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.

One method that companies have long used to minimize production costs is to design products that use many of the same parts.
Description
One method that companies have long used to minimize production costs is to design products that use many of the same parts. In the early 1990s Duro-Test Lighting used this approach in a series of modular compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).
Modular CFLs are designed so that specific parts can be replaced if they fail. This allows the reuse of expensive parts that still work. In this particular lamp, the fluorescent tube and the reflector enclosing it are made as one piece; the base-unit that houses the ballast and starter are another. In addition to allowing one to replace the tube assembly if it failed, one could swap different assemblies. The reflector lamp could be changed to a decorative lamp for example, without having to remove the base-unit.
Since the price of electronic components has dropped since this lamp was made, the economic reasoning behind this feature is less persuasive.
Lamp characteristics: Two-piece, modular compact fluorescent lamp including a base-unit and a tube assembly. The base-unit has a medium-screw base-shell with plastic insulator, and a plastic skirt that houses a ballast and a starter. A socket on top accepts a plug-in base. Tube assembly includes plastic plug-in base, a fluorescent tube with two electrodes, mercury, and a phosphor coating. A glass R-shaped envelope with silvered coating serves as a reflector and is glued to the tube assembly's base.
Date made
January 1991
1991-01
manufacturer
DURO-TEST Corporation
ID Number
1997.0062.09
catalog number
1997.0062.09
accession number
1997.0062
The energy crises of the 1970s inspired inventors to try novel ideas for new light bulbs. One of the more unusual designs emerged from the drawing board of Manhattan Project veteran Leo Gross.
Description
The energy crises of the 1970s inspired inventors to try novel ideas for new light bulbs. One of the more unusual designs emerged from the drawing board of Manhattan Project veteran Leo Gross. Supported by Merrill Skeist at Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation, Gross designed a compact fluorescent lamp that he called a "magnetic arc spreader" (MAS).
The design took advantage of a fundamental aspect of electro-magnetism known since the early 1800s. When a current flows through a coil of wire, it produces a magnetic field. The arc discharge that travels between the electrodes of a fluorescent lamp can be affected by the presence of such a field. In the center of the MAS lamp seen here there is a copper coil. Current moving through the coil creates a magnetic field that spreads out the electrical arc within the lamp. The expanded arc energizes phosphor throughout the lamp's entire length.
The concept was tested at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and General Electric became interested. In 1978 GE purchased a one-year license from Spellman in order to conduct further tests but determined that the necessary glasswork would make the lamp too expensive for commercial production. GE donated one of their test lamps to the Smithsonian in 1998—the only known surviving example of this experimental design.
Lamp characteristics: No base. Two stranded lead-wires extend about 2" from either end, and each end has one lead wire encased in a glass insulating tube. Two coiled tungsten electrodes are mounted in a hollow cylindrical envelope. The exhaust tip is near one set of leads, and the envelope has an internal phosphor coating. A coil of bare copper wire held together with black string is inserted into the center of the envelope. A current passing thru this coil spreads the arc between electrodes so that more of the phosphor is activated.
Date made
ca 1978
date made
ca. 1978
maker
General Electric Corporate Research & Development Laboratory
inventor
Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corp.
ID Number
1998.0050.15
accession number
1998.0050
catalog number
1998.0050.15
As energy prices soared in the 1970s, lamp makers focused research efforts on raising the energy efficiency of electric lamps. A great deal of effort by many researchers went into designing small fluorescent lamps that might replace a regular incandescent lamp.
Description
As energy prices soared in the 1970s, lamp makers focused research efforts on raising the energy efficiency of electric lamps. A great deal of effort by many researchers went into designing small fluorescent lamps that might replace a regular incandescent lamp. These efforts led to modern compact fluorescent lamps that use bent or connected tubes, but many other designs were tried. This experimental "partition lamp" from 1978 shows one such design.
Soon after the 1939 introduction of linear fluorescent lamps, inventors began receiving patents for smaller lamps. But they found that the small designs suffered from low energy efficiency and a short life-span. Further research revealed 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. That's why fluorescent tubes in stores and factories are usually 8 feet (almost 3 meters) long.
