Lester Allan Pelton

Lester Allen Pelton
Pelton, c. 1880
BornSeptember 5, 1829
DiedMarch 14, 1908 (1908-03-15) (aged 78)
OccupationInventor
AwardsElliott Cresson Medal (1895)

Lester Allan Pelton (September 5, 1829 – March 14, 1908) was an American inventor who contributed significantly to the development of hydroelectricity and hydropower in the American Old West as well as world-wide. In the late 1870s, he invented the Pelton water wheel, at that time the most efficient design of the impulse water turbine. Recognized as one of the fathers of hydroelectric power, he was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal during his lifetime and is an inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.[1]

  1. ^ "Lester Allen Pelton". Hall of Fame / Inventor Profile. National Inventors Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2011.