When most people think of solar panels, they assume that solar is a relatively new technology, but this is not the case; although modern solar panels were invented in 1954 by a group of scientists at Bell Labs, the actual first rooftop solar array was installed in 1883, and the inventor of this system was Charles Fritts.
This solar array was so inefficient that installing it needed to be more practical. In 1884, it could only convert around 1-2% of the solar energy hitting the panels compared to modern day, which is around 21%. This was the start of solar power and paved the way for the future of solar panels. These solar panels were installed in New York, and as you can see in the image below, the solar panels themselves look very similar to modern-day panels.
Charles Fritts lived from 1850 to 1903 and was an American inventor in New York; Fritts coated a semiconductor with selenium and a skinny layer of gold. So, the cost of producing solar panels and the low efficiency meant that solar energy was not a cost-effective way of producing electricity during this period.
Modern Solar Panel Invention
Solar panels later started becoming more efficient in the 1950s/1960s when scientist Russell Shoemaker Ohl made a breakthrough at Bells Lab. He was researching diodes and transistors for broadcasting and military radar systems when he stumbled across the PN barrier, which would later be known as the P-N junction. He would then start to purify crystals, meaning there would be less and less resistance to electricity passing through the crystal. While working with a cracked crystal, he noticed that when his lamp was shining on the crystal, he could detect higher currents than when the lamp was not shining on the crystal. By that afternoon, he realized that the light was exciting the dormant electrons in the crystal, which in turn made some voltage.
Ancient Solar Technology
Ancient Greeks and Romans were using solar energy even back in the 7th century BCE. Although it was nothing compared to how we use solar today, it still had some usage.
They would often light ceremonial torches by having multiple mirrors around, reflecting the sun's energy to the torch, which would then light it. The other way they harnessed the sun was by constructing buildings to help with lighting and heating for the homes and structures during this period.
Also, the most common use of solar energy back in ancient times was with a sundial, which allowed ancient people to tell the time with the position of the sun. The first sundial was found in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and was dated to be around 3500 years old.
Solar Panel Timeline
1500 BCE - The first sundial was created.
1883 - The first solar cell was created
1884 - The first solar panel installation took place in New York City
1905 - Albert Einstein published work on turning light into electricity. This was known as the photoelectric effect
1917 - Einstein published a theoretical paper on how light could be used to generate electricity
1954 - Bells Lab developed the first practical solar cell
1956 - The first solar-powered radio was produced
1958 - Solar panels powered the first spacecraft, which was called Vanguard.
1960 - the first solar power car was introduced with a 72-volt battery and a rooftop solar array.
1982 - Was the first solar farm to be installed in California
2000 - This was when solar energy started to be accessible to everyone.
2012 - The solar industry hit its first major milestone and installed over 30 Gigawatts of panels worldwide.
2018 - UK, by this point, had over 1 million installs of solar panels installed throughout the UK
2018 - The UK produced enough solar energy to cover 3.9% of the total power solar panels need.
2020 - It was cheaper to install a solar panel farm than it was to keep running coal-powered power stations.
Today Solar Panels
Today, the UK is installing more solar panels year after year, and this is due to the affordability of panels, mixed with the massive savings and SEG payments, which have caused a significant surge in interest and installations.
In 2012, you would be looking at £18,000 for a 4KW solar panel without a battery installation, and now, in 2024, you are looking at between £8000 - £10,000 for the same sized system with a battery installed.
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