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What’s Solar PV

The concept of harnessing the power of the sun’s rays dates back to the 7th century BC years when magnifying glasses were used to make fire and reportedly burn ants! However, it wasn’t until 1839 when the photovoltaic effect was first discovered by a young French scientist, Edmond Becquerel. The photovoltaic effect is the underlying process by which solar panels work, and hence, Becquerel is credited with being the inventor of solar panels.

The Becquerel effect

At the tender age of 19, Becquerel coated electrodes with silver chloride (AgCl) and silver bromide (AgBr) in an acidic solution, which generated voltage and current. Thanks to Becquerel’s experiments, the photovoltaic effect is sometimes referred to as the “Becquerel effect”.

History of Solar Energy

We are thankful to Edmond Becquerel who had the audacity to fool around in his father’s laboratory and understand the photovoltaic effect. However, there have been many significant events and milestones that timeline the history of solar energy from Becquerel’s discovery to the present day.

1839

Edmond Becquerel discovers the photovoltaic effect Becquerel generates electricity by using sunlight.

1876

Selenium used to create electric current
English Professor William Grylls Adams and his student Richard Evans Day bear witness to the photovoltaic effect in action after exposing selenium to light and producing an electric current.

However, Adams’ selenium solar cells didn’t generate enough electricity from the sunlight it captured. Nevertheless, it was a big step forward; Adams and Day had managed to generate electricity without moving parts.

1894

Solar panels first installed on a rooftop
Solar panels were first installed on roofs in 1884. For reference, this was a dozen years before the launch of the modern Olympics, and 17 years before the Federation of Australia.

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