Why Were Solar Panels Invented

Oil shortages fueled solar power s growth.

Why were solar panels invented. How solar cells have changedd peoples lives. In the 1970s an oil shortage brought awareness of u s. Today let s look at the history of the solar panel to see if we can find out when and by who solar panels were truly first invented. Dependency on foreign energy resources.

Solar cells at that stage were still suitable for use in space and in 1958 the vanguard 1 spacecraft used solar as a backup energy source. Chaplin fuller and pearson wilson were the first people to invent a solar cell and construct it. It was a time of high inflation when americans were squeezed economically and shortages in essentials made the need for further innovation glaringly evident. Naturally there is some debate around when exactly they were created and who should be credited for the invention.

As the sun s been around much longer than solar panel technology it stands to reason that humans historically found a way to use the sun s heat. Solar power before solar panels. Although this patent was not for a solar panel these thermal generators were invented to either convert heat directly into electricity or to transform that energy into power for heating and cooling. When were solar panels invented.

Solar panels as a viable energy alternative. A year later a solar cell was developed with 10 efficiency but still saw little usage outside of spaceflight. Solar cells who invented solar cells.