The History of Solar Power

The history of modern solar power goes back further than you might think. It can be traced back to the middle of the 19th century when scientists, engineers and inventors begin thinking about alternatives to coal. The growing belief that coal was a finite resource that would either run out or lead to political problems seemed to inspire many to start looking at solar energy. This article will detail the history of solar power from this period through to modern times.

From 1860 to 1880,  the French engineer Auguste Mouchout developed a solar powered engine.  The principle of the engine was to convert heat from the sun into steam power. His inspiration was the increased need for coal in the new industrial age and the knowledge that coal resources could not be sustained forever.

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.

At this time, a similar developing was taking place in India. William Adams created a rack that comprised many small mirrors around a boiler. This produced an engine with around 2.5 horsepower.

In 1885 for approximately 4 years, Charles Tellier performed experiments with solar energy. He eventually created solar collectors that were installed on rooftops. The aim of the collectors was to power refrigeration units.

In 1903, Aubrey Eneas started working with solar power.  He studied the work of Mouchout but expanded on the scale and efficiency of the original design. He produced a solar power engine that had commercial potential. To this extent, he managed to sell one to a Doctor in Arizona for nearly $2000. It became damaged soon after being transported and was never used. He managed to sell another engine for a similar figure but this was also never used as it became damaged in a hailstorm.

At this time, Henry E. Willsie made two solar plants that collected and stored energy during the day to be used during the night. His innovation was to use flat plate collectors that gave a power rating of approximately 15 horsepower.

In 1906, Frank Shuman enhanced Willsies system such that the engine had a capacity of around 33 horsepower.  With more improvements this figure reach 55 horsepower.

The solar industry seemed to go into the doldrums during the war years. Not much of note was developed until 1954. Researchers in the Bell laboratories noticed the reaction of silicon with sunlight. The end result was the invention of photovoltaic cells.

Photovoltaic (PV) cells are the underlying principle behind the solar panels that you see on many a rooftop today. It creates direct current from sun light.

With the crises with oil shortages and massive increases in the cost of gasoline, research into alternative energy sources was renewed. In terms of solar power, much research went into making PV cells more efficient and cheaper.

PV cells are now far more efficient and cheaper than they used to be. Given the numerous government incentives, solar panels are within the reach of the average household. Funding has also been increased to make solar power research more successful.