From 1839 until now – a look at the history of solar panels

Solar panels are one of the most popular and affordable goods that homeowners can use to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Solar panels do not rely on the use of fossil fuels. Instead, they rely on Sun and copious amounts of solar radiation that reaches the Earth from the Sun.

While most people feel solar panels as a fairly recent development, which have a surprisingly long history in the world of science. Beginning with the discovery of the photovoltaic effect in 1839 to the creation of the first modern solar cells used in the 1950s and beyond. Photovoltaics is the science behind the solar panels. The photovoltaic effect was first discovered in 1839 by scientist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel. Is a physical method of using semiconductors for converting solar radiation into electricity.

Today the most common semiconductor used to create solar cells that make up the solar panels are the Silicon. The first process used to create Silicon was the Czochralski method. The method takes a Polish scientist Jan Czochralski, who used the first method to create single crystals of metal. The same method was used to create single crystal silicon. Silicon semiconductor is that, as already mentioned, enables you to create an electric current of solar radiation. Today, solar cells, monocrystalline and polycrystalline are most used two types of cells.

A cell is a small disc-shaped, square or "wafer" that consists of a semiconductor such as Silicon material. Solar cells are joined together to make a solar panel--hence the appearance of the grid solar panels. Some cells were created before the 1950s, but the first modern Silicon photovoltaics (another word for solar) cells that were actually used were developed in the 1950s.

Bell Labs produced cells that were used for various space missions, and in 1954 was also the first company to announce the invention of modern silicon cell. Their invention was presented to a National Academy of science meeting after the announcement. Well-known publication, the New York Times reported that the invention would become the wave of the future by harnessing "limitless energy of the Sun".

Bell Labs Silicon photovoltaic cell was about 6 percent efficient. In 1957 a photovoltaic cell 8 percent efficient. In 1960 a solar cell 14 percent efficient topped that, and so on is gone. Today, the maximum efficiency is achieved by about 42 percent. This number may seem low but is only representative of the energy conversion rate of a single solar cell. As already mentioned, many solar cells are combined to create a solar panel. Then the panels are grouped to create array systems that can feed an entire homes and commercial buildings.

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