This page takes a brief look at solar energy history, offering background information to the types of solar power which are available today. Solar energy history, in terms of man’s use of solar power, has been long, but it is only relatively recently that the power of the sun has been used actively. Prior to that, the ancient Greeks and Romans, and quite possibly some of our much older ancestors, made use of passive solar heating for their buildings.
Solar energy history took on a different turn in the nineteenth century when French inventor Auguste Mouchout developed a small solar steam engine in 1860. Although the project received initial support, this was discontinued due to the drop in the price of coal. The solar energy history of that century continued, however, with an ongoing interest from scientists. One of the outcomes of this was the development of the parabolic trough collector by John Ericsson in the United States, a type of thermal system which uses the suns rays to heat fluid which is then used to power a steam turbine generator.
Twentieth century solar energy history started off more slowly, but in 1921 Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize for his research into the photoelectric effect. The development of solar photovoltaic technology then saw a boost in the 1950s and 1960s due to the space race. Solar panels were used to generate electricity aboard satellites and space crafts. Further interest in renewable energy such as solar power was generated in the 1970s due to the Energy Crisis (OPEC oil embargo) causing the cost of solar energy to drop.
Today there is more solar energy history in the making with the development of new photovoltaic technologies, such as thin-film and organic photovoltaics, which could slash the prices of solar panels in coming years.
