Top five incidents In solar energy history

Many of us have a misconception of solar energy history being just a short one. However, if we think about it, this planet has been using solar energy, the day it was formed. The plants use the solar energy for photosynthesis; humans use it for keeping them warm, lighting fire, cooking etc. The solar energy history is a quite old one, since its start from the beginning of life till now.

The most important incident in solar energy history was the discovery of photovoltaic effect in 1839 AD. It was done by the famous French physicist Edmund Becquerel. He found that some materials produce electric current when they are exposed to sun light. Later in 1905 AD professor Albert Einstein described this phenomenon as photoelectric effect. He received the prestigious Noble Prize for his discovery. Earlier than this, pictures belonging to Leonardo da Vinci show that he had been designing techniques to extract solar power during the fifteenth century.

The second milestone incident in solar energy history marked the beginning of the use of solar cells. Practically it started from the mid 1950’s at first 6% efficient solar cells were made. Here, the efficiency denotes the conversion quantity of incident sunlight striking the solar cell, and the amount of usable electricity generated from it. As new technologies were invented, the efficiency started rising and today it stands at 20%.

The third groundbreaking step in solar energy history saw the solar cells being applied to satellite systems. This happened in the year 1958 AD. The solar cells provided electrical power to a satellite for 6 years after which the satellite was decommissioned. That marked the beginning of a realization that solar energy could be looked at as a renewable source.

The last two milestones in solar energy history happened in relation to each other in the 1970’s. The energy crisis along with ongoing oil embargos took its toll on many nations as they undertood from their sorry state that a renewable source of energy has to be looked at in a serious way. They found solar power the best suitable for their purpose. However, while the technology existed, it was too expensive to be applied for civilian setups.

Finally, a breakthrough occurred in the same decade when Dr. Elliot Berman was able to design solar cell that had an easier and cheaper construction cost as compared to the super expensive solar power cells used in satellites. At this point, the complete solar energy history took a new course towards higher, thinner and cheaper solar cell technology.

Today, the situation is such that countries like India and China are looking at solar power to provide electricity at cheaper costs. Germany is already become the most solar power efficient country while other European countries are following suit.