| Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant | |
|---|---|
 Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant in 2011 | |
 | |
| Country |
|
| Location | Ames, Colorado, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°51′52.88″N 107°52′55.18″W / 37.8646889°N 107.8819944°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1891 |
| Owner | Xcel Energy |
| Thermal power station | |
| Turbine technology | Hydroelectric |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 |
| Nameplate capacity | 3.75 MW |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
The Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant, constructed in 1890 near Ophir, Colorado, was one of the first (if not the first) commercial system to produce and transmit alternating current (AC) electricity for industrial use and one of the first AC hydro-electric plants ever constructed.[1] It became operational in 1891 and was built by Westinghouse Electric around two of their large alternators. One was set up in the valley as a generator and driven by water. It was connected by a 2.6-mile (4.2 km) transmission line to the second alternator used as a motor up at the Gold King Mine to drive the mining operation. The facility has been changed and upgraded over the years but is still in operation. It is now on the List of IEEE Milestones.[2]
- ^ "CHARLES C. BRITTON, An Early Electric Power Facility in Colorado, Colorado Magazine v49n3 Summer 1972, page 185" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ "Milestones:Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant, 1891". IEEE Global History Network. IEEE. Retrieved 29 July 2011.