The use of solar energy goes back a long time
Remembering the history of solar energy brings us back to the energy crisis of the 1970s and the oil embargo, which caused long queues at gas stations, high gas prices and even panic among consumers and investors in the United States. The knowledge that oil is a non-renewable resource exists since the 1800s. But it was only during and after the energy crisis of the 1970s that people really began to understand the consequences of too much dependence on of an energy resource already in decline.
However, the use of solar energy is not a recent development. It has been used by ancient civilizations to warm, feed and prepare crops and for various agricultural purposes. What is new is the technologies involved in the exploitation of this energy and in its daily use by humans.
The technology began in the 1830s when Edmund Becquerel released his studies on how sunlight can be exploited in usable energy. However, no one acted on this idea, nor explored any practical use. The next advance in the field of solar energy comes after thirty years of publication of his works by Becquerel.
In 1860, the French monarch ordered Augusted Mouchout to find other sources of energy. And Mouchout rolled his eyes to find inspiration. His series of contractions with solar energy were quite impressive at the time. His inventions include a solar powered engine, a sunlight-based steam engine, and an all-solar powered ice machine.
After Mouchout, several other notable achievements have been made in the field of solar energy. These include the work of William Adams in the 1870s, who used mirrors to channel the power of the sun to operate a steam engine. The design concept of Adams Power Tower is still used today. Another remarkable work is that of Charles Fritz in the early 1880s. His studies focused on transforming sunlight into electricity, which he did later.
But one of the most significant developments of modern solar energy occurred in the 1950s. At the beginning of the decade, RS Ohl discovered that sunlight produced a large number of free electrons when hit the silicon. Then, in the mid-1950s, Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller and Daryl Chaplin were able to capture these free electrons and convert them into electricity. Today, silicon cells are used to make solar cells and solar panels to harness solar energy.
Immediately, these solar cells were used wisely and the first to use them was the field of space aeronautics. These silicon-based solar cells have been used to power satellites in orbit around the Earth. The Vanguard I satellite was the first to be launched into space thanks to the use of solar cells. More satellites followed.
Today, more and more research and studies are underway on the best use of solar energy. Especially today, where it is said that in about 30 to 50 years, the world's oil reserves will be totally exhausted. Thus, the search for alternative sources of energy continues. It is expected that the sun will go out in a few thousand years, it is too late to worry and the man can have all his energy to this day.
