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History of American Energy

By adamb106
  • Oct 12, 1492

    Age of Exploration

    Age of Exploration
    The ships that discovered America were powered by wind. Wind energy is renewable, but it is somewhat unreliable, unpredictable, and it can't be stored. It was mostly used for sea travel, where the wind almost constantly blows.

  • Coal Discovered in America

    Coal Discovered in America
    Coal is discovered in Virginia in the 1700's. It isn't widely used until later on in the 18th and 19th century.

  • Natural Gas

    Natural Gas
    William Hart discovers a natural gas well in Fredonia 1821. This leads to the formation of the Fredonia Gas Light Company in 1859.(the picture is a rock marking the site of the first natural gas well)

  • First oil boom in the U.S.A.

    First oil boom in the U.S.A.
    This is the Drake Well in Pennsylvania, the location of the first American oil boom in 1859.

  • First American Oil Company Founded

    First American Oil Company Founded
    John D. Rockefeller founded the first American oil company, Standard Oil, in 1870. It was the world's largest oil refiner at the time. It ceased operations in 1911. It is has now broken up into several companies, such as Amoco and Exxon.

  • First American Coal Company Founded

    First American Coal Company Founded
    The Cleveland and Western Coal Company is the first American coal company. It is now known as the North American Coal Corporation, one of America's largest. It is now headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

  • First Nuclear Power Plant in the US

    First Nuclear Power Plant in the US
    The first nuclear power plant, the Shippingport Reactor, was in western Pennsylvania . It was decommissioned in 1989. It was the first full scale nuclear power plant in the US.

  • First Geothermal Power Plant

    First Geothermal Power Plant
    The first commercial geothermal power plant producing power to the U.S. utility grid opened at The Geysers in California in 1960, producing eleven megawatts of net power. The Geysers system continues to operate successfully today

  • American Clean Energy and Security Act

    American Clean Energy and Security Act
    Establishes an economy-wide, greenhouse gas cap-and-trade system and critical complementary measures to help address climate change and build a clean energy economy.

  • Wind Farms in America

    Wind Farms in America
    Wind farms in America are starting to produce more energy. More and more are starting to come online. Currently, Iowa's wind farms account for over 30% of Iowa's energy production, the highest of any state.