When was solar panels first invented

In its most primitive state, energy from the sun has been revered and put to use almost as long as man has walked the earth. By the 3rd century B. Sunrooms were invented in ancient times to capture solar energy for its natural warmth. These usually south-facing rooms have captured and concentrated sunlight from the famous Roman bathhouses to Native American adobes, and are still popular today in many modern homes.

One legend in Greek solar history is of the scientist Archimedes setting fire to besieging wooden ships from the Roman Empire. Think of it as a kind of ancient solar laser beam. Whether this actually happened in Archimedes' time or not is unverified. But this experiment in solar power was tested by the Greek navy in the s.

They did set fire to a wooden test ship 50 meters away using nothing but the legendary bronze shield and the solar light energy. In , French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect while experimenting with a cell made of metal electrodes in a conducting solution.

Just three years later, in William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day applied the photovoltaic principle discovered by Becquerel to selenium. They recorded that it could, in fact, generate electricity when exposed to light.

In a way, many physicists played a part in solar cell invention. Becquerel is attributed with uncovering the potential of the photovoltaic effect, and Fritz with actually creating the ancestor to all solar cells. In , Einstein published a paper on the photoelectric effect and how light carries energy.

The big leap toward the solar cells like the ones used in panels today came from the work of Bell Labs in Three scientists there, Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson, created a more practical solar cell using silicon. Advantages to silicon are better efficiency and its wide availability as a natural resource. But within a few years solar cells were commonly used to power satellites, and other applications followed.

Chapin soon simplified the process of making silicon solar cells and even developed a solar cell science experiment for high school students. Solar cells today are used in all sorts of devices, from handheld calculators to rooftop solar panels. Improved designs and advanced materials have made it possible to build solar cells that reach over 40 percent efficiency, and research and development continues with the goal of bringing the cost down and raising the efficiency to make solar power more competitive with fossil fuels.

Historic Sites Initiative Locations and details of historic physics events. APS News Archives. Librarians Authors Referees Media Students. Login Become a Member Contact Us. Editor: Alan Chodos. Follow Us. Prize and Award Nominations Now Electronic. Science Journalism Faces Perilous Times. There was now a need for a more renewable energy source. A couple of years later and the U.

S Signal Corps Laboratories were developing photovoltaic cells for Earth orbiting satellites. It led to the solar array on the Vanguard 1 space mission.

With further developments, solar power became the accepted energy source for space application and remains so today. Advances led to various attempts to commercialise solar photovoltaics in the s and 60s. There was little success. Enter your postcode to compare quotes from leading professionals. Privacy Policy. By solar panel power plants were built with ARCO solar, producing more than 1 megawatt of photovoltaic modules a year. The company helped set up the first megawatt-scale power station in Hisperia, California.

That year construction on a U. Department of Energy project named Solar One was finished. The heat ran a steam turbine generator. It did so using mirrors, each mirror being 40m2 ft2 with a total area of 72, m2.

This was under 1-sun conditions. A year later ARCO released the first commercially available thin-film solar power module. The cell was made from gallium indium phosphide and gallium arsenide. A skyscraper in New York City right used these new higher efficiency thin cells on a selection of its floors. They helped to meet the buildings energy needs a few years later.

We now reach the year Construction of solar panels at the largest plant reached a production capacity of megawatts of power a year. But in the next decades, the federal government was more involved with solar energy research and development, creating grants and tax incentives for those who used solar systems. According to Solar Energy Industries Association , solar has had an average annual growth rate of 50 percent in the last 10 years in the United States, largely due to the Solar Investment Tax Credit enacted in Installing solar is also more affordable now due to installation costs dropping over 70 percent in the last decade.

That said, at least until recently, the means to find a viable and affordable energy solution is more important than making solar cells aesthetically pleasing or beautiful. Today, companies are striving towards better looking and advanced solar technology, such as building-applied photovoltaic BAPV.

This type of discreet solar cell is integrated into existing roof tiles or ceramic and glass facades of buildings. Solus Engineering, Enpulz, Guardian Industries Corporation, SolarCity Corporation, United Solar Systems, and Tesla after their merger with SolarCity have all been issued patents for solar cells that are much more discreet than the traditional solar panel.

All of the patents incorporate photovoltaic systems, which transform light into electricity using semiconducting materials such as silicon. Solar panels and solar technology has come a long way, so these patented inventions are proof that the technology is still improving its efficiency and aesthetics. Learn more about the U. Patent and Trademark Office Learn More.