Inventors in the 1970s tried many ways of putting a long arc path into a small lamp. In this case there are thin glass walls inside the lamp, dividing it into four chambers. Each chamber is connected in such a way that the electric current travels the length of the lamp four times when moving from one electrode to the other. So the arc path is actually four times longer than the lamp itself, raising the energy efficiency of the lamp. This unit was made by General Electric for experiments on the concept, though other makers were also working on partition lamps.
While the partition design works, it proved to be expensive to manufacture and most lamp makers decided to use thin tubes that could be easily bent and folded while being made.
Lamp characteristics: No base. Two stem assemblies each have tungsten electrodes in a CCC-6 configuration with emitter. Welded connectors, 3-piece leads with lower leads made of stranded wire. Bottom-tipped, T-shaped envelope with internal glass partition that separates the internal space into four connected chambers. Partition is made of two pieces of interlocked glass and is not sealed into the envelope. All glass is clear. No phosphors were used since the experimenter wanted to study the arc path.
Date made
ca 1978
date made
ca. 1978
maker
General Electric Corporate Research & Development Laboratory
ID Number
1998.0050.16
accession number
1998.0050
catalog number
1998.0050.16
Demonstration electrodeless selenium and sulfur bulb powered by microwave energy. Selenium is predominate.
Description (Brief)
Demonstration electrodeless selenium and sulfur bulb powered by microwave energy. Selenium is predominate.
date made
1996
maker
Fusion Lighting, Inc.
ID Number
1996.0359.05
catalog number
1996.0359.05
accession number
1996.0359
Ordinary lamps give good quality light and can be designed for all manner of special tasks. However, they waste a tremendous amount of energy in the form of heat.
Description
Ordinary lamps give good quality light and can be designed for all manner of special tasks. However, they waste a tremendous amount of energy in the form of heat. The steep rise in energy prices during the 1970s spurred a burst of invention aimed at developing lamps that gave more lumens per watt—the lighting equivalent of miles per gallon in cars.
Much of the invention took place in the laboratories of major lighting companies like General Electric and Sylvania. But inventors outside the corporate labs also offered ideas and new devices. One such inventor was Donald Hollister of California. A UCLA graduate with experience in plasma physics, Hollister patented a small fluorescent lamp called the "Litek." The lamp seen here is a hand-made prototype from 1979.
Most fluorescent lamps, large and small, operate by passing an electric current through a gas between two electrodes. The current energizes the gas that in turn radiates ultraviolet (UV) light. The UV is converted to visible light by a coating of phosphors inside the glass envelope of the lamp. Electrodes are responsible for much of the energy lost in a fluorescent lamp and are usually the part of the lamp that fails. Hollister's design was "electrodeless," and used high-frequency radio waves instead of electrodes to energize the gas.
The Litek lamp worked in the laboratory, and Hollister received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to refine the design. That proved more difficult than expected though. The electronic components available at the time were expensive and generated too much heat. Hollister tried to compensate with the massive heat-dissipation fins set below the bulb, but this added to the cost. Also, as an independent inventor Hollister could not just focus on research. He had to perform administrative tasks that researchers in corporate labs did not, and the project lagged. In the end the Litek did not reach the market, though in the 1990s the major companies all began selling electrodeless fluorescent lamps. These built on the work of several inventors, including Hollister's.
Lamp characteristics: Nickle-plated brass medium-screw base shell with brass retainer and plastic skirt. The base insulator is part of skirt. A metal fitting attaches to the skirt to dissipate heat. Tipped, G-shaped envelope with phosphor coating on inner wall and clear tip.
Date made
1979
maker
Hollister, Donald
ID Number
1992.0466.01
catalog number
1992.0466.01
accession number
1992.0466
A major hurdle that makers of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have faced stems from the unusual shapes of the lamps, as compared to traditional incandescent lamps. Consumers have grown used to what light bulbs "are supposed" to look like.
Description
A major hurdle that makers of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have faced stems from the unusual shapes of the lamps, as compared to traditional incandescent lamps. Consumers have grown used to what light bulbs "are supposed" to look like. Many have rejected CFLs for that reason despite the potential cost savings.
As lamp makers refined their understanding of the new product, designs were introduced to meet consumers' preferences for less-intrusive styles. Duro-Test developed a series of five modular CFLs around 1996, including this "Duro-Brite" unit that has a removable glass globe covering the twin-tube lamp. Another unit in the collection sports a removable glass reflector. The base-units contain the lamp's ballast and starter, and the tube assemblies themselves are interchangeable.
