Power

The steam engine was the first effective power source to release man from reliance on natural energy: muscle power, wind- or watermills.

Thanks to Newcomen, Watt, Trevithick and many other engineers, steam developed into industry’s primary power source. Reliable and economic, the steam engine was the motor of economic growth in nineteenth century.

© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

And by 1900, the steam turbine offered yet another exciting development. It formed the basis for a new electricity generating industry. Industry became integrated into an expanding power network with factories connected to an electrical grid.

© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

So what generates power for industry and domestic use now? Although the means of making heat to produce steam has changed, the steam turbine continues to meet most of our everyday energy needs.