Timeline of photovoltaics

A timeline of most important events in photovoltaic research.

The "photovoltaic effect" is the basic physical process through which a solar cell converts sunlight into electricity.

1839

In 1839, nineteen-year-old Edmund Becquerel, a French experimental physicist, discovered the photovoltaic effect while experimenting with an electrolytic cell made up of two metal electrodes. Becquerel found that certain materials would produce small amounts of electric current when exposed to light.

Sunlight is composed of photons, or "packets" of energy. These photons contain various amounts of energy corresponding to the different wavelengths of light. When photons strike a solar cell, they may be reflected or absorbed, or they may pass right through. When a photon is absorbed, the energy of the photon is transferred to an electron in an atom of the cell (which is actually a semiconductor). With its newfound energy, the electron is able to escape from its normal position associated with that atom to become part of the current in an electrical circuit. By leaving this position, the electron causes a hole to form. Special electrical properties of the solar cell Ña built-in electric field (thanks to a P-N junction) Ñprovide the voltage needed to drive the current through an external load (such as a light bulb).

1900

• 1901 - Nikola Tesla receives the patent US685957, "Apparatus for the Utilization of Radiant Energy", and US685958, "Method of Utilizing of Radiant Energy".
• 1902 - Philipp von Lenard observes the variation in electron energy with light frequency.
• 1904 - Albert Einstein publishes a paper on the photoelectric effect. Wilhelm Hallwachs makes a semiconductor-junction solar cell (copper and copper oxide).
• 1913 - William Coblentz receives US1077219, "Solar cell".
• 1914 - Sven Ason Berglund patents "methods of increasing the capacity of photosensitive cells".
• 1916 - Robert Millikan conducts experiments and proves the photoelectric effect.
• 1918 - Jan Czochralski produces a method to grow single-crystal silicon.

1920-1940s

• 1920s - Solar water-heating systems, utilizing "flat collectors" (or "flat-plate collectors"), relied upon in homes and apartment buildings in Florida and southern California.
• 1946 - Russell Ohl receives patent US2402662, "Light sensitive device".

1950

• 1950s - Bell Labs produce solar cells for space activities.
• 1953 - Gerald Pearson begins research into lithium-silicon photovoltaic cells.
• 1954 - AT&T exhibits solar cells at Murray Hill, New Jersey. _[1]. Shortly afterwards, AT&T shows them at the National Academy of Science Meeting. These cells have about 6% efficiency The New York Times forcasts that solar cells will eventually lead to a source of "limitless energy of the sun".
• 1955 - Western Electric licence commercially solar cell technologies.
• 1955 - Hoffman Electronics-Semiconductor Division introduced a commercial photovoltaic product with 2 % efficiency at a cost of US$ 1,785 per W
• 1957 - AT&T assignors (Gerald L. Pearson, Daryl M. Chapin, and Calvin S. Fuller) receive patent US2780765, "Solar Energy Converting Apparatus". They refer to it as the "solar battery".
• 1958 - Vanguard I first satellite put into space with photovoltaic electricity capacity

1960

• 1961 - "Solar Energy in the Developing World" conference is held by the United Nations.
• 1962 - The Telstar communications satellite is powered by solar cells.
• 1963 - Sharp Corporation produces a viable photovoltaic module of silicon solar cells.
• 1964 - Farrington Daniels' landmark book, Direct Use of the Sun's Energy, published by Yale University Press.

1970

• 1970s - Huge groundswell of public interest in solar energy use: photovoltaic and active and passive solar, including in architecture and off-grid buildings and home sites.
• 1971 - Salyut 1 is powered by solar cells.
• 1972 - Skylab is powered by solar cells.
• 1974 - Florida Solar Energy Center begins _[2]].
• 1974 - J. Baldwin, at Integrated Living Systems, co-develops the world's first building (in New Mexico) heated and otherwise powered by solar and wind power exclusively.
• 1977 - President Jimmy Carter installs solar panels on the White House and promotes incentives for solar energy systems.
• 1977 - The Solar Energy Research Institute is established at Golden, Colorado.
• 1977 - The world production of photovoltaic cells exceeded 500 kW

