Solar Power Evolution
Dear Readers and Friends,
If you are in favor of renewable/CLEAN energy, please sign the petition page showing support for FIT/CLEAN Program at http://sunisthefuture.net/?page_id=1065 Thank you.
I came across an interesting graph on the evolution of solar power/technology today in an article by Sebastian Anthony in ExtremeTech,
History of Solar Power/Technology
started from the lucky finding by Alexandre Becquerel in 1839, a current was generated when an electrode in a conductive solution was hit by sunlight . Then came the first solar cell, at 1% efficiency, produced by Charles Fritts in 1883. It was in 1904, Albert Einstein published a paper on the discovery of the photoelectric effect, followed by a flurry of photoelectirc advances until AT & T Bell Lab created the first modern silicon solar cell in 1954. Between 1950s and 70s cost (about $250 per watt) and efficiency (10%) were two important factors preventing solar power to be the major power player. But today, the solar power industry has brought the cost/price per watt down to around $3 and at-home installations are becoming more common. In 2010, even President Obama ordered the installation of solar panels and a solar hot water heater at the White House. It will simply be a matter of few years when solar power will overtake coal in terms of cost and efficiency. As storage battery technology advances and the fact that solar power is the much cleaner technology (therefore, at a much lower environmental cost) and the technology least likely to generate warfare among nations, solar power/technology does appear to be the best choice for the future of planet earth.
Posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker, sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Homepage: http://sunisthefuture.net http://sunisthefuture.org
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
Tags: Alexandre Becquerel, Bell lab, clean energy, cost, efficiency, evolution, history, photoelectric, photovoltaic, President Obama, renewable energy, Sebastian Anthony, solar cell, Solar Energy, solar panels, solar power, solar technology, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.com, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker
July 20th, 2011 at 9:51 PM
This is a very interesting post. I’m lucky to have stumbled upon this site. I’ve never read anything quite like it.