Solar Panels: Key Milestones in Over 140 Years of Innovation

“From a New York rooftop in the 1800s to their debut in space. From tales of kidnappings and bribery to a world-altering inkwell mishap… Solar panels stand as one of humanity’s greatest inventions, and their history is more intriguing than you might expect.”

The first photovoltaic solar panel installation took place in 1884, when Charles Fritts mounted a billiard-table-sized array on a wooden frame on a New York City rooftop. Fritts used selenium coated with a thin layer of gold, achieving less than 1% efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity, producing a current he described as “continuous, constant, and of considerable force.”

George Cove’s Solar Electric Generator and Breakthrough Innovations

Twenty years later, Canadian “serial inventor” George Cove, a polymath known for filing numerous patents in propeller design, tidal energy harvesting, AC generators, and electric clocks and watches, built on Fritts’ work. Cove developed a “solar electric generator” using a semiconductor material with a band gap very close to that of silicon—the main material in today’s solar panels—and incorporated a battery for energy storage and release.

Newspapers reported that Cove’s generator, costing about US$20 (around US$660 today), could power a home for 10 years, eliminating the need to connect to the growing electricity grid. His 1909 demonstration in Halifax drew significant investor interest, leading him to establish a New York workshop and raise $5 million.

However, his story took an odd turn when he claimed he was kidnapped and offered $25,000 plus a house to abandon his work. According to Oxford researcher Dr. Sugandha Srivastav, such tactics weren’t unusual for the time, with figures like Thomas Edison and J.D. Rockefeller known for using underhanded methods to eliminate competitors.

Cove’s Controversial Claims and the Decline of Solar Technology

Cove claimed he rejected the offer and was later released at the Bronx Zoo. Critics, however, accused him of fabricating the incident as a scam or to generate media attention for his business. Regardless, Cove’s business soon collapsed and never recovered, as the rise of coal and oil in 1911 overshadowed solar technology, stalling its progress for nearly 40 years.

“Obstructionism,” Srivastav notes, “has been a significant barrier to the development and deployment of renewable energy in the past and continues to be so today.”

Czochralski’s Discovery of Monocrystalline Structures

Solar energy made little progress in the following decades, but key technologies emerged that later sparked its revival. In 1918, Polish chemist Jan Czochralski accidentally discovered a method for growing monocrystalline structures used in semiconductor wafers, now crucial to 90% of today’s electronics.

This breakthrough came when Czochralski mistakenly dipped his pen into molten tin instead of his inkwell, leading to the discovery of a single crystal structure.

Solar technology stayed dormant until 1954, when Bell Labs scientists developed the first practical silicon solar cell with 6% efficiency, a major improvement thanks to Czochralski’s crystalline silicon method.

Around the same time, Bell Labs also invented the maser, making it a hub of groundbreaking innovation similar to today’s Google X Labs.

Vanguard I, the First Solar-Powered Satellite

The first major use of solar cells occurred in 1958 with the launch of Vanguard I, the first solar-powered satellite. Although it stopped transmitting data in 1964, it remains in orbit today. Solar cells were vital to its six-year operation, as batteries alone couldn’t have sustained it.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, solar panel adoption slowly spread, especially in remote areas where power lines were impractical or costly. Solar power became crucial for radio and TV towers, weather stations, offshore platforms, and in developing countries, it provided electricity for essential services like lighting and vaccine refrigeration.

Multi-Junction Cells and Their Aerospace Applications

In 1989, multi-junction cells were developed, stacking thin layers of different materials to increase efficiency. By 2006, these cells achieved 46% efficiency, nearly double that of traditional silicon cells. Despite their high cost, they are mainly used in aerospace applications like the International Space Station, which can generate up to 120 kW with its solar arrays.

Recently, perovskite has improved efficiency further. Its unique structure has allowed tandem cells, combining silicon and perovskite layers, to exceed 30% efficiency.

Bifacial solar panels, popular in the last decade, capture sunlight from both sides and are used in utility-scale plants for maximum efficiency. I’ve installed them on my home and RV for their effectiveness.

Today’s solar panels last 25-30 years with only a 1% annual decline in capacity after their lifespan.

Portable and flexible solar technology is expanding the use of this cost-effective energy source.

Breakthrough in Solar Technology

A major breakthrough in solar technology has been in battery storage. Since solar power only generates electricity during part of the day, storing excess energy has been essential for making solar a reliable, continuous energy source, especially for municipal power grids.

Advancements in battery technologies and falling costs have made solar power increasingly reliable, even at night, with solar-charged battery banks. Lithium-ion batteries paved the way, and newer technologies like lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4), iron-air, and mechanical storage methods are improving energy density and cost.

These technologies are evolving to support a clean energy future, addressing both short-term power needs and long-term grid stability.

Despite its early challenges, solar power has become a key player in achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is now the second-cheapest electricity source, behind onshore wind, and costs about half as much as coal-fired power.

From Charles Fritts’ initial rooftop device, solar energy has grown into a crucial, economically viable clean energy source, meeting our expanding electricity demands.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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