The History Of Solar Energy Panels

The modern solar panel is the product of several years of research and development

. This device made use of a phenomenon already recognized more than 150 years ago. If we should discuss who invented solar panels then we should look at the story of how the device evolved.

The phenomenon where sunlight caused some materials to generate electric current was discovered in 1839. The Frenchman A. E. Becquerel was the first man to notice the photovoltaic effect. 44 later years, Charles Fritts developed the world's first solar cell.

The first cell invented by Fritts was made from selenium. The semiconductor had a thin coat of gold around it and was not very effective in generating electricity. The reason, now known, is that selenium is not a very good semiconductor. That is why it was so hard to find a practical use for this device.

The work of Bell Laboratories resulted in a more efficient photovoltaic cell manufacturing process. Still it was much more expensive when compared to prevailing methods of creating electricity based on conventional means. Costing $250 to generate one watt made it impractical for day to day use.

The space age and the launching of man-made satellites generated a demand for light-weight sources of electricity. At that time photovoltaic cells were the only technology that offered advantageous power to weight ratios. This prompted research for better ways of making such cells so that in the early 1970s it now took only 100 dollars to produce 1 watt of electricity from sunlight.

In the early 1970s some big oil companies were already projecting that in thirty years conventionally fuelled powered power plants would not be capable of generating cheap electricity. They were now researching into alternative source of power which included sunlight. One big oil company that was looking into the promise of such energy was Exxon.

Exxon founded Solar Power Corporation or SPC. Headed by Elliot Berman, they found more efficient ways of manufacturing photovoltaic cells. They were able to lower the cost of production to $10 for watt of current.

Today the cost of generating electricity from solar energy is becoming much cheaper. An investment of 3.4 dollars in cell technology yields one watt of electricity. The US government has set 2015 where the cost of electricity derived from renewable sunlight is comparable to that generated using conventional means. When grid parity happens, expect a massive shift where renewable and green technologies become increasingly dominant players in electric power generation.

While the first photovoltaic cell can be attributed to Charles Fritts, the story of who invented solar panels can never be attributed to a single person. This is especially true when modern cells are considered. A wide variety of technologies are used to harness the energy of sunlight for creating usable energy. Each technology used has a list of people who were involved in making it possible. A long list of names would be involved when talking about how modern alternative energy generation from the sun came about.

by: Cody Samet

POST COMMENT

Acquire Energy At A Lower Price With Wind Turbines For Your Home Use Roman Shades For New Kind Of Treatment Car Shipping From Usa To Nigeria-guidelines On How To Export Your New Car Blackberry Torch 9860 - New Experience Of Qwerty Keypad The Office Is Where You Want It. The New Paradigm Of Coworking And Virtual Office Solutions. Retail Banking - A New Way For Customer Service Blast Clean Your Property And Make Them Look New And Well Maintained Video Conferencing Software A Brilliant Solution For New Businesses Led Christmas Lighting Accents Help Save Time, Money And Energy Loksha Tours Has Launched A Brand New Port Stephens Full Day Tour Time Zone Database Has New Home After Lawsuit What To Expect From New Jersey Home Care Learn What's New In Excel 2010