What is the challenge of the 21st century? Without a doubt, to replace these with more sources of renewable energy. History of Iberdrola. The idea of concentrating sunbeams to use their heat comes from ancient Greece, but Frank Shuman was a pioneer and the first one to market this as a commercially viable solution. He established the Sun Power Co. However, his biggest project, cut short by the First World War, was a 52, km 2 solar farm in Sahara desert, which would generate enough energy to supply the entire planet.
The use of the sun's energy with photovoltaic panels started in the 60s. The global installed power is expected to reach GW by , with China as the main driving agent, according to a report prepared by Globaldata. Wind is another source of clean and renewable energy, with the largest growth worldwide during the last decade.
The first kW wind turbine was installed on the Danish coast in Today, the global installed power is close to GW. The dream of clean and never-ending energy could become real in the future if the ITER project achieves its goals. That is, nuclear fusion, the energy of the stars, reproduced in a magnetic confinement reactor. Hydrogen is used as the fuel, one of the most abundant elements in our planet.
Which of these energies will replace oil in the history books and provide us with clean, sustainable and never-ending energy in the future? The answer will come in a few decades. Iberdrola, the utility of the future. Nevertheless, the electrical industry developed a highly successful marketing strategy in the s, the most striking feature of which was to associate electricity with the idea of modernity. Throughout the World War II, electricity continued to be provided by local companies.
Following the election of a Labour government in , many key industries were taken into State ownership, including the electrical industry, which was nationalised on 1st April However, this changed over time as advantage was taken of economies of scale. This change was aided by the fact that most of the senior staff were professional engineers and had excellent support in financial and risk management areas. The rooms were manned by Control Engineers, who worked round-the-clock shifts.
They also held details of both the running costs and availability of every power plant in England and Wales. At these control centres they would continuously predict demand and supervise, directing power stations to either increase or reduce production, or to cease production altogether. The idea was to make sure that production was always achieved at the lowest possible cost. The CEGB also possessed an extensive research and development section. At one time there were also five regional offices.
But the CEGB was too slow to react to the shifting patterns of energy supply that occurred following the second oil crisis , and it came to be seen as a monolith that demonstrated the worst aspects of central planning. It was now thought suitable for restructuring. Interestingly, the nuclear component of National Power came to be removed and vested in a new, still State-owned, company called Nuclear Electric. This was in turn privatised in The transmission company, National Grid , was floated on the Stock Exchange in The plant grew consistently over the next few years.
Transmission length: several blocks downtown. Transmission length: unknown. This transmission line uses a Gaulard and Gibbs transformer. Transmission length: 40 km 25 miles. It used a Siemens generator and Edison's incandescent lights. Transmission length: ft 1.
George Westinghouse was pleased and began to sell this system. It operated at volts. Transmission length 3 miles. Single phase. Transmission length unknown. After business and other problems the Deptford Power Station is forced to delay opening until The station eventually supplies central London. Transmission length 14 miles DC Power. It was 5 years later before regular commercial AC power was established in Powerhouse B.
Transmission length 14 miles AC power. It sent power to mining operations in the mountains near Telluride. It was a Westinghouse experimental project.
Transmission length: 2. This proved that three phase power worked the best for a power grid. Transmission length km miles. This used C. Steinmetz's improved 3-phase system. Transmission line length: 7 miles. At about the same time that hydropower was gaining popularity, inventors were also figuring out how to use the windmills of the past to generate electricity for the future.
In , Charles Brush, an inventor in Ohio, constructed a foot wind turbine in his backyard Figure 5. Wind-powered turbines slowly and with little fanfare spread throughout the world. The American Midwest, where the turbines were used to power irrigation pumps, saw numerous installations. In , the world saw the first 1.
Interest in wind power was renewed by the oil crisis of the s, which spurred research and development. Wind power in the U. By the s, the first utility-scale wind farms began popping up in California. Europe has been the leader in offshore wind, with the first offshore wind farm installed in in Denmark. According to Wind Europe, Europe currently has In late , the first offshore wind farm in the U. Let the Sunshine In.
Compared to other commercially available renewable energy sources, solar power is in its infancy, though the path that led to its commercial use began almost years ago.
In , French scientist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic PV effect by experimenting with an electrolytic cell made of two metal electrodes in a conducting solution. Becquerel found that electricity generation increased when it was exposed to light. More than three decades later, an English electrical engineer named Willoughby Smith discovered the photoconductivity of selenium. Physicists at Bell Laboratories determined silicon to be more efficient than selenium. Department of Energy DOE.
By the s, the efficiency of solar cells had increased, and they began to be used to power navigation warning lights and horns on many offshore gas and oil rigs, lighthouses, and railroad crossing signals. Domestic solar applications began to be viewed as sensible alternatives in remote locations where grid-connected options were not affordable. The s saw significant progress in the development of more-efficient, more-powerful solar projects.
Also in , the DOE began operating Solar One, a MW central-receiver demonstration project, the first project to prove the feasibility of power tower technology. Then, in , researchers at the University of South Florida developed a By the mids, residential solar power systems were available for sale in home improvement stores. In , solar power accounted for just 0. However, it is gaining steam. Minor updates were made on Dec. What may surprise you is…. Exports of natural resources have given Russia increased global political and economic clout.
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