Energy & Power

The Museum's collections on energy and power illuminate the role of fire, steam, wind, water, electricity, and the atom in the nation's history. The artifacts include wood-burning stoves, water turbines, and windmills, as well as steam, gas, and diesel engines. Oil-exploration and coal-mining equipment form part of these collections, along with a computer that controlled a power plant and even bubble chambers—a tool of physicists to study protons, electrons, and other charged particles.

A special strength of the collections lies in objects related to the history of electrical power, including generators, batteries, cables, transformers, and early photovoltaic cells. A group of Thomas Edison's earliest light bulbs are a precious treasure. Hundreds of other objects represent the innumerable uses of electricity, from streetlights and railway signals to microwave ovens and satellite equipment.

Solar panels like this “Solar Energizer” required little maintenance and lasted for years making them a good power source for use in remote places. In the 1980s, production from offshore oil platforms surged and provided an unexpected market for solar cells.
Description (Brief)
Solar panels like this “Solar Energizer” required little maintenance and lasted for years making them a good power source for use in remote places. In the 1980s, production from offshore oil platforms surged and provided an unexpected market for solar cells. At first, oil companies used short-lived and heavy batteries to power navigation beacons on the offshore platforms. Crews regularly hauled tons of batteries to the platforms and dumped the used batteries into the ocean—an expensive activity also bad for the environment. Solar panels were expensive but not as expensive as using the batteries. Similar applications on land and at sea provided markets for solar panel producers that pushed research investment, lowered costs, and proved that solar cells were not just for use in space.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1983
ID Number
2016.0077.01
accession number
2016.0077
catalog number
2016.0077.01
An experimental high pressure sodium lamp with a clear arc tube. Clear tubes are more efficient than opaque tubes.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An experimental high pressure sodium lamp with a clear arc tube. Clear tubes are more efficient than opaque tubes.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
Maker
General Electric
ID Number
1997.0388.09
accession number
1997.0388
catalog number
1997.0388.09
Experimental high-intensity discharge lamp. Radio-frequency energy excited gas in the electrodeless arc-tube.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental high-intensity discharge lamp. Radio-frequency energy excited gas in the electrodeless arc-tube.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1988
maker
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
ID Number
1992.0553.12.1
catalog number
1992.0553.12.1
accession number
1992.0553
Miniature metal-halide lamp designed for indoor use. This was GE's competitive response to compact fluorescent lamps introduced by Philips and Westinghouse, and it failed in the market.
Description (Brief)
Miniature metal-halide lamp designed for indoor use. This was GE's competitive response to compact fluorescent lamps introduced by Philips and Westinghouse, and it failed in the market.
date made
ca 1981
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
1996.0084.01
accession number
1996.0084
catalog number
1996.0084.01
Experimental “Electronic Halarc” bulb without electronics module. Arc tube is mounted at a 45 degree angle.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental “Electronic Halarc” bulb without electronics module. Arc tube is mounted at a 45 degree angle.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
maker
Anderson, John M.
ID Number
1998.0050.05
accession number
1998.0050
catalog number
1998.0050.05
“Electronic Halarc” consumer evaluation lamp. Miniature metal halide lamp for indoor residential use.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
“Electronic Halarc” consumer evaluation lamp. Miniature metal halide lamp for indoor residential use.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980
Maker
General Electric Co.
ID Number
1998.0231.11
accession number
1998.0231
catalog number
1998.0231.11
In the late 1970s and early '80s many new, energy efficient lamps moved from laboratories onto store shelves. Some succeeded in the market and are still sold today while others failed and disappeared.
Description
In the late 1970s and early '80s many new, energy efficient lamps moved from laboratories onto store shelves. Some succeeded in the market and are still sold today while others failed and disappeared. In the case of this lamp, the Econ-Nova compact fluorescent from Westinghouse, disappearance followed success.
