Renewable energy sources have been a hot topic for many years now. But with the sudden rise in oil prices, renewable energy sources have become a hotter topic than ever. One of the most mentioned sources of seemingly unlimited energy is the sun. It may seem like solar energy is a relatively new energy source, but its use dates back throughout history in the form of heating tools. But for the brevity of this piece, we'll start with the invention of the solar cooker in 1767.
The Solar Cooker of 1767
The solar cooker was invented by Swiss naturalist Horace de Saussure. This device was extremely simple for even its time, yet effective enough to be used by outdoors adventurers of or time. The solar cooker is simply a box that is transparent on top and with a shiny sheet of metal acting as a reflector to grab and intensify extra energy into the box. This simple little device could reach temperatures of 300 degrees inside. Think about how much it costs to run your electric oven at 300 degrees for a few hours and you'll understand just how significant this solar energy device is.
The Solar Powered Steam Motor of 1860
In 1860 a French inventor by the name of Augste Mouchout developed a motor that was powered entirely by the sun. He used his expertise in mathematics to try to engineer alternative industrial energy sources to the dirty coal used to power many of the developing factories and the trains of his time. Not knowing that there were hundreds of years worth more of fossil fuels available in various parts of the world, he was concerned that the world would soon use up these resources and then have no means of powering the machinery of his time. So he found a way to heat water with a cauldron of iron surrounded by glass. In this way steam was produced, which powered the steam driven motor. However, as coal continued to be readily available and relatively inexpensive, his invention was not put to widespread use.
The Development of the Photovoltaic Cell of 1830s to Present
As early as the 1830s it was documented that when the sun was concentrated on certain materials electrical charges could be formed. However, it wasn't until 1883 that the first photovoltaic cells were created by Charles Fritts based on this knowledge. But Charles Fritts' photovoltaic cell, based on selenium covered with a thin gold plating, could convert only a very small amount of the sun's energy into electricity.
In 1954 Bell Laboratories finally found a way to convert a significant percentage of the sun's energy into electricity using a photovoltaic cell based on a combination of impurities added to silicon. This was the predecessor of modern photovoltaic cells that have continued to be refined to achieve greater efficiencies. But most of the research on the use of photovoltaic cells did not begin in earnest until the energy crisis of the 1970s and then accelerated again with the rising oil prices of our time.
