subject: Solar Energy Part 1. The Beginning [print this page] Solar Energy Part 1Solar Energy Part 1. The Beginning
Solar technology started over a century ago. Before concerns over global warming, or the energy crisis, scientists were learning how to harness the sun's energy. In 1838, Edmund Becquerel published his observations and findings about the nature of materials to turn sunlight into energy. While his finding were interesting, no practical application was pursued.
It was not until 1860 that Auguste Mouchout became the first man to patent a design for a motor powered by solar energy. With the French monarchy funding his research, he designed a device that turned solar energy into mechanical steam power. This technology soon powered the first steam engine. Mouchout went on to connect the steam engine to a refrigeration device. He used this device to make ice! He was awarded a medal for this truly ground-breaking technology.
Just as it seemed solar power was about to take off, the French Monarchy cut Mouchout's funding, effectively ending Mouchout's 20 yrs of Solar research and innovation. The French negotiated a deal with England for the supply of cheap coal, which was ultimately used to power the steam engine.
Solar power research did not stop after Mouchout, but the focus was shifted far to the back of mainstream power options. Coal was cheap, and readily available, and solar power was just getting started.
Despite Mouchout's setbacks, other scientists and inventors continued to explore solar technology. In 1873 a British man named Willoughby Smith experimented with the use of selenium solar cells after discovering its sensitivity to light. Then in 1876 William Adams, wrote the first book about Solar Energy called: A Substitute for Fuel in Tropical Countries. With his student, Richard Day, he experimented with the use of mirrors and used solar energy to power a 2.5 horsepower steam engine. This was much bigger than Mouchout's 0.5 horsepower steam engine. Adam's design, known as the Power Tower concept, is still in use today.
Solar development continued in the 19th century with John Ericsson, an American immigrant from Sweden. Ericsson expressed his thoughts about finite resources when he wrote "A couple of thousand years dropped in the ocean of time will completely exhaust the coal fields of Europe, unless, in the meantime, the heat of the sun be employed."
Ericsson then worked to develop a solar powered steam engine, very similar in design
to Mouchout's engine, and powered solar innovation into the 20th century
