Energy History – Active History

Hydro Power, Energy Transitions, and the Onset of Canada’s Great Acceleration

May 13, 2026 No Comments

Aerial black-and-white photograph of the Queenston-Chippawa hydroelectric generating station, showing the large powerhouse building at the base of a cliff with penstocks (water conduits) visible along the slope, surrounded by rural farmland and roads, likely taken in the early 1920s during or shortly after construction.

Daniel Macfarlane This is the second post in a series exploring the potential of the Great Acceleration as a framework and reconnaissance of Canadian environmental history. The posts in this series are cross-posted with Active History. If the Great Acceleration – the dramatic increase in human activity and the resulting impact on the Earth’s natural systems since the mid-20th century – is… Read more »