Who Invented Solar Panels? History, Benefits, & Future Outlook
Solar energy has taken the power sector by storm. With the increasing electricity demand, the demand for solar panel installation is rising day by day. If we talk about the solar market in the United States, 40% growth has been recorded in the last 10 years. In 2020, the global solar capacity reached 500GW. It is expected to reach 1TW in the next couple of years.
Since solar energy has now become an important part of our lives, it is crucial to learn about where and how the solar panel development journey started. This article specifically focuses on the history of PV cells and the way they evolved over time. If you are on the hunt for who invented solar panels, ensure to read the complete discussion presented below.
Solar panels history: Who invented them?
The whole story started in the 19th century when Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel discovered a photovoltaic effect in 1839. He was just 19 years old at the time of discovery. The photovoltaic effect is the name of a principle through which a specific material can produce electricity or current when it is exposed to light.
While experimenting, Becquerel created a setup with platinum electrodes and silver chloride in the acidic solution. He noticed a sudden rise in the voltage when he exposed the setup to light. It was a clear indication of the generation of electricity. This is where the journey of solar energy began.
Though Bacquerel’s efforts couldn’t develop a practical solar cell, he laid the basis for scientists and researchers to work on future solar energy developments. His work showed that sometimes, big developments come from simple but useful efforts.
The 18-19th Century
The usage of solar energy started back in the 18th century. In 1767, Horace de Saussure introduced the world’s first solar oven. This product was able to heat up to 250 Fahrenheit when exposed to sunlight. Later in 1839, the photovoltaic effect was discovered, as discussed above.
The first solar-powered heat pump was patented in the 1890s. Then, by the end of the 19th century, in 1883, an American scientist developed the first ever practical solar cell with selenium. It was mounted on a rooftop. Though it was very less efficient, it laid a strong basis for future development.
The 20th Century
In 1905, a 26-year-old guy - Albert Einstein - started doing his research on the photoelectric effect. He proved with a theoretical background that light carries electromagnetic force. The first modern solar panel was developed in 1954 at the Bell Laboratories. In the following year, the first solar-powered cell was made successfully.
If we move a year forward, General Electric introduced the world’s first radio in 1956. This solar-powered radio had the ability to work perfectly in the day and night. Between 1950 and 1960, the US space authorities incorporated solar technology into Earth-orbiting satellites. Since that time, solar energy has become the main power source for space satellites.
In 1958, a spacecraft - Vanguard I - was powered with solar energy for the first time in history. Two years later, the world’s first solar car with a 72-volt battery was introduced in 1960. A solar panel was installed on the roof of the car. Twenty-two years later, in 1982, the first solar farm was installed in the state of California. It was a large-scale farm with a huge capacity to produce solar energy.
The solar-related developments continued throughout the 20th century, and the shares of solar energy in the global market rose significantly during this period.
The 21th Century
Solar panels started becoming easily accessible for everyone from 2000 and onwards. The 20th century has witnessed many ground-breaking advancements in the field of solar energy. In the decade between 2000 and 2010, the biggest addition to the renewable energy sector in terms of capacity was recorded.
According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, the global solar industry installed over 30 gigawatts in 2012 across the world. The solar panels became easily accessible to both commercial and residential users. In addition, a significant improvement in the efficiency of PV cells was recorded in the 20th century.
Over 1 million solar panels were installed till 2018. In the same year, the US PV industry installed 10.6 gigawatts of solar capacity. It was 2% less than what was installed in 2017. In the year 2019, a 23% increase in the capacity addition (13.3 gigawatts) than 2018 was observed. It was further increased by 43% in 2020: the record installation of 19.2 gigawatts of direct photovoltaic current.
The world’s first offshore floating solar farm was developed in 2019 on the Dutch North Sea. If we talk about the US solar panel shipments in 2020 and 2021, the recorded numbers were 21.8 million kW and 28.8 million kW, respectively. The stats of US PV panel shipments between 2010 and 2021 show that the volume was boosted from 2.6 million kW to 28.8 million kW.
The Inflammation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed in 2022 in the United States. It was the biggest transformation in the US renewable energy sector. With this act, billions of dollars were released to state officials for various purposes, such as developing incentive programs and increasing solar manufacturing for domestic purposes.
The IRA Act has also extended the federal solar tax credit policy till 2034. According to this policy, you can save up to 30% on installing solar panels. Nowadays, a huge drop is observed in the prices of solar panels and other equipment required to install a complete solar system. Therefore, 2024 is the best time to energize your homes, offices, schools, farms, and other places with solar energy.
What causes the solar energy industry growth?
As you have read above, the solar industry has grown greatly over the years. It is time to look at the reasons associated with this seamless growth of the solar industry.
1. Technological Advancements
The advancements in the solar department have not only increased the efficiency of PV panels but also made them easily accessible to all users worldwide. In addition, technological advancements have also resulted in price reduction of solar equipment: panels, inverters, batteries, charge controllers, etc.
2. Global Industry Trends
The benefits of solar energy were recognized across the globe. The International Energy Agency has issued a statement that solar panels are the cheapest source to generate electricity in human history. The same report also predicted that PV panels will become the biggest electricity source by 2035.