This unit is a modular CFL with three components: a tube assembly, an adapter, and a glass cover.
Lamp characteristics: Tube assembly is a twin-tube unit mounted on a plastic base. The adapter has a medium-screw base-shell with an insulator that is part of the plastic skirt housing the ballast. A G23 socket is on top for the tube assembly, and key-slots are molded around the edge to attach the cover. Cover is a G-shaped, clear-glass envelope with aluminum collar at bottom. There are stamped protrusions on the inside of the collar to mount the cover onto the adapter. Electrical rating is 13 watts.
date made
ca. 1996
Date made
ca 1996
manufacturer
DURO-TEST Corporation
ID Number
1997.0062.11
catalog number
1997.0062.11
accession number
1997.0062
This lamp was mass-produced for the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This lamp was mass-produced for the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1929
associated date
1879 10 21
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.320684
catalog number
320684
accession number
242716
Experimental tungsten lamp with mercury pool. This lamp’s purpose is unclear but it appears similar early sunlamps.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental tungsten lamp with mercury pool. This lamp’s purpose is unclear but it appears similar early sunlamps.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
maker
General Electric Lighting Company
ID Number
1997.0388.62
catalog number
1997.0388.62
accession number
1997.0388
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
This panel was made in 1960 during tests of solar cells for Project Mariner spacecraft. Batteries were cheap but too heavy and short-lived to use on spacecraft going to other planets in the solar system.
Description (Brief)
This panel was made in 1960 during tests of solar cells for Project Mariner spacecraft. Batteries were cheap but too heavy and short-lived to use on spacecraft going to other planets in the solar system. Early solar cells were very expensive but lightweight and could produce power for years. After half a century this panel still produces direct current electricity; about .5 milliamps at 2.5 volts. There are no clouds in space to block the sun but sunlight is not very powerful. The further away from the sun a spacecraft is, the less sunlight is available for use. Only in the 2010s did engineers increase solar cell efficiency enough to allow solar powered missions to reach the orbit of Jupiter.
date made
ca 1961
ID Number
2016.0070.24
accession number
2016.0070
catalog number
2016.0070.24
An early commercial Edison lamp. The bamboo filament is attached to the lead wires with copper-plated connectors.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An early commercial Edison lamp. The bamboo filament is attached to the lead wires with copper-plated connectors.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1883
maker
Edison Lamp Company
ID Number
EM.318643
catalog number
318643
accession number
232729
Experimental incandescent lamp used at the U.S. Government Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental incandescent lamp used at the U.S. Government Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880
maker
Farmer, Moses G.
ID Number
EM.181978
catalog number
181978
accession number
2015.0173
Original switch key put in on introduction of the second dynamo, November, 1881. A wooden knife switch mounted on a wooden base. Four binding posts. Used in the Hinds-Ketchum printing plant as part of the first commercial installation of the Edison lighting system.
Description (Brief)
Original switch key put in on introduction of the second dynamo, November, 1881. A wooden knife switch mounted on a wooden base. Four binding posts. Used in the Hinds-Ketchum printing plant as part of the first commercial installation of the Edison lighting system.
Date made
1881
maker
Edison Electric Co.
ID Number
EM.180944
catalog number
180944
accession number
24315
Original safety plugs put in on system in December, 1881. Prior to this a small section of lead wire had been soldered into the trunk line and there were no safety plugs [fuses] on any of the main lines to the lamps.
Description (Brief)
Original safety plugs put in on system in December, 1881. Prior to this a small section of lead wire had been soldered into the trunk line and there were no safety plugs [fuses] on any of the main lines to the lamps. Used in the Hinds-Ketchum printing plant as part of the first commercial installation of the Edison lighting system
Date made
1881
maker
Edison Electric Co.
ID Number
EM.180943
catalog number
180943
accession number
24315
Original switch key by which current was turned on lamps in the building. #499 and 451 Water Street, New York City, on the evening of January 15, 1881. A wooden pivot switch mounted on a wooden base. Four binding posts.
Description (Brief)
Original switch key by which current was turned on lamps in the building. #499 and 451 Water Street, New York City, on the evening of January 15, 1881. A wooden pivot switch mounted on a wooden base. Four binding posts. Used in the Hinds-Ketchum printing plant as part of the first commercial installation of the Edison lighting system.
