SolarPowerNerd
Solar panels have a longer history than most people realize. The journey from a crude selenium cell in the 1880s to today’s high-efficiency silicon panels involved breakthroughs in physics, materials science, and aerospace engineering.
Here’s how it all happened.
The Transition to Solar Energy
The growing solar industry today focuses on advancing solar cell technology to replace traditional energy sources. Solar cell power allows people to access a virtually inexhaustible source of energy by converting sunlight and solar radiation into power.
Solar panels have opened a way to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. You can find simple alarm clocks, watches, laptops, and even racing cars that all run by converting solar radiation into electrical impulses.
Powerful solar farms operate in many countries. Let’s trace how the solar panel was invented, how it works, and where it’s heading.
How Were Solar Panels Invented?
Solar energy isn’t new to humanity. If we turn to history, people successfully used the power of the sun as far back as the 7th century BC.
A modern solar cell is humanity’s second attempt to harness the sun’s boundless energy. The first was a solar water heater.
Initially, water heated to boiling under the sun produced electricity in the first solar collectors (solar thermal power plants). These heaters were the first solar technology that used solar energy to heat water and power steam turbines.
Archeologists discovered that ancient people knew how to convert sunlight into energy. They found solar batteries that allegedly produced an electric current directly, though how they worked remains unclear.
18th Century Beginnings
Starting in the 18th century, scientists studied concave mirrors and their ability to focus sunlight. This made it possible to ignite objects at a considerable distance.
In 1767, Horace de Saussure, a Swiss physicist, invented the first solar oven. He couldn’t imagine that his invention would help people prepare dinner over two centuries into the future.
In the 19th century, French engineers used a steam installation powered by solar energy to print books. The efficiency of these first solar-powered machines wasn’t high, but it showed that solar development had a future.
The challenge went beyond producing efficient energy with no loss. Storing electricity for later use was equally important.
A solar cell capable of collecting and storing the sun’s energy to power appliances and charge batteries was the most significant discovery.
In 1839, young French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel presented a chemical battery he had created. Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect, explaining how sunlight generates electric impulses.
The first solar photovoltaic cell only had 1% efficiency. It could only turn 1% of sunlight into electricity, so research continued.
In 1873, Willoughby Smith discovered the sensitivity of selenium to light. In 1877, William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day noted that selenium produces an electric current under the influence of light.
The First Working Solar Panel
In 1880, Charles Fritts created selenium cells and the first solar array, which was even installed on a New York City rooftop. Fritts used a thin layer of gold to plate selenium and produce the first solar cell that could harvest the sun’s energy when exposed to light.
This panel’s efficiency was only 1%. Fritts thought his invention was revolutionary and predicted that solar panels would eventually replace existing power stations.
The low performance kept it from gaining acceptance, and his invention was quickly forgotten. Russian physicist Alexander Stoletov also studied photoelectric processes and established a connection between the magnitude of photocurrent and the light flux.
In 1888, Stoletov began research on the photoelectric effect, discovered the year before by Heinrich Hertz, who realized that ultraviolet light creates more power than visible light. These studies lasted two years and brought the scientist world fame.
Einstein’s Contribution to Solar Development
The famous scientist Albert Einstein was intrigued by the development of solar batteries. In 1905, he scientifically explained the essence of the photoelectric effect and clarified the relationship between the speed of knocked electrons and the frequency of light.
When Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, it wasn’t for relativity but for explaining the photoelectric effect. His achievement was a turning point for the future of solar technology.
Widespread solar cell manufacturing became possible after Bell Telephone developed a practical silicon solar cell. In 1954, engineer Daryl Chapin, chemist Calvin Fuller, and physicist Gordon Pearson at Bell Laboratories created a silicon solar cell that achieved 6% efficiency.
The price of energy from these panels was $300 per 1 kW, which couldn’t compete with cheaper fossil fuels. None of the inventors were thinking about abandoning oil or protecting the environment.
Chapin tried to create power supplies for telephones in remote areas, while Pearson and Fuller investigated semiconductor properties.
Many consider this the real discovery of PV technology because it was the first time solar technology could activate an electrical device for several hours daily.
In 1956, Western Electric began selling licenses for its silicon photovoltaic technology. But the high cost of silicon cells kept them from widespread adoption.
Researchers tried alternatives: compounds of copper, indium, gallium, and cadmium. A huge advancement came in 1959 when Hoffman Electronics reached 10% efficiency.
By 1960, they achieved 14%, which pushed solar panels into the space program.
The 1973 oil crisis forced people to invest in solar cell research. Dr. Elliot Berman, funded by Exxon, developed a cheaper solar panel.
Its price dropped from $100 per watt to $20 by using polycrystals instead of single crystals.
Efficiency suffered with polycrystalline cells, and even today they’re cheaper but less efficient than single-crystal ones. Solar panels were first used successfully in rural and remote areas as a power source for telephone systems, eliminating the need to transport electricity over long distances.
The First Solar Residence
In 1973, the University of Delaware built the first solar building, called “Solar One.” The system used composite equipment consisting of solar thermal and solar PV power.
