NIKISEMA TUKO 100+ YEARS BEHIND KUNA KAUKWELI, IMAGINE 1883, TUTALEWA VITU FOR ANOTHER 3 CENTURIES
The utilization of solar energy has come a long way.
1839 - First solar cell is created
While experimenting with metal electrodes and an acidic solution, nineteen-year-old French physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel creates the first solar cell. This solar cell was known as a photovoltaic cell, which could carry an electric current from light.
Becquerel is credited with discovering the photovoltaic effect, which is how a solar cell operates.
1883 - First functioning solar panels!!
Charles Fritts, an American inventor, created the first functioning solar modules with solar cells made from selenium wafers. A man named Willoughby Smith discovered that selenium was photovoltaic.
The first solar panels were installed atop a New York City rooftop but were very inefficient, with an energy conversion rate of only 1%.
1888 - First U.S. patent for solar cells
Edward Weston received the first U.S. patent for a “solar cell,” which helped garner more interest in solar research – ultimately leading to more efficient solar panels.
1901 - First U.S. patent for solar panels
At the turn of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla received the U.S. patent for “the method of utilizing, and apparatus for the utilization of radiant energy.”
In simpler words, the first U.S. patent for solar panels!
1905 - Einstein introduces the photoelectric effect
World-renowned physicist Albert Einstein published a paper on the theory behind the “photoelectric effect,” which officially proved how the sun creates energy through solar cells. This paper went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1922.
1954 - First high-power silicon solar PV cell created
Fast forward a few decades, Gerald Pearson, Daryl Chapin, and Calvin Fuller, all of whom were physicists at Bell Labs, exhibit the first high-power silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) cell that increased energy conversion efficiency by using silicon instead of selenium wafers.
1963 - Mass production of solar panels
Sharp Corporation, a Japanese electronics company, produced a viable PV module of silicon solar cells, which led to the successful mass production of solar panels.
Japan installed a 242-watt PV array on a lighthouse – the world’s largest array at that time.
1964 - NASA launches first solar PV array
NASA launches the first Nimbus satellite with a 470-watt PV array after the successful launch of Vanguard I by the Naval Research Laboratory.
1970s - Research drives down solar cost
A rise in solar research drove PV costs down a whopping 80%, allowing for different solar panel uses to be tested and adopted. At the time, these were mostly for off-grid use.
1973 - First solar-powered building is erected
The University of Delaware builds “Solar One” – one of the world’s first PV-powered buildings. The building was powered by PV panels and solar thermal energy combined.
1976 - First thin-film silicon modules are produced
Electronics company Kyocera begins production of thin-film silicon ribbon crystal solar modules. The creation of these modules helped to simplify the manufacturing process.
1977 - NREL is created
The U.S. Department of Energy establishes the U.S. Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden, Colorado. This organization is known today as the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL), and it is in charge of renewable energy research for energy independence.
1999 - Germany’s 100,000 Solar Roofs program
This German program, established in 1999, supported the installation and expansion of PV systems larger than 1 kilowatt (kW). The $500 million dollar project was pivotal in developing a viable residential solar industry. Japan had a similar subsidy program for 70,000 roofs a few years prior.