How Solar Panels Invented: A Brief History of Solar Panels

As we think of solar energy in the 21st century, we think of smart solar systems powering our homes with the sunshine and solar panels. While solar panel is a relatively new technology, dating back about 50 years, but the history of human utilizing sun energy in fact began a few hundreds of years ago.

As far as the 7th century B.C. Societies, throughout time, have been using the sun’s energy in intelligent ways to facilitate their lives. From form the discovery of fire, to the vast household application of solar power in today’s world. The solar energy that we have known to come and love as a renewable source of energy, has inspired some of the greatest changes to how we now live. Below, we’d highlight the solar energy breakthroughs from the 16th Century to present day.

Ancient Uses of Solar Energy

Early uses of the sun focused on harnessing the sun’s energy for use as a heat source. Dating back to the Ancient Egyptian civilizations, buildings were designed in ways that maximized light entry and warmth. From the 3rd Century B.C., the Ancient Greeks and Romans were using sunlight to create fire torches, proving particularly handy for sacred and religious ceremonies.

The Invention of Solar Panel in 19th Century

In 1839, the ability of some materials to create an electrical charge from light exposure was first observed by the French physicist Edmond Becquerel.

Though these initial solar panels were too inefficient for even simple electric devices, they were used as an instrument to measure light.

In 1873, English electrical engineer Willoughby Smith observed photoconductivity in practice in selenium (a semiconductor) while experimenting on materials for underwater telegraph cables. This discovery caught the attention of natural philosophy professor William Grylls Adams and his student, Richard Evans Day, who years later followed in the footsteps of the man considered to be father of photovoltaics. Together they presented the Royal Society with an article entitled The Action of Light on Selenium (1877) and succeeded in building a selenium solar cell in a glass tube. However, it was not until 1881 that New York inventor Charles Fritts (1850-1903) managed to produce the photovoltaic effect with a device that became the origin of today's solar panels. His feat was published in the 1883 paper: “On a New Form of Selenium Photocell” in the American Journal of Science.

In 1881, the American inventor Charles Fritts created the first commercial solar panel, which was reported by Fritts as "continuous, constant and of considerable force not only by exposure to sunlight but also to dim, diffused daylight." However, these solar panels were very inefficient, especially compared to coal-fired power plants.

In 20th Century, Bell Lab Uses Silicon for the Solar Panels

In 1939, Russell Ohl created the solar cell design that is used in many modern solar panels. He patented his design in 1941.

By the 1950s, Bell Laboratories realized that semiconducting materials such as silicon were more efficient than selenium. They managed to create a solar cell that was 6 percent efficient. Inventors Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson (inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2008) were the brains behind the silicon solar cell at Bell Labs. While it was considered the first practical device for converting solar energy to electricity, it was still cost prohibitive for most people. Silicon solar cells are expensive to produce, and when you combine multiple cells to create a solar panel, it's even more expensive for the public to purchase.

By 1958 a spacecraft called Vanguard I became the first to be powered by solar panels.

In London 1960, the first solar car was introduced, with a solar-panel roof and a 72-volt battery.

1982 was when the first large-scale solar farm was built near Hesperia, California.

Developments in solar continued throughout the 1990s, and emerging global economies began to grow their share in renewables (especially wind and solar PV) during this time.

Solar Energy booms in the 2000s

As the solar technology evolves all the way, the cost of manufacturing solar panels is dropping dramatically, meanwhile the efficiency of solar power gain is hugely going up. From the 2000s, solar power starts to become accessible for everyone. The renewable energy sector is booming and the following decade sees ground-breaking advancements and the expansion in solar PV tech and their installations respectively. Mandatory targets for renewable energy are now set across the EU.

We see the development of a competitive internal energy market, with renewables playing an important role.
From the 2000s to the 2010s, more capacity is added to the renewables sector than any other (and this trend is continuing!).

In 2012, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, stated that ‘the solar PV industry installed more than 30 gigawatts worldwide which led to the cumulative global installations to be more than 100 gigawatts.

As of 2018, there were more than 1 million solar PV installations. Solar panels become more efficient, convenient and easier to access for home and business owners. During 2018, the UK generated 3.9% of its total electricity using solar power.

2019 saw the first offshore floating solar farm is installed in the Dutch North Sea.

By 2020 it was cheaper to build a new solar plant than it is to continue operating an existing coal plant. Showing just the extent of our reliance on solar energy. By 2020 The International Energy Agency declared that “Solar is the new king of the electricity markets”.

And finally, 2021 and 2022 is set to see renewable energy accounting for 90% of new power capacity expansion globally.