A History of Solar Power

By Adrian Fletcher in Technology on March 8th, 2008

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by Adrian Fletcher

The start of modern solar power history can be traced to the middle of the 19th century. During this time the industrial age was beginning to influence much of western Europe. The need for a combustible resources in massive quantities being one of them. This resource was coal and forward thinkers, inventors and scientists began to ponder what might happen to society should this resource run out. The results of this thinking is the modern solar power industry. This article will plot the history of solar power from this time to modernity.

From 1860 to 1880, Auguste Mouchout, a French engineer devised and developed a solar powered engine. The purpose of the engine was to convert solar heat into steam power. He saw the increased need for an energy resource given the sudden expansion of factories and railway lines during the early industrial revolution.

The authorities in France were extremely interested in the project and began to finance his efforts. This included further research. However as more mines were opened, coal, the primary energy source of the day became cheaper. This caused the French government to lose interest in the project and the financing was stopped.

During this time, William Adams devised a similar solution that had greater capacity. He built a rack consisting of small mirrors around a boiler. The sun’s energy was used to heat water to create steam. This gave hime a 2.5 horsepower output from an engine connected to the boiler.

In 1885 for approximately 4 years, Charles Tellier performed experiments with solar energy. He eventually created solar collectors that were installed on rooftops. The aim of the collectors was to power refrigeration units.

In 1903, Aubrey Eneas began his research into solar power. He was deeply influenced by the work of Auguste Mouchout to the extent that he developed a similar style of solar powered engine. It was a more efficient machine on a larger scale and he managed to sell it. It was sold for around $2000 (a substantial sum in those days) to a Doctor in Arizona. Unfortunately the engine was damaged en route and was never set up and made operational. He made another engine that he sold for a similar sum. This too never made it to fully functional as it was damaged in a hailstorm.

During this period, Henry E. Willsie created 2 solar plants that collected energy during the day so that it could be used at night. He used flat plate collectors to do this. They created about 15 horsepower of output.

In 1906, Frank Shuman made improvements of the original Willsie design. This increased the engine output to 33 horsepower. He continued to tweak his designs to the extent that he managed to get the engine up to 55 horsepower.

Not much progress was made at the begin of the 20th century until after the second world war. In 1954, Bell laboratories noticed the reaction of silicon with sunlight. Further research led to the development of the photovotaic cell (PV)

Photovoltaic (PV) cells are the underlying principle behind the solar panels that you see on many a rooftop today. It creates direct current from sun light.

During the 1970’s, gas shortages and increasing oil prices kick started interest in alternatives to fossil fuels. More time and money was dedicated to alternative energy, including solar power. Most of the research in solar power centered on getting PV cells more efficient while being less expensive.

PV cells have come a long way in terms of cost and efficiency. This will only increase, as will new methods of creating solar power, in the future. Many governments and individuals are looking to embrace the technology and provide grants and subsidies for research and use of solar energy.

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