Date made
1881
ID Number
EM.180942
catalog number
180942
accession number
24315
Donor reported: "Fixture and lamp socket, with covered tin shade, used by engravers to concentrate the light on a small space.
Description (Brief)
Donor reported: "Fixture and lamp socket, with covered tin shade, used by engravers to concentrate the light on a small space. This fixture and shade excited great interest at the time as it was apparently the first shade that any one had ever seen which covered the top of the lamp or light without ventilation. Double swing gas pipe brackets with rough tin shades - one extra shade." A converted gas fixture with a keyless Edison socket for a Johnson bevel-ring incandescent lamp. Used in the Hinds-Ketchum printing plant as part of the first commercial installation of the Edison lighting system.
Date made
1881
ID Number
EM.180939
catalog number
180939
accession number
24315
Date made
1831
maker
Henry, Joseph
ID Number
EM.181343
catalog number
181343
accession number
26705
Mock-up of experimental tungsten halogen Gemini lamp with two 60 volt miniature halogen capsules wired in series.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Mock-up of experimental tungsten halogen Gemini lamp with two 60 volt miniature halogen capsules wired in series.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1974-01-17
maker
Fridrich, Elmer G.
ID Number
1996.0147.10
catalog number
1996.0147.10
accession number
1996.0147
Electric power lines have been connecting generating plants to customers since Thomas Edison put lines under the streets of New York City in 1880. Today aluminum lines like these carry electricity hundreds of miles.
Description (Brief)
Electric power lines have been connecting generating plants to customers since Thomas Edison put lines under the streets of New York City in 1880. Today aluminum lines like these carry electricity hundreds of miles. Hanging these high-voltage lines from towers allows the heat generated by their electrical resistance to dissipate into the air. The expanded area near the center is where the cable connects to an insulator.
Location
Currently not on view (cable part)
date made
ca 1970
ID Number
EM.330142
catalog number
330142
accession number
294058
Experimental mercury vapor lamp with clear envelope, rated at 250 watt. The arc-tube is breached in this unit.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental mercury vapor lamp with clear envelope, rated at 250 watt. The arc-tube is breached in this unit.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1951
maker
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
ID Number
1997.0389.46
accession number
1997.0389
catalog number
1997.0389.46
A coiled-tungsten filament lamp designed for use in the base-down position. Lamp has a pear-shaped envelope.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A coiled-tungsten filament lamp designed for use in the base-down position. Lamp has a pear-shaped envelope.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1915
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
EM.307549
catalog number
307549
accession number
68492
This bicycle’s welded steel tapered head tube was created using Elihu Thomson’s electric welding apparatus (see object number MC*181724).
Description
This bicycle’s welded steel tapered head tube was created using Elihu Thomson’s electric welding apparatus (see object number MC*181724). Welding samples demonstrated the potential industrial applications of electric welding, and illustrations of these samples were published in journals, brochures, and advertisements. Elihu Thomson’s invention of electric welding in 1885 resulted in numerous industrial applications including the manufacture of automobile parts, tools, screws, ball bearings, and wire lines. Thomson’s welding apparatus pressed two pieces of metal together while an electric current ran through the metal. Resistance to the current at the contact point between the metal pieces created heat and welded the metals together.
Scientist and inventor Elihu Thomson (1853-1937) played a prominent role in the industrialization and electrification of America with over 700 patents in his name. His inventions and patents helped change the nature of industry in the United States and included the “uniflow” steam engine, automobile muffler, producing fused quartz, stereoscopic x-ray pictures, electric arc lamps, lightning arrestors, and perhaps most notably—the process of electrical welding. Thomson and partner Edwin Houston established the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in 1883. In 1892 Thomson-Houston merged with the Edison Electric Company to form General Electric.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
maker
Thomson, Elihu
ID Number
EM.181673
catalog number
181673
accession number
33015
Production miniature glow-lamp filled with either neon or argon. Used as indicator lamp.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Production miniature glow-lamp filled with either neon or argon. Used as indicator lamp.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
1996.0147.55
accession number
1996.0147
catalog number
1996.0147.55
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1894
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
EM.181698
catalog number
181698
accession number
33184
maker number
9172

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