The Extent of Steam Power Diffusion in Britain, 1774–1800: A Revision

Haris Kitsikopoulos
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Haris Kitsikopoulos: Unbound Prometheus

Chapter Chapter 1 in An Economic History of British Steam Engines, 1774-1870, 2023, pp 3-27 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The diffusion of steam power in Britain was quite modest during the first three-quarters of the eighteenth century. The Newcomen model, functioning with reciprocating motion, came to dominate the draining of collieries, and it stood at an almost equal footing with water power in metal mines. But it was less prevalent in providing blast for furnaces in the iron industry, while adoption rates stood at trivial levels in other sectors of the economy. The situation changed radically in the last quarter of the century with the ushering of the Watt era. The first Watt engines were not only more sophisticated from a technical viewpoint, but, most importantly, the potential range of adoption was expanded with the invention of engines working with rotary motion. This chapter will subject the most updated version of the Kanefsky database to econometric analysis providing estimates for the aggregate and sectoral amounts of HP adopted by 1800.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-27362-9_1

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