Many problems—some technical, some economic—had to be solved in order for a practical compact fluorescent lamp to succeed. A technical problem stemmed from the fact that energy efficiency in fluorescent lamps depends in part on the distance the electric current travels between the two electrodes, called the arc path. A long arc path is more efficient than a short arc path. Westinghouse engineers decided to fold a glass tube three times, allowing them to use an arc path about 18 inches long in a lamp less than 8 inches tall.
An economic problem stemmed from the expense of the electronics and the ballast needed to operate the lamp. They lasted quite a long time, longer than the electrodes in the tube, but were a major portion of the price of the whole lamp. Throwing away perfectly good electronics just because an electrode failed made little sense. So the Westinghouse engineers designed their lamp to be modular. The fluorescent tube, what they called the hook, could be easily removed and replaced when it failed. New tubes were much less expensive than the whole lamp, so consumers saved money.
Introduced in 1981 the Econ-Nova lamp seemed to be off to a good start when, two years later, the Dutch electrical company Philips purchased the Westinghouse Lamp Division. Philips had been first to the market, introducing two different types of compact fluorescent lamps in 1981. Their "SL" lamp was not modular and differed in other details but was somewhat similar to the Econ-Nova. In order to avoid competing with itself, the company discontinued the Econ-Nova.
Lamp characteristics: A modular compact fluorescent lamp with three components: a light tube, a capsule containing the ballast and starting mechanisms, and a cover. Capsule: medium-screw base shell with brass contact mounted on a plastic skirt. The base insulator is part of skirt. The skirt houses a neon-glow starter and supports a magnetic ballast and a receptacle for a fluorescent tube. Ventilation slots allow heat to escape. A rubber O-ring is on the ballast to keep the tube from striking the ballast if the lamp is bumped. Light tube: a glass tube with three bends mounted on a plastic 4-pin connector. The connector attaches to the capsule with a screw. The tube contains tqo tungsten electrodes and is coated with a phosphor. Cover: a plastic dome that snaps onto the capsule. Ventilation holes at the top allow heat to escape.
Date made
ca 1981
date made
ca. 1981
manufacturer
Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Lamp Division
ID Number
1997.0389.24
accession number
1997.0389
catalog number
1997.0389.24
This high-pressure sodium lamp used a polycrystalline-alumina arc tube with monolithic seals.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This high-pressure sodium lamp used a polycrystalline-alumina arc tube with monolithic seals.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1981
Maker
General Electric
ID Number
1997.0388.10
accession number
1997.0388
catalog number
1997.0388.10
Pre-production GE metal halide lamp for indoor use.
Description (Brief)
Pre-production GE metal halide lamp for indoor use.
date made
ca 1980
maker
General Electric Co.
ID Number
1996.0080.01
accession number
1996.0080
catalog number
1996.0080.01
GE tungsten lamp tested by the Department of Energy. An infrared-reflecting coat raised the filament temperature.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
GE tungsten lamp tested by the Department of Energy. An infrared-reflecting coat raised the filament temperature.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1985
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
1992.0466.02
catalog number
1992.0466.02
accession number
1992.0466
Experimental high-intensity discharge lamp. Radio-frequency energy excited gas in the electrodeless arc-tube.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental high-intensity discharge lamp. Radio-frequency energy excited gas in the electrodeless arc-tube.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1988
maker
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
ID Number
1992.0553.12.2
catalog number
1992.0553.12.2
accession number
1992.0553
"Colortone" incandescent lamp in original package with both Philips and Westinghouse markings. 25 watts.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
"Colortone" incandescent lamp in original package with both Philips and Westinghouse markings. 25 watts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1985
maker
Philips Lighting Company
ID Number
1997.0389.19
accession number
1997.0389
catalog number
1997.0389.19
Aluminum caps for high-temperature capacitor for Halarc metal halide and filament lamp.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Aluminum caps for high-temperature capacitor for Halarc metal halide and filament lamp.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
1996.0147.35
accession number
1996.0147
catalog number
1996.0147.35
Introducing a new product involves more than just crafting an advertising campaign aimed at consumers. A company must also convince potential distributors (both wholesale and retail) to stock the product.
