Solar Power
Water and wind were the only renewable energy resources that were understood and built upon to predate the Industrial Revolution, and the burning of coal and the harvesting of fossil fuels created problems for our earth’s ozone layer and our air quality, not to mention adverse side effects that impact the oceans and the wildlife around the world.
There is also the pressing issue that as these resources are classified as “nonrenewable,” meaning that one day, we will run out of them.
Fortunately, quickly following the Industrial Revolution, another discovery was made in the line of renewable resources: solar energy.
The first solar system was invented in France by inventor Augustin Mouchot in 1860. He was already onto the idea that we would run out of coal one day, and he decided to do something about it.
On the subject of using solar energy, he said, “One must not believe, despite the silence of modern writings, that the idea of using solar heat for mechanical operations is recent. On the contrary, one must recognize that this idea is very ancient and its slow development across the centuries has given birth to various curious devices.”
This ancient practice of using solar energy can be seen as early as the 7th century B.C.E., when people were lighting fires with sunlight and a form of magnifying glass.
A few centuries later in the 3rd century B.C.E., the Greeks and Romans lit torches with mirrors that were commonly referred to as “burning mirrors,” and these same mirrors were documented in China in 20 B.C.E.
The sun was also used to heat rooms with the concept of sunrooms appearing in Roman bathhouses, and in the 1200s, the Anasazi people in pre-colonial North America built their homes in ways that purposefully captured heat from the sun in the winter months.
Later, in the late 1700s and early 1800s, sunlight was used to heat ovens during long trips and could be used to power steamboats.
While none of these practices may look like the kind of solar power we are familiar with today, they all are using an unending resource to address needs and to make life better, which is what renewable energy is all about.
The technology of solar panels was further developed by William Grylls Adams, a professor of Natural Philosophy at King’s College (now known as Columbia University).
They found that they could use selenium cells to generate electricity with sunlight and their discovery was fundamental for the continued adaptation of panel technology, including the 1905 photoelectric effect perfected by Albert Einstein.
The photoelectric effect showed how light carries energy through electrons, and Einstein won a Nobel Prize in 1921, especially honored for his contributions to solar energy. The understanding of these physics is how we still produce solar panels today through photovoltaic processes.
Solar technology grew and changed quickly, and it continues to do so to this day. In 1958, solar technology was installed on a United States satellite and launched into space, 11 years before the moon landing.
Since then, photovoltaic efficiency has skyrocketed from 8% to 34.5% efficiency, solar-powered airplanes have had successful flights, solar panels have been installed on the White House (twice!), and the price has dropped by at least 10% every year since 1980.
Solar energy is one of the most accessible for non-commercial use, with over 2 million systems installed in the United States alone and projections at 4 million in only 2 years.
Solar energy is the fastest growing renewable energy resource in the world, followed closely by wind power. In fact, the two together could create enough energy for the entire world if enough installations were built.