By Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Inventive Minds: Inventing Green features the stories of historic and contemporary inventors whose work on socially-responsible technologies creates profound change for the common good.
Gem Steel Wind Engine trade card (1885) by Geo. Tyler & Co.Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
WIND POWER AT THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Windmills in the late 1800s were used primarily to pump water on rural homesteads. It was a competitive market, and many innovators worked to improve the technology.
The Gem Steel Wind Engine was self-lubricating.
- Trade card, Gem Steel Wind Engine, about 1885. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Trade card, Eclipse Wind Mill (1890) by Rev. Leonard WheelerLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
The self-regulating Eclipse windmill was originally patented by Rev. Leonard Wheeler in 1867.
- Trade card, Eclipse Wind Mill, around 1890
Fairbanks Eclipse Wind Mill Brochure (1890) by Fairbanks, Morse & Co.Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
The “Fairbanks” was an all-steel windmill.
- Brochure, Fairbanks Eclipse Wind Mill, about 1890. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Challenge Wind Mill and Feed Mill Co. trade card (1900) by The Challenge Co. of BataviaLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
The Challenge Co. of Batavia, Illinois produced several windmill designs for the US and overseas markets.
- Trade card, Challenge Wind Mill and Feed Mill Co., Batavia, Illinois, around 1900. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
As electrification reached more American homes and farms from the 1930s on...
...windmills were replaced increasingly with electric motors.
Today, concerns about fossil fuels and global climate change...
...are driving new innovations in renewable wind power.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY IN THE 1980S
Knoxville, Tennessee is home to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which supplies electric power to seven states. It also sits in the heart of a major coal-mining region and is about 30 miles east of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a leader in energy research. So it is not surprising that the city was selected as the site for the 1982 World’s Fair whose theme was “Energy Turns the World.”
Larry Zim World's Fair Collection Stamp Booklet (1982) by Larry Zim and United States Postal ServiceLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
- Larry Zim World's Fair Collection Stamp Booklet (1982)
by Larry Zim, United States Postal Service
Sunsphere cover illustration commemorative stamps booklet (1982) by United States Postal Service and Larry ZimLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
From the 266-foot-tall Sunsphere made of energy-efficient glass to the solar panels that powered the US Pavilion and the working windmills at Australia’s exhibition, the fair offered an enthusiastic glimpse into a future fueled by new energy technologies.
Synchronar 2100, solar-powered LED watch (1973) by Roger RiehlLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Consumer Solar
Solar-powered consumer products—including wristwatches, radios, and calculators—were available soon after solar cells were invented in the 1950s.
Roger Riehl, a self-taught electronics expert, invented one of the first watches to use solar energy.
His highly accurate Synchronar 2100 had a recessed light-emitting diode (LED) display on the side of the watch.
Hoffman model KP709XS transistor solar radio (1962) by Hoffman ElectronicsLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Hoffman Electronics manufactured cells for satellites but also introduced a portable transistor radio that could run on sunlight or batteries.
- Hoffman model KP709XS transistor solar radio, about 1962, gift of Glen E. Swanson.
Unisonic Solar 185 handheld electronic calculator (1983) by John B. PriserLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Five small solar panels at the top powered the Unisonic 185 calculator.
Inventive Minds: Subhendu GuhaLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Subhendu Guha was born in Kolkata, India. After completing his PhD in 1968, he investigated properties of semiconductors and became interested in their use to convert sunlight into electricity (photovoltaics). Guha focused his research on amorphous silicon, an element found in sand that can be applied as a thin film to produce a photovoltaic material. In the 1990s, he created a photovoltaic panel that was lightweight, flexible, rugged, durable, and easy to install. He also led the invention of flexible solar roofing shingles. Guha believed that it was important not only to reduce reliance on fossil fuels through solar energy but also to make electricity available for people in developing countries where no electrical grid exists.
(Duration: 2m26s)
Batteries Today
Colombian-born inventor Amy Prieto’s research on new, fast-charging, long-lasting, and green rechargeable batteries. She joined the Colorado State University (CSU) chemistry department in 2005 after completing doctoral and post-doctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University. She says that she was attracted to CSU because of the culture of collaboration there, with an openness to sharing resources and knowledge that she believes is crucial to her work.
Inventive Minds: Amy PrietoLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Prieto founded her company, Prieto Battery, in 2009 to take the battery from research to prototype to commercialization. Still in development, the heart of the battery is a thin slice of copper “foam” that, like a sponge, is full of holes. This 3-dimensional structure increases the amount of surface area and allows lithium ions to move more freely and over shorter distances than in conventional batteries that are assembled in flat layers. Prieto explains that “the ions can go in many different directions, but they don’t have to go very far.”
In addition, Prieto’s solid-state battery contains none of the toxic or flammable liquid components found in traditional batteries. “As part of our mission to deliver a battery that can be used by the masses,” the company asserts, “Prieto is working to develop a process that is cost competitive and friendly to the environment.” This includes water-based manufacturing using citric acid (a common natural preservative) and a standard electroplating process.
(Duration: 2m24s)
Components of prototype Prieto batteries (2014) by PrietoLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
The board holds several different types of cells for testing. Electrodes made with different combinations of copper foil, copper foam, and copper antimony are at the left. Standard paint sample color cards (center) are used to compare tests of the copper antimony substrate. A piece of copper foam is at the right.
- Components of prototype Prieto batteries, 2014
Inventive Minds: Sunil CherianLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
THE GRID
Sunil Cherian, the founder and CEO of Spirae, Inc. in Fort Collins, Colorado, works on smart grid technology that balances variations in supply and demand from diverse energy sources to best meet the needs of energy consumers.
(Duration: 2m53s)
Inventive Minds: Bryan WillsonLemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
ENGINES AND ENERGY POLICY
Bryan Willson, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Energy Institute at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, has a wide-ranging vision for clean energy.
(Duration: 3m30s)
Energy
Story by Joyce Bedi and Alison Oswald
of the
Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
at the
National Museum of American History
Presentation by
Marc Bretzfelder
<a href="https://www.si.edu>Smithsonian Institution</a><br>Office of the Chief Information Officer</p>
