The Fascinating Solar Energy History

Sun is the sole energy provider to our planet and has been emitting the rays and ensured the smooth functioning of all life cycles from the time when the plant and animal kingdom came into existence. Solar energy history thus dates back to where it all began. The ancient Greek civilization harnessed solar energy and legends describe the pursuits of the people to tap the solar energy to burn down enemy ships. The wind and biomass as the forms of solar energy have been put to use by human civilizations all over the world. Be it the windmills of Netherlands or the dung cakes used for cooking in India, the solar energy history is rich and the legacy of our fore fathers continues.

With the industrial revolution few centuries back, there was a deliberate shift from the natural resources to the rampant use of fossil fuels like coal and oils for mass productions. This helped in rapid growth and huge profits for men and they tried to bring more minerals and resources at their disposal leading to widespread deforestation and pollution. Even at those times there were few people who knew about the solar energy history and were concerned about the depleting fossil fuels.

In 1838, Edmund Becquerel published papers on converting sunlight into electric energy. They were considered fascinating but no one showed any interest in developing them. During the 1860s a French scientist Auguste Mountouch developed a motor which used solar energy to form steam and drive a steam engine. But it was soon redundant as the French monarch made a deal of coal as the fuel for steam engines. The major breakthrough was in 1873 when a British Willoughby Smith studied the importance of selenium cells for converting solar energy into electricity. Charles fritz eventually converted solar energy to electricity with his solar cell in 1883 and added a glorious page to the solar energy history.

In the modern era, papers are still being published on making the solar energy usable and affordable for common masses. The development of photovoltaics has opened up whole new avenues of solar batteries and solar power generator which can be seen as the future for the green way of living. The solar energy history in every religion is fascinating and fun. Hindus prayed sun and still consider the sun god as the life giver as they have festivals like Makar Sankranti and pongal to celebrate supremacy of sun over all energy sources. Be it the sun god Apollo of the Greeks or the Easter bon fire of the Christians, legacy of recognising solar power in our lives still continues.