Thermal energy was used for heating and cooling the building, as well as heating water. Electricity was produced using cadmium sulfide-based solar cells.
The power was stored in lead car batteries and used for lighting.
It was also the first example of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). It didn’t use standalone solar panels but instead had solar integrated into the roof, similar to Tesla’s roof product.
The First Solar Power Stations
Arco Solar Inc. constructed the first solar park in Hesperia, California, in 1982. This plant generated 1 MW at full capacity.
In 1983, Arco Solar built a second solar park in Carrizo Plain, California.
At that time, it was the largest collection of solar panels in the world. It consisted of 100,000 batteries generating 5.2 MW at full power.
Although the plant fell into disrepair due to oil’s return to popularity, it demonstrated the potential for industrial solar electricity.
In 1982, the first solar power plant in Europe was installed on the roof of the Southern Switzerland Higher School (SUPSI). This generator still produces electricity without interruptions or solar module replacements.
As the Swiss Solar Energy Union (SWISSOLAR) notes, solar power plants have no moving parts, which makes a long service life possible.
Solar Panels in Space and Aviation
Since 1958, NASA has actively used solar panels on satellites, space observatories, and stations. On March 17, 1958, the American satellite Vanguard 1 entered orbit as the fourth satellite ever and the first to use solar cells.
Vanguard 1 was small enough to hold in one hand, weighing 1.5 kg. Its six silicon solar cells generated about 1 watt total.
For comparison, a typical modern solar PV system is several thousand times more powerful.
On November 4, 1974, the unmanned solar-powered aircraft Sunrise I took its first flight. In 1980, AeroVironment created Solar Challenger, which flew on solar energy covering 262 kilometers from Paris to Manston, England.
The first piloted solar aircraft, Solar Impulse, was invented in 2009. In 2016, Solar Impulse 2, the most powerful solar-powered airplane, completed a 16-month round-the-world flight.
Modern Manufacturers and Falling Costs
Modern manufacturers offer solar panels with silicon cells and 15-20% efficiency. These are equipped with solar trackers that can vastly increase power output.
China heads the top 10 solar-powered countries, and Chinese companies lead production: Yingli Green Energy, Trina Solar, JA Solar, and Jinko Solar. Other popular companies include Sun Power (USA), First Solar (USA), and Canadian Solar (Canada).
Costs have decreased considerably. In 1956, panels cost about $300 per watt.
By 1975, that dropped to $100 per watt. Modern panels sell for around $0.50 per watt.
Since 1980, solar panel costs have fallen by about 10% each year. Solar PV electricity costs dropped 73% after 2010, according to IRENA’s price analysis.
The most reliable PV projects deliver electricity for around 3 cents per kWh or less.
The Forecast for Solar Energy
Solar energy has a long history, from monitoring light properties to finding new methods to transform it into electricity. The technology shows no signs of slowing down.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory continues its research and commercialization of renewable energy. According to the IEA, renewable power capacity is set to grow by 50% between 2021 and 2024, driven largely by solar PV.
The quantity of solar power capacity planned for coming years is equivalent to 70,000 new solar panels every hour. Bloomberg’s New Energy Outlook 2021 projects that wind and solar will provide 50% of electricity by 2050.
Photoelectric vs. Photovoltaic Effect
The photovoltaic effect refers to the generation of electricity in a substance when exposed to light. The main distinction is that in the photoelectric effect, electrons are emitted to open space.
In the photovoltaic effect, electrons penetrate a different material instead.
Understanding how solar panels are made and the materials used in solar cells helps you appreciate how far the technology has come.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented the first practical solar cell?
Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gordon Pearson at Bell Laboratories created the first practical silicon solar cell in 1954. It achieved 6% efficiency, which was enough to power electrical devices for several hours daily.
Their work is widely considered the birth of modern photovoltaic technology.
When did solar panels become affordable for homeowners?
Solar panels started becoming affordable for residential use in the early 2010s when manufacturing costs dropped sharply. Since 1980, prices have fallen roughly 10% per year.
Today’s panels cost about $0.50 per watt, compared to $300 per watt in 1956 and $100 per watt in 1975.
How efficient were the earliest solar cells?
The earliest solar cells from the 1880s achieved just 1% efficiency, converting only a tiny fraction of sunlight into electricity. Bell Labs reached 6% in 1954, Hoffman Electronics hit 14% by 1960, and modern residential panels now operate between 15-22% efficiency under normal conditions.
When did NASA start using solar panels?
NASA began using solar panels in 1958 when the Vanguard 1 satellite launched with six silicon solar cells generating about 1 watt total. Since then, solar panels have powered satellites, space stations, and observatories.
The technology developed for space eventually drove improvements in consumer solar panels too.
Final Thoughts
The history of solar technology stretches from Charles Fritts’ dream of free and affordable solar power in the 1880s to today’s high-efficiency panels that power homes, businesses, and entire cities.
Solar cells will have a huge role in our civilization’s technological advancement. They’re becoming one of the primary sources of renewable energy.
The future is in energy sources that generate electricity whenever and wherever needed, and solar is leading the way.