1980

• 1980 - University of Delaware, the first thin-film solar cell exceeds 10% efficiency using copper sulfide/cadmium sulfide.
• 1983 - World photovoltaic power breaks 20MW
• 1984 - 30,000 SF Building-Integrated Photovoltaic [BI-PV] Roof completed for the Intercultural Center of Georgetown University. At the time of the 20th Anniversary Journey by Horseback for Peace and Photovoltais in 2004 it was still generating an average of one MWh daily as it has for twenty years in the dense urban environment of Washington, DC.

http://www.geocities.com/JOURNEY2004MEDIA2

• 1984 - Amoco Oil pulled factory loan to make brutal and unwelcome takeover of Solarex Corporation factory in Frederick, Maryland.
• 1985 - The University of New South Wales breaks the 20% efficiency barrier for silicon solar cells under 1-sun conditions.
• 1986 - 'Solar-Voltaic DomeTM' patented by Lt. Colonel Richard T. Headrick of Irvine, CA most efficient architectural configuration for building-integrated photovoltaics [BI-PV] in existence where it increases output on acre footprint 4.5 times Hesperia, CA field array.
• 1988-1991 AMOCO/Enron used Solarex patents to sue ARCO Solar out of the business of a-Si, see

Solarex Corp.(Enron/Amoco)v.Arco Solar, Inc.Ddel, 805 Fsupp 252 Fed Digest.

• 1989 - efficient concentrator solar cells are in use.

1990

• 1991 - President George H. W. Bush directs the U.S. Department of Energy to establish the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (transferring the existing Solar Energy Research Institute).
• 1992 - University of South Florida fabricats a 15.89-percent efficient thin-film cell
• 1992 - THE SOLAR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATIVE ~Lighting the Way With Creation's Original Remedy was founded by Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. to assure timely mainstream deployment of quality building-integrated photovoltaics [BI-PV] supported by a reliable service industry in the United States and globally. http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/1905
• 1994 - The National Renewable Energy Laboratory develops a solar cell—made from gallium indium phosphide and gallium arsenide—that becomes the first one to exceed 30% conversion efficiency.
• 1996 - The National Center for Photovoltaics is established.
• 1996 - Solar Two, a test 10MW solar concentrator begins to operate.
• 1996 - April 'Econonic and Marketing Strategies Within Middle Eastern Countries; The Advent of the Headrick Solar-Voltaic Dome(TM) Power Station' by Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. presented at 2nd Egyptian Solar Energy Society Fourth Conference on Renewable Energy Cairo http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/1905/EGYPTIANSOLARES.html
• 1996 - June 15-21 '100 Headrick Solar-Voltaic Dome(TM) Power Stations by 2000 Program A Three-World-Powers Photovoltaic Competition of Discovery & Sharing United States - European Commission - Japan; OFFICIAL DOCUMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SIGNING CEREMONY' written and presented by Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. World Renewable Energy Congress IV Denver, Colorado http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/1905/100BY2000.html
• 1996 - November 11-15 'Technical Characteristics & Benefits of the Advent of the Headrick Solar-Voltaic Dome™ Power Station' written by Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. for the Technical Digest of the 9th International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference held at the SEAGAIA Convention Complex Miyazaki, Japan [Coined the term renewable 'externality benefits'.] http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/1905/PVSEC.html
• 1997 - April 1-3 'The Advent of the Headrick Solar-Voltaic Dome™ Power Station Mainstream Deployment of Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BI-PV) Power Within the United States Energy Consumption Arena System Economics, Market Trends and Issues' written by Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. for the 59th American Power Conference Chicago, IL http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/1905/137.pdf
• 1998 - August and September University of New South Wales made premier offering of on-line 'Advanced Photovoltaics Short Course'
• 1998 - April 'Building-Integrated Photovoltaics for Primary Energy Producers in the United States of America or BI-PV PEP USA' written by Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. for the American Power Conference http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/1905/139.pdf
• 1998 - October 'Charging Ahead; The Business of Renewable Energy and What It Means for America by John J. Berger, PhD http://www.amazon.com/dp/0520216148/
• 1998 - Historic Joint Agency Rulemaking into the Role of the Utility Distribution Company [UDC] in Distributed Generation [DG] before the California Public Utilities Commission 98-12-015 and 99-10-025; California Energy Commission 99-DIST-GEN(1) and 99-DIST-GEN(2); California Oversight Board 99-1-A-DG http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/1905/RULEMAKINGI.html
• 1999 - World photovoltaic power breaks 1000MW

