Energy Inventors

Lester Allan Pelton Born 1829 in Ohio Carpenter/millwright 1850 moved to California for Gold Rush Died 1908 http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.geocities.com/vermviews/x.html

Inventions Water turbine called the Pelton Wheel One of the most efficient inventions in mining http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_lester_pelton.htm

Charles F. Brush Born 1849 Company merged with General Electric 1892 Died 1929 http://www.windpower.org/en/pictures/brush.htm

Inventions Efficient DC dynamo used in the public electrical grid First commercial electrical arc light Efficient method for manufacturing lead-acid batteries First automatically operating wind turbine for electricity generation http://www.windpower.org/en/pictures/brush.htm

Nikola Tesla Born 1856 in Austria-Hungary Emigrated to US in 1884 Physicist Worked for Thomas Edison Became Edison’s enemy Best Friend of Mark Twain Died nearly penniless and alone 1943 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

Inventions AC Current-powers household appliances Robotics Speedometers Efficient electrical generators Bladeless turbine still used today Radio waves to detect ships (RADAR) Fluorescent lighting Hydroelectric power

Rudolf Diesel Born 1858 in France Refrigerator Engineer Thermal Engineer Social Theorist Became a millionaire by 1898 Died 1913 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Diesel

Invention Patented diesel engine Diesel engine efficiency of 75% compared to steam engine with 10% efficiency Wanted to help the everyday person compete with big companies Helped big companies by powering mines, oil fields, factories and transoceanic shipping