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Vulcan Street Plant
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1880-1889DateCreated: 1882Fox RiverAppletonState: WIZip: 54911Country: USAWebsite: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/29-vulcan-street-power-plant, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/c0b5b641-34df-46a5-aa22-c847b42084b4/29-Vulcan-Street-Power-Plant.aspxCreator: Rogers, H.J. , Edison, Thomas

The plant began operation only twenty-six days after Thomas Edison's first steam plant began operating on Pearl Street in New York (NL 46). On September 30, 1882, an Edison "K" type dynamo produced electricity from a water-powered turbine to light three buildings (two paper mills and the H.J. Rogers home), at rate of about 12 1/2 kilowatts. It is the first Edison hydroelectric central station to serve a system of private and commercial customers in North America. The story of its development provides keen insight into the nation's first experiences with the electric light.

YearAdded:
1977
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/bigcityal (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Vulcan Street PlantEra_date_from: 1882
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1970-1979DateCreated: 1974Alpine WayKhancobanState: NSWZip: 2642Country: AustraliaWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/snowy-mountains-hydo-electric-scheme/Creator: Hudson, William

The scheme virtually reverses the flow of the Snowy River from its natural course toward the ocean and directs it inland. The entire complex includes 16 dams, seven power stations (with a production capacity of 3,740,000 kilowatts), over 90 miles of tunnels, a pumping station, and 50 miles of aqueducts.

YearAdded:
1997
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikicommons/Ear1grey (CC BY-SA 3.0)Image Caption: Snowy hydro murray 1 machine hall floorEra_date_from: 1974
Snoqualmie Falls Cavity Generating Station
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1890-1899DateCreated: 1899Base of FallsSnoqualmieState: WAZip: 98024Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Snoqualmie-Falls-Cavity-Generating-Station/Creator: Baker, William

This was one of the first power facilities to demonstrate the feasibility of long distance electric power transmission. Through an elaborate switchboard at the main station, tied to similar boards at substations, a complete circuit was created to drive an electric motor 153 miles from the generator a remarkable distance at that time.

YearAdded:
1981
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Allen Sheffield (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Snoqualmie FallsEra_date_from: 1899
Sault Ste. Marie Hydroelectric Complex
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1900-1909DateCreated: 1902Salmon Run WaySault Ste. MarieState: MIZip: 49783Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/sault-ste--marie-hydroelectric-power-complex/Creator: Modjeski, Ralph , Noble, Alfred

Located at the northern tip of Michigan where Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron join together, the Sault Ste. Marie Hydroelectric Power Complex was built to harness the hydroelectric potential of the  20-foot falls at the headwaters of the St. Marys (sic) River, the sole outlet of Lake Superior. A century after its construction, the  plant remains the largest low-head hydroelectric facility in the United States. Today, the Sault Ste. Marie plant supplies electricity to area residents, especially those in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

YearAdded:
1983
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Madison Berndt (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Sault Ste. Marie Hydroelectric ComplexEra_date_from: 1902
Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant
Society: IEEEMain Category: ElectricalSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1890-1899DateCreated: 1891Uncompahgre National ForestOphirState: COZip: 81435Country: USAWebsite: http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:Ames_Hydroelectric_Generating_Plant,_1891

"Electricity produced here in the spring of 1891 was transmitted 2.6 miles over rugged and at times inaccessible terrain to provide power for operating the motor-driven mill at the Gold King Mine. This pioneering demonstration of the practical value of transmitting electrical power was a significant precedent in the United States for much larger plants at Niagara Falls (in 1895) and elsewhere. Electricity at Ames was generated at 3000 volts, 133 Hertz, single-phase AC, by a 100-hp Westinghouse alternator."

YearAdded:
1988
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Ray Wood (CC BY-SA 3.0) Image Caption: The Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant, and behind it the trees of the Uncompahgre National ForestEra_date_from: 1891
Pelton Impulse Water Wheel
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1870-1879DateCreated: 1878CamptonvilleState: CACountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Pelton-Impulse-Water-Wheel/Creator: Pelton, Lester

Water wheels have been used to power mills and pumps for centuries. However, the traditional water wheel was inefficient: water hitting a bucket would splash back against the next bucket, slowing the wheel. This is especially true when water is delivered to the buckets under very high pressure.

YearAdded:
1973
Image Credit: Public Domain (Author's Choice)Image Caption: Pelton Impulse Water WheelEra_date_from: 1878
Cedar Falls Water Supply
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1900-1909DateCreated: 1905Cedar RiverSeattleState: WACountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Cedar-Falls-Water-Supply/

Requests for public power in Seattle began in the late 1890s and lead to the voter approval for building the Cedar Falls Water Supply hydroelectric dam plant in 1902. The first municipally developed and owned hydroelectric plant in the United States began operation in October 1904. The facility is situated one-half mile below Cedar Lake (later known as Chester Morse Lake) near North Bend in King County. 

YearAdded:
2000
Image Credit: Source: http://www.seattle.govImage Caption: Cedar Falls Water SupplyEra_date_from: 1905
Bonneville Dam, Columbia River System
Society: ASCEMain Category: Civil, ElectricalSub Category: Dams, Power Generation, Power, Energy & Industry ApplicationEra: 1930-1939DateCreated: 1938Colombia RiverPortlandState: ORZip: 97014Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/bonneville-dam,-columbia-river-power---nav-system/Creator: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The Bonneville Dam, Columbia River Power and Navigation System consists of 55 major projects on Oregon's Columbia River and is said to be the largest hydroelectric system in the world.