Description
Introducing a new product involves more than just crafting an advertising campaign aimed at consumers. A company must also convince potential distributors (both wholesale and retail) to stock the product. That task is made easier if one can visually show the differences between the old product and the new.
This lamp is a Philips "SL Electronic" demonstration piece made about 1985. Philips' original "SL" compact fluorescent lamp came equipped with a magnetic, coil-core ballast when introduced in 1981. The newer version replaced that magnetic ballast with an electronic ballast, raising energy efficiency in the lamp. This demonstration lamp has a clear base-skirt allowing whoever demonstrates the lamp to show the electronic circuitry.
All fluorescent lamps require a ballast due to a quirk engineers call negative-resistance characteristic. The electrical resistance inside a fluorescent lamp is very high when the lamp is off—that's why fluorescent lamps need starters. But once the current is flowing through the lamp the resistance drops, causing the lamp to draw more current, which drops the resistance further, causing still more current to be drawn. Without a control device in the circuit, this cycle would quickly destroy the lamp. A ballast, whether magnetic or elecronic, regulates the amount of current flowing through the lamp and prevents the cycle from occurring.
Lamp characteristics: Brass, medium-screw base with clear plastic skirt that houses an electronic ballast and a starter. Fluorescent tube includes two electrodes, mercury, and a phosphor coating. A corrugated plastic cover protects the tube. Eight slots in the cover allow excess heat to escape. Rating: 18 watts.
Date made
ca 1985
date made
ca. 1985
maker
Philips Lighting Company
ID Number
1997.0389.28
catalog number
1997.0389.28
accession number
1997.0389
Experimental fluorescent lamp that used radio-frequency energy to excite gas in the electrodeless arc-tube.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental fluorescent lamp that used radio-frequency energy to excite gas in the electrodeless arc-tube.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1987
maker
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Levy, Donald L.
ID Number
1992.0553.14.1
catalog number
1992.0553.14.1
accession number
1992.0553
Experimental "Lumalux" high pressure sodium lamp with niobium cap arc-tube seals.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental "Lumalux" high pressure sodium lamp with niobium cap arc-tube seals.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
maker
Sylvania Electric Products Inc.
ID Number
1998.0005.12
catalog number
1998.0005.12
accession number
1998.0005
Experimental compact fluorescent lamp by Interlectric.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental compact fluorescent lamp by Interlectric.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1981
maker
Interlectric Corporation
ID Number
1992.0553.05
catalog number
1992.0553.05
accession number
1992.0553
As the 1980s progressed, more companies began marketing compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). This modular unit was made by Janmar Lighting around 1987. The ballast that controls the electrical arc in the lamp is contained in the base adapter.
Description
As the 1980s progressed, more companies began marketing compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). This modular unit was made by Janmar Lighting around 1987. The ballast that controls the electrical arc in the lamp is contained in the base adapter. The globe-shaped cover serves both to diffuse light and to make the lamp less unusual looking. Some consumers dislike the non-traditional shapes of many CFLs and refused to purchase them for that reason.
It is not known if the Philips tube assembly is original to this piece or if it's a replacement. However it does demonstrate that the new plug-in bases developed with CFLs became standardized within a few years of the technology's 1981 introduction.
This unit is a modular CFL with three components: a tube assembly, an adapter, and a cover. Lamp characteristics: Tube assembly is a Philips model PL-7/27. A 7-watt twin-tube unit with connecting bridge-weld mounted on a G23 plastic base with aluminum skirt. The adapter has a brass medium-screw base-shell with retainer. The insulator is part of the plastic skirt that houses a magnetic ballast. A G23 socket is on top and male threads to attach the cover. Cover is a G-shaped, white-glass envelope with black plastic collar at bottom, threaded to mount onto adapter. Electrical ratings are 120 volts, 60 hertz, .18 amps.
