Alternative Energy

ALTERNATIVEENERGY

Natural gas was not a widespread home fuel before the 1950s. Home use of natural gas required a large pipeline network for delivery and the cost of such a system was considered prohibitive. The History of Natural Gas," www.fossil.energy.gov

Hydropower provided 40% of electrical generation. Conventional capacity tripled in United States since 1920. Humans have been harnessing water to perform work for thousands of years. The Greeks used water wheels for grinding wheat into flour more than 2,000 years ago. Besides grinding flour, the power of the water was used to saw wood and power textile mills and manufacturing plants. (energy.gov/eerewater/history)

1940

In the late 1950's and early 1960's satellites in the USA's and Soviet's space program were powered by solar cells and in the late 1960's solar power was basically the standard for powering space bound satellites.

By the early 1970s, American oil consumption–in the form of gasoline and other products–was rising even as domestic oil production was declining, leading to an increasing dependence on oil imported from abroad.(history.com)

President Carter signs the Energy Security Act, consisting of six major acts: U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation Act, Biomass Energy and Alcohol Fuels Act, Renewable Energy Resources Act, Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Act and Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank Act, Geothermal Energy Act, and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Act.

1950

ENERGY

1950

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1980