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Hydroelectric Power

September 30, 2012

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Profile America -- Sunday, September 30th. On this date in 1882, the world's first hydroelectric power plant began operating on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin. Inspired by Thomas Edison, a man named H.F. Rogers built the facility, using a water wheel to power his two papermaking plants and his home. Soon, hydroelectric power plants were spurring industrial growth in many parts of the country. Now, water-generated electricity accounts for 7 percent of power in the U.S., and is most important in the West. Nationally, most power generated is in coal-fired plants, followed by those using natural gas and nuclear power. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: http://memory.loc.gov (Library of Congress)
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 948
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012edition.html