Solar Energy History Revisited

Sun, the ultimate source of power for mankind has been giving us light and heat since the day it was created. Not only human but plants also use sunlight for their photosynthesis. Solar energy history is often said to be a short history but it is wrong. Since ancient times sun was used to keep the human warm by starting fire using it. They also kept their houses warm by using passive solar energy designs. Houses were built in such a way to keep them cool during the day and warm during the night. The solar energy history is much to be known and we will discuss it further.

Apart from the heating effect of the sun, its energy in recent times is also used to generate electricity. The renowned French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaics in 1839 AD. He found that electricity could be produced in certain material when exposed to light. Later, Albert Einstein in 1905 AD described the photoelectric effect on which photovotaics are based and for which he received the Noble Prize. Their names are written in golden letters in the solar energy history. Solar cells that we use today have been available since 1950. These were made up of silicon and were 6% efficient.

The next chapters of solar energy history saw researchers making huge strides in increasing the efficiency of the solar cells. Nowadays more than 20% efficient solar cells are used commercially. By 20% efficiency, we mean that out of the total sunlight that hits the solar cell, 20% is converted into usable electricity. The photovoltaics are also used in the satellites. This was its biggest application. Solar cells provided electricity to the satellite continuously for six years after which the project was success, as it is a renewable source causing no pollution its demand increased day by day.

Since then, solar power is used for all the satellites. This started a search for alternative source of energy. This included research into renewable sources such as solar power, wind power and geothermal power. This mostly rounds up everything about solar energy history although much is left.

As we enter the new era, new technologies are being developed which are making the solar power more cheap and usable and by each passing day, a new solar energy history is created.

We should put more effort on solar energy and emphasis on it as a primary source of generating power for its eco-friendliness with environment.

Solar Energy History and Its Importance

The Hindu and Greek mythologies are rich with the occasions and events of sun’s worship. The Greeks christen Sun as Apollo and Helios while the Indians worshipped him as a creator who circles the universe on his chariot driven by ten horses.

Solar energy history in mythology is rich in legends and can be found in various scriptures. However, the main hidden fact is the importance of sun and its energy in the lives of people from early times. Such was the supremacy of sun that the hymns dedicated to sun are present in Rig Veda, which is considered to be the first written document by any civilization.

The importance of solar energy history lies in the fact that present conditions are threatening the existence of mankind and we need desperate measures to stop pollution and global warming. The improved standards of living have made us reliable on luxuries, which require power to be driven, and this cycle leaves our planet devastated.

So it has become important to harness the solar energy for power generation as it has the advantage of being eco friendly and renewable source of energy. The wind energy and the biomass are also the different manifestations of solar energy, which can be put to use to solve the energy crises.

According to solar energy history, Edmund Becquerel first published papers on harnessing solar energy which did attract attention but soon faded from the scene as people were interested for minting money during the industrial revolution of 1838. Charles fritz converted solar energy to electricity in 1873 and added a new leaf in the glorious solar energy history. There were many books written and many researches done to make the solar energy economically viable and William Adams book called A Substitute for Fuel in Tropical Countries is considered as one of the first.

Solar energy history in the modern era has seen numerous patrons of solar energy. Aubrey Eneas established the first company The Solar Motor Co and sold the products during 1890s. Henry Willies developed a power station, which was successful in generating power at nights from the solar energy.

Calvin Fuller and his associates discovered a semi conductor in form of silicon, which was later put to use for making a solar panel with very low efficiency. Solar energy history was made richer when a solar cell was made public in 1956.

They are now used in radios and space programmes are more interested in solar energy as it is freely available in space and does not pollute the atmosphere. We all must know the history to grasp the importance of solar energy for our future needs.

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.

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.

Know Solar Energy History for Glorious Future

Energy is behind all accomplishments of the mankind. Be it ploughing land or setting foot on moon, every process requires energy in different forms. Human civilizations have harnessed energy from various sources and put to good use from early times. The survival of humankind depends on proper utilisation of resources and sustaining it for the future generations. However, as the needs are rising the attempts to meet the demands has led to depletion of resources and has forced the thinkers for finding alternative sources, which can replenish itself after use.

According to the great physicist Albert Einstein, mass can be converted to energy and thus the solar mass is so large that it will take billions of years for it to completely extinguish. Thus, solar energy can serve our problems and the solar energy history is important to understand its implications on future.

When we start thinking about the solar energy history, we conclude that it was never a new source as all religions and the sun influences civilizations. In Greek civilizations, sun gods Apollo and Helios are prayed and many ancient temples are still present standing the test of time. The pagan religion worshipped the mother earth and considered sun as the life giver. Still today, the Hindus offer water to the sun for blessings and to make their lives glorious. There are numerous sun festivals in various parts of world to mark the arrival of summer season. Therefore, sun is an integral part of our lives and solar energy history only confirms it.

Solar energy is harnessed from the various solar panels containing solar cells. solar energy history suggests that they were built during the early 1900s with low efficiency and have improved over the years to become economically viable. The first discovery of selenium as a photosensitive material was made during the 1850s but lacked support from the industrialists for further research.

At Bell laboratories, few scientists accidentally discovered the semiconducting behaviour of silicon and using those facts a solar panel was made which had an efficiency rate unsuitable for mass production. Many big companies have tried to set their foot on the solar power generation but they have failed owing to energy demands and high cost of maintenance.

Solar energy history was enriched by the use of solar cells in the space programs, as solar energy is freely available in space without any obstacle. Windmills and biomass are also forms of solar energy and are used widely all over the world to generate clean power. Solar energy harnessing has a come a long way from the first solar cell made for public use in 1956 to the widely used water heaters at home and has the potential to develop tremendously in years to come.