What happened in the history of solar energy?

We'll explore some of the biggest events that have occurred in the history of solar energy: Some of the earliest uses of solar technology were actually in outer space, where solar was used to power satellites. In 1958, the Vanguard I satellite used a tiny one-watt panel to power its radios.

When was the first solar panel made?

Although the world's first official photovoltaic cell was created by a Frenchman, Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, in 1839, the concept didn't take hold in the U.S. until Bell Laboratories developed the first solar cell capable of converting solar energy into electricity, in 1954. How was the first solar panel made?

How old is solar power?

Though solar power as we know it is no more than 60 years old, the discoveries that led to the solar cell began nearly 200 years ago. These discoveries about the properties of light and conductivity have made solar power what it is today.

What happened to solar energy in the 1970s?

Late 1970s: the "Energy Crisis"; groundswell of public interest in solar energy use: photovoltaic and active and passive solar, including in architecture and off-grid buildings and home sites.

Who discovered the photovoltaic effect?

At the age of 19, a young French scientist by the name of Edmund Bacquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect whilst doing research in his father’s lab with an electrolytic cell made up of two metal electrodes placed in an electrolyte. After exposing it to light, energy increased.

What was the first solar-powered home?

In 1973, the University of Delaware constructed an intriguing prototype dubbed the “Solar One.” This landmark structure became the world’s first solar-powered residence, incorporating a unique design that fully harnessed the power of the sun. Solar One operated on a hybrid system that adeptly combined photovoltaic panels and a solar thermal system.