When was solar power first used

Whether this actually happened in Archimedes' time or not is unverified. But this experiment in solar power was tested by the Greek navy in the s.

They did set fire to a wooden test ship 50 meters away using nothing but the legendary bronze shield and the solar light energy. In , French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect while experimenting with a cell made of metal electrodes in a conducting solution.

Just three years later, in William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day applied the photovoltaic principle discovered by Becquerel to selenium. They recorded that it could, in fact, generate electricity when exposed to light. In a way, many physicists played a part in solar cell invention. Becquerel is attributed with uncovering the potential of the photovoltaic effect, and Fritz with actually creating the ancestor to all solar cells. In , Einstein published a paper on the photoelectric effect and how light carries energy.

The big leap toward the solar cells like the ones used in panels today came from the work of Bell Labs in Three scientists there, Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson, created a more practical solar cell using silicon. Advantages to silicon are better efficiency and its wide availability as a natural resource. As the space age developed, solar panels were used to power various parts of spacecraft throughout the late s and s. In , NASA launched the Nimbus satellite, which ran entirely on its watt photovoltaic solar panel array.

In the s, an oil shortage brought awareness of U. It was a time of high inflation when Americans were squeezed economically, and shortages in essentials made the need for further innovation glaringly evident. It was during this time that president Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed onto the White House roof.

This was a statement to make clean energy through solar more tangible for people, and to spread awareness. The Exxon Corporation funded the research that led to this milestone, and the resulting solar panel was more efficient and less expensive than its predecessors, allowing commercial viability for solar technology and leading to a turning point in the adoption of solar energy.

The s saw a global solar energy turning point as well, as the world reeled from the tumultuous repercussions of the Arab oil embargo. As oil prices quadrupled and lines formed around the blocks of gas stations throughout the country, it became apparent that the world had need of a more diverse energy system.

Other countries worldwide followed suit in the creation of their own solar-dedicated institutions. This continued pace of development is dotted with specific feats of engineering that brought notoriety and further technological development to the field. In , Paul Macready built the first solar powered aircraft. Powered by over 1, solar cells, the plane flew from France to England.

In , the first solar powered cars were developed in Germany, continuing the trend of solar-powered transportation. It led to the solar array on the Vanguard 1 space mission.

With further developments, solar power became the accepted energy source for space application and remains so today. Advances led to various attempts to commercialise solar photovoltaics in the s and 60s. There was little success. Enter your postcode to compare quotes from leading professionals.

Privacy Policy. By solar panel power plants were built with ARCO solar, producing more than 1 megawatt of photovoltaic modules a year. The company helped set up the first megawatt-scale power station in Hisperia, California.

That year construction on a U. Department of Energy project named Solar One was finished. The heat ran a steam turbine generator. It did so using mirrors, each mirror being 40m2 ft2 with a total area of 72, m2. This was under 1-sun conditions. A year later ARCO released the first commercially available thin-film solar power module. The cell was made from gallium indium phosphide and gallium arsenide. A skyscraper in New York City right used these new higher efficiency thin cells on a selection of its floors.

They helped to meet the buildings energy needs a few years later. We now reach the year Construction of solar panels at the largest plant reached a production capacity of megawatts of power a year. Solar power had become big business for producers and sellers the world over. People worldwide, especially those in leadership roles were becoming increasingly aware of the need to lower our dependence on fossil fuels.

More eco-friendly means of powering our lives needed to be found. Get started You may also like. Looking to replace your old appliances? Consider energy-efficient ones that are better for the environment. Wondering how Inspire's Clean Natural Gas plan works? Here's the breakdown. Who Discovered Solar Energy? Where did modern solar power get started? The roots of modern solar power can be traced back to How did solar power get commercialized?

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