roof of a commercial building.
Era_date_from:
1959
Studies on the feasibility of building a hydro plant in the site were initiated in 1893. The increasing need for power that was cheaper and easily adapted to mine underground use drove the Lota coal mine company to develop a study of alternatives for this purpose. Engineer William E. Raby traveled to the United States and Europe to assess the use of electricity generation and transmission. The availability of the Chivilingo hydro resources arose as a better alternative to a steam plant.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy Wikicommons/B.diaz.c
Image Caption:
The Chivilingo Hydroelectric Power Plant was the first in Chile and only the second in South America.
Era_date_from:
1897
2001
A pioneer in the development of electrical science, Nicholas Joseph Callan was born on 22 December 1799 in Darver, Ireland. He started the priesthood at Navan Seminary, and continued his studies at St. Patrick’s College Maynooth, where he studied natural and experimental philosophy under Dr. Cornelius Denvir. After his ordination as priest in 1823, Callan pursued his doctorate in divinity in Rome, where he became acquainted with Galvani and Volta’s work in the study of electricity, and recognized the potential to put it to practical and commercial use with powerful batteries.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy National University of Ireland
Image Caption:
Nicholas Joseph Callan made many discoveries during his lifetime; he was the first to establish the link between rate-of-change of current and electromagnetic induction, and discovered the principle of the self-exciting dynamo.
Era_date_from:
1836
Shippingport State: PA Zip: 15050 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-a-l/electric-power-production-nuclear/-47-shippingport-nuclear-power-station-%281958%29, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/c64a220f-030c-4384-8336-7d9857248322/47-Shippingport-Nuclear-Power-Station.aspx Creator: Duquesne Light Company
The first commercial central electric-generating station in the United States to use nuclear energy was the Shippingport Atomic Power Station of the Department of Energy and the Duquesne Light Company. In a dramatic high-tech display, ground was broken in 1954 during dedication ceremonies by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who also opened it on May 26, 1958, as part of his "Atoms for Peace" program. Shippingport is located on the Ohio River about 25 miles from Pittsburgh.
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Image Credit:
Public Domain (National Park Service)
Image Caption:
Shippingport Nuclear Power Station
Era_date_from:
1958
1980
Steam and the inexpensive electricity it could produce brought about dramatic technical growth in the United States. Developed during the last century, reliable and efficient steam engines were the forerunners of today's massive generating facilities. A rare survivor of the period, the Pratt facility is the oldest generating plant of its kind in the Northeast and embodies the typical features of engines in a row, open-front marble switchboard, and an observation balcony at street level.
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Image Credit:
Public Domain (National Park Service)
Image Caption:
Pratt Institute Power Plant
Era_date_from:
1887
1977
The Port Washington Power Plant of the Wisconsin Electric Company was the most thermally efficient steam power plant in the world for many years following its opening in 1935. Its design reflected the cumulative experience of the utility's engineers in burning pulverized coal at the Oneida Street Plant and the Lakeside Station in Milwaukee.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy ASME
Image Caption:
The dedication of Port Washington Power Plant coincided with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the city in which it is located.
Era_date_from:
1935
1980
This Kaplan turbine is one of the first three machines to be put into service in the United States. Named for its Austrian inventor, Viktor Kaplan (1876-1934), the turbine was an outstanding innovation, operating with a high, nearly constant efficiency over a wide load range. The machine was built by S. Morgan Smith Company of York, Pennsylvania.
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Image Credit:
Public Domain (United States Arm0
Image Caption:
Kaplan Turbine
Era_date_from:
1929
1980
On April 21, 1949, a completely outdoor turbine-generator was placed into commercial operation at the Greens Bayou electric power plant--the first fully outdoor unit to operate in the United States. The demand for unprecedented quantities of electricity after World War II pressed utilities to provide addition power quickly. The outdoor design, unlike the traditional large turbine hall, resulted in significant reductions in the cost per kilowatt to build the plant.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy ASME
Image Caption:
Greens Bayou Generator Plant
Era_date_from:
1949
1991
The Georgetown Steam Plant, a surprisingly complete and operable steam power plant after a career of nearly seventy-five years, was built in the early 1900s when Seattle's inexpensive hydroelectric power attracted manufacturers. Much of the power produced at this plant operated the streetcars.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy Flickr/wneuetc (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Image Caption:
Georgetown Steam Plant
Era_date_from:
1906
1980
The historic Folsom Power House #1 marks one of the first successful uses of hydroelectric power in the world and the first successful transmission of power long distance (twenty-two miles to Sacramento). The old Folsom Power House still shelters the machinery generated to drive streetcars and illuminate the city of Sacramento.
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Image Credit:
Public Domain (Author's Choice)
Image Caption:
Folsom Powerhouse on the American River, at Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park, California, USA
Era_date_from:
1895
Innovations
