Modern Solar Power Has a Long History. Read on to Know More about Solar Energy History and its Emerging Place in Our Society
It may sound surprising, but solar power, meaning power that can be gained from the sun, has actually been a focus of scientists for some time. The history of solar power is in fact quite rich. In this article we will consider the historical aspects of solar power through the ages.
A long time ago people had already understood that the sun could not only provide light for their homes, but also energy to be used for other objectives as well. In fact, in France Mouchout in 1860 developed a solar engine, which was comprised of an iron vessel inside a glass enclosure surrounded by reflectors. The principle of operation was relatively simple. Heat from the sun reflected on to the iron vessel to boil the water to create steam, which then operated a rudimentary steam engine. Naturally, this procedure was quite elementary, but it was the start of much greater things.
Many modifications came after that by scientists such as Charles Tellier, John Ericsson, Henry E. Willsie Eneas and Shuman. William Adams working off the machine in France increased the number of mirrors to 72 and managed already in his version to triple the amount of energy produced compared to the first solar engine. However the fundamental problem to be resolved was a commercial one. Generators using coal were far cheaper as well as more convenient in those early days.
The Tennessee Valley Authority started to set the direction however in the first half of the twentieth century by encouraging the use of hydroelectric power plants. In the Netherlands windmills began to be used more and more for pumping water. At the same time many people came to understand that fossil fuel was not a renewable source of energy and that alternative sources would need to be explored.
Crude oil had been processed up until this point by feeding it into a fractional column. This process, which was begun in Titusville in Pennsylvania by colonel Edwin Drake, was responsible for creating a number of derivative products from base petroleum to kerosene. Imports of crude oil started when mass production of motorcars in the market in the U.S. caused a demand that outstripped supply. It seemed at that time that there was no limit to the stocks of this energy source which was at that time largely imported from the Arab world in the main controlled by Arab sheikhs. Yet the search for an alternative power source was still present and when the crude oil market was shaken by external wars and internal feuding, then the motivation increased substantially for the possibility of finding once again alternative power sources. Public opinion was starting to sway in that direction.
Scientists in Bell laboratories in 1953 then invented the first silicon solar cell, which was able to produce significant electric current simply by the action of the sun upon it. The scientists, Gerald Pearson, Daryl Chapin and Calvin Fuller had made the first major advance in solar power generation. There were still however challenges that needed to be addressed both in terms of technical problems and commercial problems.
Some of the issues that scientists had to resolve initially involved the expense of producing the solar photovoltaic cells. The cells at the outset cost far too much for an output that was much less than had been expected. The final benefit was being severely impacted and at the same time the process of generating electricity was expensive. Major governmental initiatives in both Japan and Germany then started to change the situation. The production of PV (photovoltaic) cells has since that time reached a phenomenal rate of growth. Japan has already begun to produce hybrid cars that run on both solar power as well as conventional car fuel , while many homes and workplaces in the U.S. are taking advantage of solar panels for heating and other electric requirements. The solar photovoltaic energy market is increasing at a massive 30 percent every year currently.
Therefore in the not too distant future solar power will continue to advance as the human race reduces pollution at the same time as making the most of clean and renewable resources. We can expect to see solar power becoming less and less expensive and more and more utilized in every country in the world.