Hello there, my solar friends.
This is the first Solar Surfer™ blog coming at you like a blast of photons and
I wanted to reach back in time and explore Thomas Edison’s contribution to the
world of clean energy. What role did he play? How influential was he? No time
or energy to waste right now, so lets get to it.
When someone thinks of Mr.
Edison, light bulbs usually come to mind.
Maybe batteries, too. But what is
the common factor with light bulbs and batteries? Electricity! Yes, Edison was
a man concerned about electricity and powering the country. In fact, he built one of the country’s first
central power stations in New York City in 1882 and believed that powering
buildings would one day be one of the country’s largest energy expenditures.
The electric threads of this
little blog are starting to come together…………
Now, I know what you’re thinking:
“Edison built volt thirsty light bulbs, batteries, even antiquated power
stations, but how did he help the clean energy cause??” Well, let your friendly
Solar Surfer elaborate a bit more. Some of the first public glimpses of Edison’s
clean energy leanings were chronicled in the Atlanta Constitution in 1901,
where Edison envisioned a windmill coupled to a small generator that could help
power homes on the countryside. Henry
Ford even teamed up with Edison to build the original electric car using
Edison’s batteries! Not only that, but Edison planned to build recharging
stations along trolley lines. Talk about
a man with some vision!!
I know the last question on our
clean energy minds has to do with solar, and did Mr. Edison have an energetic
affection to solar power? Drum roll………….Yes! Thomas Edison was a believer in
solar and if he would have lived longer, it would seem likely he would have
made great contributions to the solar movement. In fact, I hope the following
quote gets you bursting with some clean energy pride and will inspire you to
learn a little more about the great man and inventor, Thomas Alva Edison.
Stay Solar,
