Solar Panels and the History of Solar Power

Solar panels: A long journey

Long before solar panels were dreamed up, people all over the world were harnessing the energy of the sun for their own purposes. Some of the first documented uses of solar energy are astounding in their ingenuity and prove that our natural resources are indeed some of our most useful tools. The sun has long been a source of intrigue and the mystery surrounding its power was evident to even the earliest inhabitants of the planet. S they strove to understand the world and its surrounding stars and planets. Sun worship was perhaps among the first incidence of man’s attempts to understand and even to utilise the sun for their own benefit. But we have come a very long way from offering up gifts to the sun in the hopes of good harvests, today we are able through the work and dedication of many people, to utilise the suns powers in a way which can provide people with energy to make their everyday lives more comfortable and also to protect the earths vital resources. The power and sheer brilliance of the technologies used in today’s solar panels would have been beyond the understanding of the first people who attempted to harness the suns rays, but our basic needs today remain the same.

From Burning Mirrors to Solar Panels

• There is evidence to suggest that the power of the sun was used in warfare, when in 212BC Archimedes used the suns rays reflected from Bronze shields to set fire to invading Roman ships. As the ships were wooden, it was a simple affair to set them alight. This was arguably an example of a very basic solar panel.
• During the 3^rd century both the Greeks and the Romans were well documented for their use of solar power in religious ceremonies. Burning mirrors during religious ceremonies.
• In 20AD the Chinese were using the sun’s power to light torches for their religious ceremonies.
• It was in 1767 that a Swiss scientist created a solar powered cooker or “hot box” by utilising glass boxes layered together to maximise the heat collected within.
• In 1839 the photovoltaic effect was discovered by Edmond Becquerel.
• The first solar powered steam engine was proposed by August Mouchet and over two decades his work produced a number of engines which were utilised for various functions.

Solar Panels and how they came to be

It was a huge leap and a long journey from the first basic applications of the sun’s power to the technology that we enjoy today. Solar panels as we know them are ingeniously simple but it has taken many great minds to get us here! During the 1900’s there were many notable discoveries involving solar power and the photovoltaic effect. It was during this century that Einstein won the Noble prize for his theories and explanations of the photovoltaic effect. By the time we reach the mid twentieth century there had been huge progress made in research and it was in 1954 that the silicon photovoltaic cell was developed. This was the first solar cell with the power to run electrical apparatus and from this development came the technology which we have at our fingertips today. Solar panels are being developed and improved upon with every passing year and as the need for green energy grows there will no doubt be more amazing discoveries and innovations within the field to come.