Timeline of solar power
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| Time period | Development summary | More details |
|---|
Full timeline
| Year | Event type | Details | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7th century BC | "In theory, solar energy was used by humans as early as 7th century B.C. when history tells us that humans used sunlight to light fires with magnifying glass materials. "[1] | ||
| 3rd century BC | "Later, in 3rd century B.C., the Greeks and Romans were known to harness solar power with mirrors to light torches for religious ceremonies. These mirrors became a normalized tool referred to as “burning mirrors.”"[1] | ||
| 20 AD | "The Chinese civilization documents the use of mirrors for the same purpose later in 20 A.D."[1] | China | |
| Late 1700s – 1800s | Researchers and scientists have success using sunlight to power ovens for long voyages. They also harness the power of the sun to produce solar-powered steam boats.[1] | ||
| 1873 | "In 1873, Willoughby Smith discovered that selenium had photoconductive potential"[1] | ||
| 1876 | "William Grylls Adams’ and Richard Evans Day’s 1876 discovery that selenium creates electricity when exposed to sunlight."[1] | ||
| 1883 | "1883, Charles Fritts actually produced the first solar cells made from selenium wafers – the reason some historians credit Fritts with the actual invention of solar cells."[1] | ||
| 1954 | " Therefore, some consider the true invention of solar panels to be tied to Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson’s creation of the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell at Bell Labs in 1954. Many argue that this event marks the true invention of PV technology because it was the first instance of a solar technology that could actually power an electric device for several hours of a day" | ||
| 1958 | "n 1958, the Vanguard I satellite used a tiny one-watt panel to power its radios." |
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