Date made
ca 1987
date made
ca. 1987
maker
Janmar
ID Number
1992.0553.03
catalog number
1992.0553.03
accession number
1992.0553
A type Q400CL/MC tungsten halogen lamp in original package made in Japan for General Electric.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A type Q400CL/MC tungsten halogen lamp in original package made in Japan for General Electric.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1987
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
1997.0387.08
accession number
1997.0387
catalog number
1997.0387.08
Experimental linear fluorescent lamp with rare-earth / aluminate phosphors to investigate very thin tubes.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental linear fluorescent lamp with rare-earth / aluminate phosphors to investigate very thin tubes.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1981
Maker
Philips Lighting BV
ID Number
1996.0166.01
catalog number
1996.0166.01
accession number
1996.0166
Mercury-vapor lamp rated at 75 watts for general purpose use.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Mercury-vapor lamp rated at 75 watts for general purpose use.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1984
maker
Philips Lighting Company
ID Number
1997.0389.49
accession number
1997.0389
catalog number
1997.0389.49
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) came on the market in 1981. Dutch lamp-maker Philips introduced two different versions with features intended to appeal to different markets.
Description
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) came on the market in 1981. Dutch lamp-maker Philips introduced two different versions with features intended to appeal to different markets. Ultimately both succeeded and are still produced today.
This unit, a model PL-7/9, dates from about 1983 and was the second of the two types. The key development seen in this lamp is the small glass connection between the two parallel tubes called a bridge weld. Making the bridge weld proved difficult but not as difficult as the glasswork in some other proposed CFLs. This glasswork combined with a new, more durable type of phosphor made the PL lamps practical. The PL reportedly stood for Pi Lamp since the two connected tubes resembled the Greek letter.
Philips intended this lamp for commercial use and included several design features not used on their consumer-grade SL lamps. First, the unit is modular: the ballast and tube assembly can each be separately replaced reducing the cost of replacing a failed lamp. Also, the tube assembly has a special plug-in socket, not a standard screw-in socket. This prevented theft of the new, expensive lamps, since only commercial-grade fixtures had the plug-in sockets. And it cut down on the rate of "snap-back," or replacement of a failed compact fluorescent with an old-fashioned, inefficient incandescent lamp.
Lamp characteristics: A modular unit with three separable components—an adapter, a twin-tube lamp, and a ballast. Adapter: nickle-plated brass medium-screw base-shell with a brass retaining ring. A plastic insulator is part of the adapter housing. The base-shell rotates in one direction to prevent over-tightening of lamp when it is inserted into the socket. Top of the adapter has a socket for a G23-based lamp, and the back of the adapter is slotted so the ballast module can slide on. Two small holes near the top are ports for the ballast pin-connectors. Lamp: G23 base with brass pins, plastic housing, and aluminum skirt. Two arc tubes connected by a glass bridge. Internal coating of rare-earth/alumina phosphors. Ballast: Magnetic coil-core ballast in a plastic housing. Two pins are on front to connect to adapter, and a yellow potting material is evident on bottom.
Date made
ca 1983
date made
ca. 1983
maker
Philips
ID Number
1999.0324.02
accession number
1999.0324
catalog number
1999.0324.02
A metal-halide lamp using a frameless design so that the frame mount does not pass alongside the arc tube.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A metal-halide lamp using a frameless design so that the frame mount does not pass alongside the arc tube.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
Maker
General Electric
ID Number
1997.0388.06
accession number
1997.0388
catalog number
1997.0388.06
This non-illuminating tube replaced one lamp in a two-lamp fluorescent fixture and cut the energy used almost in half.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This non-illuminating tube replaced one lamp in a two-lamp fluorescent fixture and cut the energy used almost in half.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1982
maker
DURO-TEST Corporation
ID Number
1997.0062.15
catalog number
1997.0062.15
accession number
1997.0062

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.