Energy & Power

Gasoline Pump

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.

Electroluminescent panel

Experimental electroluminescent panel. This flexible panel provides low-level, diffuse light.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental electroluminescent panel. This flexible panel provides low-level, diffuse light.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1958
maker
Sylvania Electric Products Inc.
ID Number
1998.0005.04
catalog number
1998.0005.04
accession number
1998.0005

Coiled-coil Tungsten Lamp

Sylvania tungsten lamp with a coiled-coil filament.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Sylvania tungsten lamp with a coiled-coil filament.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
maker
Sylvania Electric Products Inc.
ID Number
1992.0342.31
accession number
1992.0342
catalog number
1992.0342.31

Experimental solar cell module

Scientists and inventors in the 19th century recognized that some materials respond electrically to exposure to light. Alexander Graham Bell, for example, demonstrated in 1880 a “photophone” that could transmit voices using the action of sunlight on selenium.
Description (Brief)
Scientists and inventors in the 19th century recognized that some materials respond electrically to exposure to light. Alexander Graham Bell, for example, demonstrated in 1880 a “photophone” that could transmit voices using the action of sunlight on selenium. In the 1930s, Daryl Chapin studied magnetic recording at Bell Labs but later shifted to research on generating electricity with sunlight. In 1954, building on earlier work done by colleague Russell Ohl on fused silicon, Chapin, Calvin Fuller and Gerald Pearson invented a practical solar cell. In 1969 Chapin donated two of his experimental solar cells to the Smithsonian. He also donated a module used in a test installation in Americus, Georgia, to power a rural telephone relay.
date made
1955
maker
Bell Laboratories
ID Number
EM.330094
catalog number
330094
accession number
285748

Rotary electric light switch

Date made
1882
date made
1887
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
Bergmann & Co.
ID Number
EM.181754
catalog number
181754
accession number
33261

Modular Compact Fluorescent Lamp

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

Experimental Lamp Filament

An unfinished tungsten wire filament for use in an incandescent lamp.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An unfinished tungsten wire filament for use in an incandescent lamp.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1972
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
1996.0147.91
accession number
1996.0147
catalog number
1996.0147.91

Experimental Short Arc Lamp

Incomplete experimental arc lamp. Excess glass has not been trimmed from the seal ends and the leads are loose.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Incomplete experimental arc lamp. Excess glass has not been trimmed from the seal ends and the leads are loose.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1967
maker
Fridrich, Elmer G.
ID Number
1996.0147.69
accession number
1996.0147
catalog number
1996.0147.69

Tungsten Halogen Lamp in Package

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

Krypton-filled Incandescent Lamp

Krypton-filled "Super Bulb". Adding krypton gas to an incandescent lamp slightly boosts energy efficiency.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Krypton-filled "Super Bulb". Adding krypton gas to an incandescent lamp slightly boosts energy efficiency.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
ID Number
1997.0389.21
accession number
1997.0389
catalog number
1997.0389.21

Hoffman P/N photovoltaic cells

Solar cells come in many shapes and sizes, and are manufactured with a variety of materials. Hoffman Electronics made cells for satellites in the late 1950s but company president H. Leslie Hoffman believed the sun could power other products.
Description (Brief)
Solar cells come in many shapes and sizes, and are manufactured with a variety of materials. Hoffman Electronics made cells for satellites in the late 1950s but company president H. Leslie Hoffman believed the sun could power other products. This type 200A quarter-round cell is mounted in a plastic housing and was sold through radio supply houses and catalogs. Hoffman manufactured a line of solar-powered radios that used quarter-round cells of this type.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Hoffman Electronics Corp.
ID Number
2016.0061.02
accession number
2016.0061
catalog number
2016.0061.02

p-type multi-crystal solar cell for terrestrial use

Solar cells come in many shapes and sizes, and are manufactured with a variety of materials. The wafer of this round cell is made with the element silicon and has an anti-reflection coating of titanium dioxide.
Description (Brief)
Solar cells come in many shapes and sizes, and are manufactured with a variety of materials. The wafer of this round cell is made with the element silicon and has an anti-reflection coating of titanium dioxide. The dark areas convert sunlight into electricity while the thick and thin lines are part of the electrical circuit. The silver, crescent-shaped main lead runs along one edge and gathers the charge from fourteen thin “fingers” that run horizontally across the wafer. This solar cell was designed for use on the ground rather than in space.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2016.0070.06
accession number
2016.0070
catalog number
2016.0070.06

Campaign speeches are useful, at that

This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist. After receiving an engineering degree, he started his career designing sewers for the City of San Francisco, but then followed his other interest and took a job as a sports cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. After moving to New York in 1907 Goldberg worked for several newspapers, producing a number of short-lived strips and panels—many of which were inspired by his engineering background, including his renowned invention cartoons. In the late 1930s and 1940s he switched his focus to editorial and political cartoons and in 1945 founded the National Cartoonists Society. The Reuben, comic art’s most prestigious award, is named after him.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1924-10-31
original artist
Goldberg, Rube
ID Number
GA.23492
catalog number
23492
accession number
299186