3. Government Support
Individuals can do nothing without the support of government bodies and state authorities. This is why government support is the most crucial factor in the growth of the solar industry in the US and across the world. Governments from around the world have recognized that switching to solar panels to produce electricity would be a worthy decision. As a result, they introduced incentive programs and subsidies for PV panel installation.
The US government has offered loans, grants, and tax credits to encourage the residents to benefit from solar energy. Similar policies have been implemented across Asia and Europe. The purpose of introducing such policies was the same: increase the installation of PV panels and get the maximum out of solar energy.
How was the first solar cell designed? How are modern pv panels developed?
The world’s first PV cell was developed by coating a popular semiconductor - selenium - with a thin gold layer. The coating was performed to form junctions. Charles Fritts did this experiment. This cell was only 1% efficient.
As far as the development of modern solar panels is concerned, silicon is melted and mixed with boron or gallium to create wafers. Later, Phosphorus is added to silicon. All three substances (boron, gallium, and phosphorous) empower silicon to show its electrical capabilities. Then, thin sheets of silicon ingot are cut down and a coating with anti-reflective properties is applied. It helps capture the sunlight.
The thin sheets of silicon ingot are further divided into cells to allow the electric current to move within the cell. Each cell becomes a semiconductor and can pass electricity with the photovoltaic effect. It is possible only when a cell is exposed to sunlight. Different solar cells are soldered together to develop a complete solar panel. This panel becomes a ready-to-use product.
How does a solar panel work to change your lifestyle?
Well, the working principle of a solar panel is super simple. When a PV panel is exposed to the photons of sunlight, it starts releasing electrons. As a result, an electric charge is produced. This is how solar panels convert sunlight into electricity within a matter of nanoseconds.
You can use solar energy either directly at day time or store it in batteries to use at night or in cloudy weather when the production drops significantly.
Installing solar panels in your homes and offices reduces electricity bills to almost zero. You can then invest those savings somewhere else in more productive tasks. This is how solar energy can change your lifestyle positively.
- 500 Watt-hours of electricity per day.
- 10-year workmanship warranty, 25-year 80% output warranty.
- 9 bus-bars and PERC cell technology optimize overall efficiency.
- Half-cut cells and bypass diodes enhance accidental shading tolerance.
Who can benefit from solar energy these days?
The benefits of solar energy are not limited to domestic installations. It is equally beneficial for commercial and industrial setups. However, the installation capacity may vary from one site to another, considering the potential requirements.
If you want to install a solar system in your home, the requirements will be between a few kilowatts and a few hundred kilowatts. On the other hand, the requirements of commercial and industrial setups can vary between a few hundred kilowatts and multiples of megawatts. Similarly, the requirement of solar panels for the whole country can be a couple of gigawatts.
Simply put, both residential and commercial sectors can benefit from solar energy these days. Are you getting attracted to the benefits of solar energy? Looking forward to installing a solar system in your home or office? Searching for a trusted solar equipment supplier to purchase reliable products? Look no further than Renogy.
Renogy offers premium-quality solar kits, PV panels, batteries, battery chargers, charge controllers, inverters, and much more at a fair price.
Future Outlook & Trends
According to MarketWatch, more than 1 in 7 homeowners in the US will have solar panels installed in their homes by 2030. The SEIA forecast says that home solar energy capacity in the US will grow around 6,000 to 7,000 megawatts per year in a 4-year span (between 2023 and 2027).
The CBC news has stated that more than 50% of the US homeowners are willing to deploy solar panels if the installation companies offer a 5-year payback period. If the conditions are not so favorable, the payback period can be increased to up to 10 years.
A number of other developments in the solar industry are expected in the near future. Scientists are working to improve the efficiency of solar panels further to generate as much power as possible. The expansion of bifacial solar panels is another potential future development that is under consideration.
In the future, you may see an exponential increase in build-integrated photovoltaics trend. More and more buildings will install solar panels on roofs and in windows. It will not only increase the external beauty of the buildings but also expand the solar energy applications. Moreover, solar power storage solutions can be improved greatly with the future developments.
Summing It Up
Who invented solar panels? Though Charles Fritts was the first person to invent a very less-efficient solar cell, a number of scientists further contributed to the enhancement of this technology.
Willingness to benefit from solar energy started back in the 18th century. Solar technology then became practical in the following centuries: 19th, 20th, and 21st. For more details on when was solar power invented, read the discussion above.
FAQs
Q: Who invented the first solar panel, and when?
A: Charles Fritts - an American scientist - invented the first solar cell with selenium in 1883. It was installed on a rooftop in New York. The efficiency of this solar was too low, which is why it was not used practically. The modern PV cell with improved efficiency was developed in 1954 at the Bell Labs.
Q: What portion of the world’s electricity comes from PV panels?
A: Though a huge solar energy generation capacity has been added to the market recently, a total of 4.5% to 5% of the world’s electricity is generated by solar panels.
Q: Where is the first solar farm in the US?
A: The Atlantic Richfield Oil Company constructed the first solar farm in the state of California, US. To be exact, it is located at Carrizo Plain in San Luis Obispo County, CA.