The History of Solar Technology: A Timeline

In 1839 the phenomenon was revealed by French physicist Alexandre-Edmund Becquerel. Alexandre-Edmund Becquerel didn't make much progress apart from discovering the solar cell itself and speculating on its possibilities. In 1833 the initial solar cell was actually built. After years of theory and imagination the solar cell had finally arrived at some fruition.

The first solar panels were developed by a guy named Charles Fritts. Mr. Fritts coated semiconductor selenium with an extremely thin coating of gold. This platinum was patented to become listed on the functions of these devices. It was found that the device really was only 1% effective.

It had not been until 1946 that the photovoltaic cells were patented by way of a man named Sven Ason Berglund. Sven Ason Berglund knew the countless likelihood of the solar cell and the generation of efficient solar technology. The patent produced by Sven Ason Berglund was a photovoltaic device used to generate increasing ways of the assortment of solar technology.

1954 has been declared the present day age of solar technology. This happened when Bell Laboratories, while tinkering with semiconductors, found that the usage of silicon can be hugely effective. It had been a whole breakthrough. Silicon set to operate with certain impurities was actually extremely sensitive to light.

The 1954 breakthrough of Bell Laboratories caused certain solar technology devices to work around 6% -- nonetheless it will not stop there.

Following this incredible breakthrough the quantity of interest in solar technology and generating solar powered energy from solar panels increased dramatically. Suddenly, the study and discovery of new and much more modern solar powered energy apparatuses had been heavily sponsored and believed in. Specifically for those worried about the environment, the idea of solar technology was a favorite idea.

The first satellite to utilize solar arrays to create solar power premiered from Russia on the 15th of May, 1957. This, contrary to popular belief, was a truly vital area of the history of research and development in generating solar technology. It actually created a diversion which deterred the much funding from the overall research of solar panels.