Experimental Fluorescent Lamp

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

Conversion Kit for Exit Sign

Compact fluorescent lamp retrofit kit in original package. Designed to replace incandescent lamps in exit signs.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Compact fluorescent lamp retrofit kit in original package. Designed to replace incandescent lamps in exit signs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1996
maker
Philips Lighting Company
ID Number
1997.0389.10
accession number
1997.0389
catalog number
1997.0389.10

Phosphor sample

Sample of YOX (Yttrium Oxide Europium) phosphor. Glows red when exposed to ultraviolet light.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Sample of YOX (Yttrium Oxide Europium) phosphor. Glows red when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1995
Maker
Philips Lighting BV
ID Number
1996.0166.07
catalog number
1996.0166.07
accession number
1996.0166

Experimental Arc Lamp Components

Pre-pinches used to make mini-arc lamps showing foil seals for tipless lamp construction.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Pre-pinches used to make mini-arc lamps showing foil seals for tipless lamp construction.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1969
maker
Fridrich, Elmer G.
ID Number
1996.0147.21
accession number
1996.0147
catalog number
1996.0147.21

Reproduction Experimental Incandescent Lamp

Reproduction platinum filament lamp. Moses Farmer purportedly used lamps like this in his home in September 1859.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Reproduction platinum filament lamp. Moses Farmer purportedly used lamps like this in his home in September 1859.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
maker
Farmer, Moses G.
ID Number
EM.181352.01
catalog number
181352.01
accession number
2015.0173

experimental silicon photosensitive electromotive force cell

Engineer Russell Ohl worked at Bell Labs during the 1930s and made a discovery that contributed to the invention of both solar cells and transistors.
Description (Brief)
Engineer Russell Ohl worked at Bell Labs during the 1930s and made a discovery that contributed to the invention of both solar cells and transistors. While researching semiconductors—materials whose ability to conduct electricity can be manipulated—he found positive (P) and negative (N) regions created by impurities in his silicon sample. The barrier between the regions, called a P-N junction, prevented electrons from moving—until he exposed the silicon to sunlight. Then electrons crossed the junction and generated a current, converting sunlight into electrical energy. The silicon rod mounted in this reflector contains a P-N junction across the center and is drawn as figure eight on U.S. Patent 2,402,662, "Light-Sensitive Electric Device," issued to Ohl on 25 June 1946.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
associated date
1940
associated user
unknown
associated person
Ohl, Russell S.
maker
Ohl, Russell S.
ID Number
EM.334949
catalog number
334949
accession number
314577
maker number
10
patent number
2402662

Experimental Compact Fluorescent Lamp

Experimental toroidal-shaped Solenoidal Electric Field lamp with a torr seal. Experimental electrodeless lamp.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental toroidal-shaped Solenoidal Electric Field lamp with a torr seal. Experimental electrodeless lamp.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1973
maker
Anderson, John M.
Roberts, Victor D.
ID Number
1998.0050.13
accession number
1998.0050
catalog number
1998.0050.13

Modular Compact Fluorescent Lamp

"Duro-Brite" compact fluorescent reflector lamp. Modular design allows parts to be replaced separately.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
"Duro-Brite" compact fluorescent reflector lamp. Modular design allows parts to be replaced separately.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1996
maker
DURO-TEST Corporation
ID Number
1997.0062.10
catalog number
1997.0062.10
accession number
1997.0062

Replica Edison Lamp

Replica Edison sewing thread filament lamp made by Francis Jehl for the 50th anniversary of the invention.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Replica Edison sewing thread filament lamp made by Francis Jehl for the 50th anniversary of the invention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
associated date
1879 10 21
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
Jehl, Francis
ID Number
EM.318327
catalog number
318327
accession number
232729

Carbon Filament Lamp

“Meridian” lamps were designed for stylish installations. They featured a globe shape with no external exhaust tip.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
“Meridian” lamps were designed for stylish installations. They featured a globe shape with no external exhaust tip.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1906
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
EM.230830
catalog number
230830
accession number
43304

Carbon Filament Lamp

Incandescent lamp with United States base and cellulose filament. Envelope made of milk-glass.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Incandescent lamp with United States base and cellulose filament. Envelope made of milk-glass.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
maker
Weston
Weston Electric Light Co.
ID Number
EM.311920
catalog number
311920
accession number
156658

Nernst Incandescent Lamp Component

This glower assembly was the active element in a Nernst incandescent lamp. When it burned out it could be quickly replaced. The glower consists of iron rods coated with rare-earth elements.
Description (Brief)
This glower assembly was the active element in a Nernst incandescent lamp. When it burned out it could be quickly replaced. The glower consists of iron rods coated with rare-earth elements. The coating gives off light when heated and protects the rod from oxidation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co.
ID Number
EM.334501
catalog number
334501
accession number
271855

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