Development Of The First Solar Panels

1954 photovoltaic technology is born in the united states when daryl chapin calvin fuller and gerald pearson develop the silicon photovoltaic pv cell at bell labs the first solar cell capable of converting enough of the sun s energy into power to run everyday electrical equipment.

Development of the first solar panels. 1953 gerald pearson begins research into lithium silicon photovoltaic cells. While working on the coating of platinum electrodes using silver chloride he discovered a rise in voltage on exposure to light. Therefore the credit for the invention of the modern solar panel cannot go to a single individual entity. It was not until 1888 that the first solar cell was actually built by aleksandr stoletov.

In a way many physicists played a part in solar cell invention. Therefore some consider the true invention of solar panels to be tied to daryl chapin calvin fuller and gerald pearson s creation of the silicon photovoltaic pv cell at bell labs in 1954. The first huge step in solar panel technology came when alexandre becquerel observed the photovoltaic effect in 1839 which occurs when a material produces electric current when exposed to light. Shortly afterwards they are shown at the national academy of science meeting.

1954 on april 25 1954 bell labs announces the invention of the first practical silicon solar cell. Charles fritts installed the first solar panels on new york city rooftop in 1884. However solar cells as we know them today are made with silicon not selenium. Almost 50 years after the photovoltaic effect s discovery in 1883 american inventor charles fritz created the first working selenium solar cell 3though we use silicon in cells for modern solar panels this solar cell was a major precursor to the technology used today.

Courtesy of john perlin take a light step back to 1883 when new york inventor charles fritts created the first.