The period that we associate as modern solar power history is a lot longer than many would think. In fact, it’s genesis can be traced some 140 years back to the middle of the Victorian age. Just like the scientists and inventors of today look for alternatives to a dependence on fossil fuels so did the scientists of those times. This article will trace the history from 1860 through to the present day.
From 1860 to 1880, Auguste Mouchout, a French engineer devised and developed a solar powered engine. The purpose of the engine was to convert solar heat into steam power. He saw the increased need for an energy resource given the sudden expansion of factories and railway lines during the early industrial revolution.
The engine was well received by the French government that saw the potential for free energy. They invested money into the project that allowed Mouchout to continue his research and development. However, when coal became cheaper and more plentiful, the government began to lose interest in a solar powered engine and canceled the funding.
Around this time, William Adams, an Englishman living in India, devised another solution. He built a rack with many small mirrors around a stationary boiler. This allowed him to get 2.5 horsepower out of the engine.
Charles Tellier started working on a solar powered system in 1885. By 1889 he had created one of the first solar collectors that are used today. He installed the collector on the rooftop. The energy generated was used to cool refrigeration units.
In 1903, Aubrey Eneas began investigating solar power. He drew his inspiration from the ideas of Mouchout but increased the scale of Mouchout’s work. He created a solar power engine that could be sold to the public. In fact he made a sale of one engine to a doctor in Arizona. For around $2000 it was dispatched to Arizona but became damaged soon after and was never operational. Eneas went on to sell one more engine for around the same sum but this was also never operated because it was damaged soon after set up by a hailstorm.
During this period, Henry E. Willsie created 2 solar plants that collected energy during the day so that it could be used at night. He used flat plate collectors to do this. They created about 15 horsepower of output.
In 1906, Frank Shuman improved on Willsies system to create an engine that had a capacity of 33 horsepower. With further enhancements he eventually got his engine to around 55 horsepower.
There were no note worthy developments until around 1954. Bell Laboratories researchers discovered the reaction of sunlight and silicon. This was investigated and lead to the creation of the photo voltaic (PV) cell.
A Photovoltaic (PV) cell is the fundamental element that makes up the solar panels that are generally placed on rooftops. Solar panels create direct current from sunlight.
During the 1970’s, gas shortages and increasing oil prices kick started interest in alternatives to fossil fuels. More time and money was dedicated to alternative energy, including solar power. Most of the research in solar power centered on getting PV cells more efficient while being less expensive.
PV cells have developed significantly since the early days. They are now increasingly cheaper and more efficient than their predecessors. This improvement will continue as people and governments begin to take solar power seriously. More people are installing solar panels in their homes and this will only increase in the future. More grants and subsidies exist for the creators and users of solar powered technology.
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