The Columbia River forms part of the border between Washington and Oregon and flows inland through the only waterway that crosses the Cascade Mountains. To harness the energy of the ninth longest river in North America, engineers developed unique design and construction approaches to overcome problems caused by depth of water, current velocity, and an irregularly-shaped river bottom.

YearAdded:
1987
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Ann Larie Valentine (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: The impressive power of the Bonneville DamEra_date_from: 1938
Keokuk Hydro-Power System
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1910-1919DateCreated: 1913Mississippi RiverKeokukState: IAZip: 52632Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/keokuk-dam---power-plant-project/Creator: Cooper, Hugh

Spearheaded by Hugh Cooper, the Keokuk Dam & Power Plant served as a prototype for many future power plants. The project harnessed the hydropower of the Mississippi River, between Keokuk, Iowa and Hamilton, Illinois.

The crest of the dam is nearly a mile long. The dam structure features 119 arch spans between six-foot-thick piers and a 110-foot-wide pneumatic lock. Combined with the lock, the dam reduced travel time for steamboats by nearly two hours.

YearAdded:
1988
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Michael R. Allen (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Mississippi River Lock and Dam number 19Era_date_from: 1913
Lowell Waterpower System
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Power GenerationEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1821 National Historical ParkLowellState: MAZip: 01854Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Lowell-Waterpower-System/Creator: Francis, James B.

Much of the sophisticated system of canals, dams, gates, and tunnels built to manage water power in 19th-century Lowell is preserved today as the basis of the Lowell National Historical Park and the Lowell Heritage State Park. Pictured above is the Boott Penstock, an early channel adjacent to the Boott Mills (right).

YearAdded:
1984
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Leonora Enking (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: Lowell Waterpower System: Pawtucket GatehouseEra_date_from: 1821
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Great Falls Raceway and Power System

Visionary Alexander Hamilton, the United States' first Secretary of the Treasury, visited the Great Falls of the Passaic River with George Washington in 1778. The 77-foot-high, 280-foot-wide waterfall inspired his dream of abundant, inexpensive energy as the means for economic independence from…

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Lowell Waterpower System

Much of the sophisticated system of canals, dams, gates, and tunnels built to manage water power in 19th-century Lowell is preserved today as the basis of the Lowell National Historical Park and the Lowell Heritage State Park. Pictured above is the Boott Penstock, an early channel adjacent to…

Read More
Keokuk Hydro-Power System

Spearheaded by Hugh Cooper, the Keokuk Dam & Power Plant served as a prototype for many future power plants. The project harnessed the hydropower of the Mississippi River, between Keokuk, Iowa and Hamilton, Illinois.

The crest of the dam is nearly a mile long. The dam structure…

Read More
Bonneville Dam, Columbia River System

The Bonneville Dam, Columbia River Power and Navigation System consists of 55 major projects on Oregon's Columbia River and is said to be the largest hydroelectric system in the world.

The Columbia River forms part of the border between Washington and Oregon and flows inland through the…

Read More
Cedar Falls Water Supply

Requests for public power in Seattle began in the late 1890s and lead to the voter approval for building the Cedar Falls Water Supply hydroelectric dam plant in 1902. The first municipally developed and owned hydroelectric plant in the United States began operation in October 1904. The facility…

Read More
Pelton Impulse Water Wheel

Water wheels have been used to power mills and pumps for centuries. However, the traditional water wheel was inefficient: water hitting a bucket would splash back against the next bucket, slowing the wheel. This is especially true when water is delivered to the buckets under very high pressure…

Read More
Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant

"Electricity produced here in the spring of 1891 was transmitted 2.6 miles over rugged and at times inaccessible terrain to provide power for operating the motor-driven mill at the Gold King Mine. This pioneering demonstration of the practical value of transmitting electrical power…

Read More
Sault Ste. Marie Hydroelectric Complex

Located at the northern tip of Michigan where Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron join together, the Sault Ste. Marie Hydroelectric Power Complex was built to harness the hydroelectric potential of the  20-foot falls at the headwaters of the St. Marys (sic) River, the sole outlet of…

Read More
Snoqualmie Falls Cavity Generating Station

This was one of the first power facilities to demonstrate the feasibility of long distance electric power transmission. Through an elaborate switchboard at the main station, tied to similar boards at substations, a complete circuit was created to drive an electric motor 153 miles from the…

Read More
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme

The scheme virtually reverses the flow of the Snowy River from its natural course toward the ocean and directs it inland. The entire complex includes 16 dams, seven power stations (with a production capacity of 3,740,000 kilowatts), over 90 miles of tunnels, a pumping station, and 50 miles of…

Read More
Vulcan Street Plant

The plant began operation only twenty-six days after Thomas Edison's first steam plant began operating on Pearl Street in New York (NL 46). On September 30, 1882, an Edison "K" type dynamo produced electricity from a water-powered turbine to light three buildings (two paper mills and the H.J.…

Read More

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