The development of the solar panel can be traced back to the 18th century when Horace de Saussare created the first solar collector. He built this in the year 1776, and probably could never have imagined how things would develop in later centuries. In 1861, this creation inspired the first solar power steam engine. This break through didn’t last very long but it did alert people to the potential of solar power.
During the 1880s, the first light converting photovoltaic cells were built. These cells were made of selenium and had an efficiency of one to two percent. In 1891, the first commercial solar water heater was patented by an American named Clarence Kemp. In 1921, it was for his work on photoelectricity that Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Eventually, in the 1950s, solar power saw its first mainstream usage with the first solar water heated office building being built during this time by an architect named Frank Bridgers. Interestingly, the subsequent fall in oil prices during the 1960s saw to the decline in solar power usage and it was not until the oil embargo of the 1970s that solar power garnered strength once more as an energy resource.
Again, with the advent of the Gulf War in the 1990s, solar power was further recognised as an alternative to oil and petroleum products and over one million US homes had some form of solar power installed.
Today, solar panels are a very common sight on the landscape. Solar energy accounts for much of the energy the powers our world. This solar power is used in 2 different ways. These ways are photovoltaic conversion format and thermal solar power. Both ways lead to a great source of power and help us meet our energy requirements each year.
If you are looking to get solar panels installed in your home then contact Eddie Connolly Builders Nenagh. We also specialise in thermal insulation.
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