{"id":9447,"date":"2015-06-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"uncategorized\/sun-through-the-centuries-the-history-of-solar\/"},"modified":"2020-07-29T15:25:03","modified_gmt":"2020-07-29T15:25:03","slug":"sun-centuries-history-solar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"news\/sun-centuries-history-solar\/","title":{"rendered":"Sun through the Centuries: The History of Solar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Solar technology isn\u2019t new. Humans have been trying to harness this energy into a usable source of power since ancient times. Its history spans from the seventh century B.C. to today. Thousands of years ago, harnessing the sun\u2019s energy began by concentrating the sun\u2019s heat with glass and mirrors to light fires. Now, we have everything from solar-powered cars to solar-powered airplanes.
\nAs the solar industry<\/a> continues to take shape throughout the world today and we are gaining increasing amounts of electrical power from the sun, it’s interesting to look back at the use of solar throughout history. Energy Information<\/a> and Exploring Green Technology<\/a> both provided timelines over milestone historic events around human\u2019s efforts to extract solar energy.<\/p>\n

Enjoy a little sunshine history below:<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

700 B.C. \u2013 Sunlit Fires<\/h3>\n

All the way back to the seventh century B.C., humans figured out how to make fires by concentrating the sunlight with a magnifying glass.<\/p>\n

214\u2013212 B.C. \u2013 Archimedes\u2019 Heat Ray<\/h3>\n

Historians claim that Archimedes, a Greek inventor, put solar energy to use already in the third century B.C. He destroyed enemy ships with fire during the Siege of Syracuse with a \u201cheat ray\u201d, which supposedly was a collection of mirrors that concentrated sunlight onto the ships. Whether or not Archimedes\u2019 invention has any root in reality is uncertain.<\/p>\n

1767 \u2013 The First Solar Oven<\/h3>\n

A solar oven, or solar cooker, uses sunlight to heat food or drinks. Today\u2019s solar ovens are cheap and popular solutions to prepare meals in parts of the world where access to electricity is limited. These devices are only reliant on sunlight to work \u2013 there is no fuel required.<\/p>\n

1839 \u2013 The Discovery of the Photovoltaic Effect<\/h3>\n

1839 marks a big year in the history of solar power; Edmund Becquerel, a French physicist only 19 years old at the time, discovered that there is a creation of voltage when a material is exposed to light. Little did he know, his discovery would lay the foundation of solar power<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1873 \u2013 Photoconductivity in Selenium<\/h3>\n

Willoughby Smith, an English engineer, discovered photoconductivity in solid selenium.<\/p>\n

1876 \u2013 Electricity from Light<\/h3>\n

Building on Smith\u2019s discovery from three years prior, Professor William Grylls Adams and his student, Richard Evans Day, were the first to observe an electrical current produced when a material is exposed to light. They placed two electrodes onto a plate of selenium, and observed a tiny amount of electricity when the plate was exposed to light.<\/p>\n

1883 \u2013 The First Design of a Photovoltaic Cell<\/h3>\n

An American inventor, Charles Fritts, is credited with creating the first solar cells. His simple designs in the late 19th century were based on selenium wafers.<\/p>\n

1905 \u2013 Albert Einstein and the Photoelectric Effect<\/h3>\n

Albert Einstein is famous for a wide variety of scientific milestones, but most people are not aware of his work on the photoelectric effect. He formulated the photon theory of light, which describes how light can \u201cliberate\u201d electrons on a metal surface. In 1921, 16 years after he published these findings, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for the scientific breakthroughs he had discovered.<\/p>\n

1918 \u2013 Single-Crystal Silicon<\/h3>\n

Jan Czochralski, a Polish scientist, invented a method known as the Czochralski process to grow single-crystal silicon. His discoveries laid the foundation for solar cells based on silicon.<\/p>\n

1954 \u2013 The Birth of Photovoltaics<\/h3>\n

David Chapin, Calvin Fuller and Gerald Pearson of Bell Labs are credited with the world\u2019s first photovoltaic (solar) cell. In other words, these are the men that made the first device that converted sunlight into electrical power. They later pushed the conversion efficiency from 4 percent to 11 percent.<\/p>\n

1958 \u2013 Solar Energy In Space<\/h3>\n

Solar power was used to power space exploration equipment such as satellites and space stations. This was the first commercial use of solar energy.<\/p>\n

1959-1970 \u2013 Efficiency of Solar Cells and Cost<\/h3>\n

Between 1959 and 1970 there was major discussion about the efficiency of solar cells and reduction of costs. Up to that time, the efficiency of the solar cells was only 14 percent and was not comparable to the high cost of producing cells. In the 1970\u2019s, however, Exxon Corporation designed an efficient solar panel, which was less costly to manufacture.<\/p>\n

1977 \u2013 Governments Embrace Solar Energy<\/h3>\n

In 1977, the U.S. government embraced the use of solar energy by launching the Solar Energy Research Institute. Other governments across the world soon followed.<\/p>\n

1981 \u2013 Solar Powered Aircraft<\/h3>\n

In 1981, Paul Macready produced the first solar powered aircraft. The aircraft used more than 1600 cells, placed on its wings. The aircraft flew from France to England.<\/p>\n

1982 \u2013 Solar Powered Cars<\/h3>\n

In the year 1982, the first solar powered cars were developed in Australia.<\/p>\n

1986-1999 Solar Power Plants<\/h3>\n

Large-scale solar energy plants were evolving, with advancements being made in each phase. By the year 1999, the largest plant was developed; it produced more than 20 kilowatts.<\/p>\n

1999 \u2013 Breakthroughs in Solar Cell Efficiency<\/h3>\n

The most efficient solar cell was developed, with a photovoltaic efficiency of 36 percent.<\/p>\n

Solar Power Today<\/h3>\n

Solar has experienced many spikes in interest and advancement over the past few centuries. Solar photovoltaic panels (also known as “solar electric” or “solar PV”) are a simple “plug and play” application that are increasingly favored by governments, businesses, and homeowners.<\/p>\n

Solar Engineering with Lexodant Solar Technology<\/h3>\n

You can see solar cells are almost everywhere. Solar power is quickly becoming a cost effective, alternative source of electricity for all sizes of businesses. Lexodant Solar Technology<\/a> is at the forefront of the escalating solar industry, and is considered a leading consulting firm in the renewable energy field, providing photovoltaic design and engineering services. Licensed in 49 states, we have the ability to work nationally without limitations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Solar technology isn\u2019t new. Humans have been trying to harness this energy into a usable source of power since ancient times. 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