The renewable energy industry operates in a world of changing history, environmental events and government policy and regulations. Here is a brief timeline of events, policies and regulations that relate to the industry and its environmental impacts:
| Date |
Event |
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| Pre-history |
- Use of caves’ geothermal energy for winter warmth and summer cooling; people gathering at hot springs to enjoy warmth from deeper geothermal resources. Wood, a renewable resource, is the primary source of heat used by humans until the emergence of coal in the 19th century of the Common Era.
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| Early history |
- Boats use sails to take advantage of wind energy. Water wheels used to grind grain into meal and flour. Root cellars utilize near-constant subsurface temperatures (geothermal energy) to keep vegetables from freezing or spoiling.
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| 400 B.C.E. |
- Greeks are the first people (in recorded history) to orient their houses to make use of the sun to trap solar heat during winter.
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| 600s |
- Oldest known windmills are developed by Persians (a region now occupied by Iran). These crude devices consist of a simple tower supporting paddles made from bundled reeds.
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| 1100s to 1700s |
- Windmills begin to be used in Europe to grind or mill grain, saw wood and pump water. Water-powered gristmills and sawmills become more common.
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| 1839 |
- French scientist Henry Becquerel discovers the photovoltaic effect — the production of electricity directly from the sun.
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| 1854 |
- Halladay windmill, a small windmill designed for water pumping, begins widespread trend to use of water-pumping windmills in North America.
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| 1860s |
- Energy from hot springs begins to be used in the United States to heat homes and bathhouses.
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| 1886 |
- Hot water from the Banff, Alberta, hot springs piped to hotels and spas.
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| 1888 |
- U.S. scientist and businessman Charles Brush builds first automated wind turbine for electricity generation. It measures 17 metres tall and has 144 rotor blades, all made of cedar.
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| 1890 |
- Wind turbines to generate electricity begin to appear in Denmark. By 1918, wind turbines provide about three per cent of the country’s electricity.
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| 1891 |
- The first solar water heater is patented.
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| 1904 |
- Italian scientist Piero Ginori Conti invents the first geothermal electric power plant.
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| 1920s and 1930s |
- Thousands of small, battery-charging wind turbines are built across rural areas of North America to power electric lighting and appliances on farm homesteads.
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| 1940s |
- As fossil fuel prices fall after World War II, interest in wind turbines decreases in the North America and elsewhere.
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| 1946 |
- First ground-source geothermal heat pump installed at Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon.
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| 1950s |
- Scientists develop solar cell from silicon. Early photovoltaic cells are expensive and their use is limited to specialty applications such as space exploration.
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| 1960 |
- Pacific Gas and Electric begins operation of first large-scale geothermal power plant at the Geysers north of San Francisco, producing 11 megawatts. Today, 69 geothermal generating facilities are in operation at 18 resource sites around the United States.
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| 1970s |
- During the oil crisis of 1973, many countries begin exploring alternative sources of energy. This sparks government-sponsored renewable energy research programs in Germany, Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- Renewed government interest in renewables triggers the development and use of new wind turbine designs, helping to cut the cost of wind power per kilowatt-hour in half over the next two decades. Wind farms or wind power plants begin to be built in the U.S and Europe.
- By the end of the 1970s, there are more than 100 solar manufacturers and equipment suppliers in the U.S.
- Geothermal heat pumps and underground thermal energy storage systems gain popularity as a means to reduce heating and cooling costs, especially in commercial and institutional buildings.
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| 1975 |
- Drilling begins to assess high-temperature geothermal resources for electricity generation in British Columbia
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| 1980s |
- Encouraged by government regulations and the availability of wind in mountain passes, thousands of wind turbines are set up in California. By 1991, total private investment in wind energy in the state amounts to US$3.2 billion.
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| 1990s |
- As public concerns about environmental issues such as air pollution and climate change grow, governments in Canada and elsewhere take a greater interest in using renewable energy as a way to decrease greenhouse gases and other emissions.
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| 1990 |
- Ontario Hydro funds a program to install geothermal heat pumps in 6,749 residences not served by natural gas.
- The U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments increase demand for biofuels such as ethanol in the U.S.
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| 1994 |
- The Cowley Ridge Windplant, near Pincher Creek, Alberta, is completed, becoming the first commercial wind plant in Canada.
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| 2002 |
- Global wind energy generating capacity reaches 31,000 megawatts.
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| 2004 |
- Western GeoPower Corp. applies for government approvals to build a $340-million, 100-megawatt geothermal power plant at Meager Creek, northwest of Whistler, B.C. Manitoba government announces program providing loans of to $15,000 towards installation of geothermal heat pump systems.
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