2000

2002

• 2002 - President George W. Bush installed 'building-integrated photovoltaics' or BI-PV solar electric generators at the White House for personal safety and national security. BI-PV solar system design by Steven Strong, AIA Founder and President of Solar Design Associates, Inc. Cambridge, Massachusetts http://www.resourcesaver.com/file/toolmanager/CustomO63F36802.pdf

2004

• 2004 - Photoelectrochemical cells are developed.
• 2004 - March, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed Solar Roofs Initiative for one million solar roofs in California by 2017.
• 2004 - June 1, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius issued a mandate for 1,000 MWp renewable electricity in Kansas by 2015 per Executive Order 04-05

2005

• 2005 - Kansas Solar Electric Co~operatives was establshed by Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. to evolve 1,000 MWp Building-Integrated Photovoltaics [BI-PV] Solar Electricity in Kansas by 2018 via Kansas House Bill 2018 passed in 2003 by KS Representative Tom Sloan [K.S.A. Chapter 17]. Unique non-profit program to produce, install, monitor, maintain and manage grid-connected electricity sells for 10% solar electricity for Kansas by 2018. Many benefits include an increase Homeland Security, increase Environmental integrity and secure affordable electricity for rural Americans. http://www.geocities.com/Solar_Electric_Cooperatives
• 2005 2005 72.5% of the electricity consumed in Kansas is generated by coal-fired power plants. In 2005 seven projects totaling a 45% increase were proposed and 50% of them were preliminarily approved. Kansas ranks 18th in the nation for coal-mercury toxins.
• 2005 2005 April 23 Earth Day book was released: "ElectriCity BEYOND THE CURVE OF DEREGULATION featuring Neighborhood Energy Watch Solution Groups and the Ethos of Commerce" by Eileen M. Smith, M.Arch. ISBN 0-9741412-9-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2004098882 http://www.geocities.com/EthosOfCommerce

2006

• 2006 Jan. 12 California Public Utilities Commission approved the California Solar Initiative (CSI), a comprehensive $2.8 billion program that provides incentives toward solar development over 11 years. http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/static/energy/solar/
• 2006 January Kansas Solar Electric Co~operatives [K-SEC] announces Phase I Demonstration Program to produce, install, monitor, maintain and sell 100 kWp or 10,000 SF Building-Integrated Photovoltaics [BI-PV] in each county of Kansas by January 2009

http://www.geocities.com/Solar_Electric_Cooperatives/K_SEC_NEWS_JAN06.pdf

• 2006 April Kansas Solar Electric Buildings Registry announces first goal of 250 homes and 50 commercial rooftops compiled in list for each county of Kansas by January 2007

http://www.geocities.com/ks_sec_2006/K_SEC_NEWS_SEPT06.pdf

• 2006 Dec. 5 New World Record Achieved in Solar Cell Technology - New Solar Cell Breaks the “40 Percent Efficient” Sunlight-to-Electricity Barrier

http://www.energy.gov/news/4503.htm

2007

• The Vatican announced that in order to concerve Earth's resources they would be installing solar panels on some buildings, in "a comprehensive energy project that will pay for itself in a few years". http://www.upi.com/Energy/Analysis/2007/05/31/solar_world_vatican_installs_solar_panels/3090/

See also

• list of solar energy topics

External links and references

• http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/solar_timeline.pdf
• http://www.pvresources.com/en/history.php
• http://www.resourcesaver.com/file/toolmanager/CustomO63F36802.pdf